This might very well be the perfect iPad bag. It’s the Levenger Bomber Jacket Messenger bag.
What makes it perfect? First, it’s not a bag designed specifically for the iPad, which means that it’s likely to be useful as the generations of iPads and future devices come and go.
Next, it’s a very well made in a classic design. The leather is gorgeous, soft, and ruggedly stitched. The strap is wide and comfortable and fixtures are simple and substantial. It has a zippered rear compartment and the interior is divided with one compartment slightly larger. A big flap close the bag, fastened by a magnet (magnets used to be a big no-no with electronic devices, but they’re not much bothered by them any more). There is one additional interior zippered compartment and a row of pouches, good for 3×5 cards or phone sized devices, as well as pen loops, and a key fob secured by a snap.
The inside is soft cloth - twill. Yes, it looks and feels just like a World War II bomber jacket. I knew I’d like this bag and placed it on my wish list, but from the moment I opened as a birthday gift from my wife, I fell completely in love with it. So soft, so well made.
I find that I can easily slip my 1st generation iPad in its Marware Eco-Flip case, my Apple Wireless Keyboard (which I keep in a repurposed nylon pull-string bag) in the main compartment. In the front I typically slip in a copy of the New Yorker, the book I’m currently reading, or other papers. In the rear zippered compartment I carry a Moleskine notebook.
As an aside, here’s a tip for using any bag: load it before you leave, unload it when you return. Keep only the barest essentials in the pockets. If you do this, you’ll load only what you absolutely need for the specific trip and when you return you can load items into your inbox, as needed, for processing. This will train you to pack and carry less.
I prefer a messenger style bag to carry the strap cross-chest with the bag riding comfortably in the small of my back. This is very useful when traveling and hurrying through airports or walking long distances. It’s comfortable and safer, harder to snatch. It’s also nondescript. It doesn’t advertise, “please steal me – I contain valuable electronics.”
My indestructible Tumi is a fine bag, but it’s a shoulder carry, which I must hold or constantly adjust. It also uses a double snap closure and zipper to access the main compartment. I like being able to access quickly and easily the contents of a bag without removing the bag from my shoulder. The messenger bag is perfect for that.
I’ve used Levenger products for years and I’m very happy with their quality. I’ve never worn out any of their leather products.
That’s it in a nutshell: visibly and tactilely beautiful, durable, comfortable to carry, easy to load and unload and no larger than necessary for current or future use. Yes, it’s not cheap, but I’m betting I’ll be using if for years on end. It’s well worth the price.
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Many thanks for your business (with thanks to your wife!) and for this thoughtful review. I especially like your tip for loading and unloading. I love and use this messenger, too. Especially on weekends. Sometimes I pack it in my carryon and use it when I get there. A new smaller size for our newer smaller technologies (and old small ones, too). All best wishes for continued success.
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