Considering that the author likes the idea of carrying his stuff in a brown paper bag. I don't think a beat up looking laptop would bother him. In fact, if you look at the picture, there are a few scratches and dings on his laptop.
Minor scratches won't affect functionality in any way, in fact, I think there is a certain beauty to it. A laptop is a tool, a tool is meant to be used, and usage leaves marks. If it looks spotless, it is as if no work has been done on it.
I‘m fairly sure that generation of MBP is USB-C only. If a UK plug prong is smashing its way in there, you‘ve got much bigger problems than a shorted port.
In my netbook bag: charger, ac cord for the charger, hdmi cord, tiny wired mouse, laser pointer thing, pens/paper, notes, business cards, usb sticks with various linux distros (i often give these away) a kick-ass wifi dongle, ubertooth, and various usb cables. Im not having all that bouncing around in a canvas sack. This thing is small enough to qualify as a "purse" when the flight attendant tells me to check my carryon.
Couldn’t you just mod the bag or add another bag to put inside the movie prop bag? I think the whole point of it is security through obscurity. i.e. People are less likely to rob a cheap bag.
TBF, you didn't mention chairing the board meeting, and you've more than earned what could be read as a humble-brag intro, but is just a Tuesday for you. I found the contrast chuckle-worthy.
Nothing to argue about arbitrary disdain for backpacks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, but I don't remember one backpack that I saw and thought "wow that backpack is ostentatious, that guy is a showoff". Not once.
They also mentioned theft deterrence as secondary goals, so my recommendation stands for everyone else who doesn't have random hatred towards backpacks. :)
It might not be ostentatious looks that are the problem. Dell used to be big on up selling rucksacks and briefcases. Their bags were never good looking but they did advertise the contents of your bag as likely to contain a Dell laptop - 'please steal me now'.
As for bags as status symbol, men don't go into that but women have these things called handbags. No man in history has been interested in a woman due to her taste in handbags, which is fine since the signalling is only to other women. Compare with cars where a Porsche is only going to be noted down to model number by men, with women not caring about the specification, to them it is just a Porsche with colour being the only noteworthy aspect.
Naturally this does not apply to all men or women, however, there are patterns. Showing off is also about poor utility. A rucksack designed to carry a laptop is far too functional to be high status. However, if you make a handbag and design it so it can barely carry so much as a toothpick, then that is high status, much like how a Porsche car is high status because it is essentially not practical.
A laptop bag designed for the task, much like a Dell laptop bag of old, might stand out as advertising its contents but it is far too well designed for the task in hand to be desirable. Hence the owner won't be a showoff.
You don't need to drop $300+ on a Tom Bihn to have a totally functional backpack with a laptop sleeve, for cryin' out loud. So many backpacks have it, and it's not a premium feature.
I live in a university town with lots of rich kids, which seems like the kind of place to find good-quality used backpacks if there were one. If there's an easy way to get my hands on free used backpacks that I'd actually want to use, then I certainly don't know about it.
Also, when the semester gets out. Usually there is a [local college name] Christmas and the rich kids just put their stuff outside rather than transport it back home.
We used to raid the giant dumpsters they put in the parking lot and we'd always go to the dorm that had all the international students first because the loot was best. Scored an xbox 360 once, a monitor that still worked another time.
When I need a minimal carry for my laptop I use a regular canvas tote, it’s the right size for 13” with its neoprene sleeve plus power brick and cable and a few other essentials (notebook, pens, maybe a small snack or light jacket) and is fairly unconspicuous. Cheaper than the movie prop heh.
- Gets the rainwater or any other hazardous material in.
- Extremely easy to check out what's inside for a thief.
- Can slide out easily and fall when toppled.
Terrible overall. Could make it to Top 10 Worst Laptop Bags though.
Just use a Tom Bihn that uses a separate, rigid, harder to access sleeve inside your backpack for laptops.