Funchico.com - Funky, Chic & Cool Laptop Bag News

Two laptop bag giveaways!

It must be that time of year!  Two fantastic laptop bag giveaways to tell you about!

The first is over at Lifehack.org.  They are giving away a Carrie JoJo Laptop Tote provided by CareerBags.com.  I reviewed the Carrie from JoJo earlier - it is a fun, casual good looking laptop bag.  Details about how to enter (you need to write a blog post about work and fashion) are over at the Lifehack.org site.  Deadline: Sept 2!!

The second laptop bag giveaway is from Rainebrooke Bags.  Steve is giving away a houndstooth plaid laptop bag to a fan of Rainebrooke on Facebook.  Just head on over to Facebook and join his fan page.  Details are on his site.  And hurry, because he's giving it away once his group hits 50 fans!

Checkpoint Friendly "Checkpoint Flyer" Laptop Bag from Tom Bihn

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we're starting to see the checkpoint friendly bags emerge from laptop bag designers.  I just posted a bit about the one from Tom Bihn over on my Squidoo lens.  I think his tri-fold design is pretty darn clever!

Get the details about the Checkpoint Flyer over on Squidoo.

Bonus Link: Article on Aviation Week about the TSA friendly bags in which I am quoted.  Cool!

Interview with Laptop Bag Designer, Lexie Barnes

I had the opportunity to chat with one of my favourite laptop bag designers, Lexie Barnes.  It amazes me how Lexie can be a mom to four rambunctious boys and run her own business - plus do all kinds of other projects; I find her very inspirational!  Here are a few Q&A's from Lexie ...

You have four kids and your husband is also a laptop bag designer and entrepreneur.  Plus, you're in the midst of putting together your new alternative craft and art fair, Twist. With all that going on, what's been the most challenging aspect of starting your own line? 
For the laptop bags, it's really been about pacing myself.  With all the experience I have creating bags – for my own line, as well as with Cory for Spire, the only challenge I had was narrowing all of my ideas down into these three great bags. All three are very diverse in design, yet we have accomplished our goal of providing an uncomplicated line that meets the desires of any fashion-forward person out there carrying a laptop. 

Could you share some insights into your design process? Do you start with a particular form or fabric in mind?  Or do you start with the function of a bag (e.g. Knitting, yoga, laptop carriers?)
I love problem solving.  I love to work out great pocket configurations.  I love to take simple shapes and make them work for all kinds of uses.  And I'm really passionate about the prints.  I rely on lot on my instincts there.  I don't want my bags to look like anything else out there – but I also want them to be timeless.  I tend to ignore trends and go with what inspires me in the moment.

All of your bags have somewhat unusual and seemingly personal names.  How do you decide what to name them?  Any stories to share?
Cory and I have almost as much fun naming our products, colors, and prints as we have had naming our four sons (Henry Alexander, Sebastian Avery, Montgomery Patrick, and Calvin Winslow)!  We keep lists of great names and hold on to them.  Again, I follow my gut.  If something works, it works and you just know it's right.   The Echo laptop bag has a great story... The case is a rectangle, made to hold a laptop. But the simple shape doesn't mean it has to look like everything else out there. I love that it looks different and jumps out at you.  That made me think of an echo: when you call out any old thing and the echo calls back, but somehow the echo sounds sweeter.  My bag is like an Echo – it's the same shape as other bags, but it shines out among them.

What's been your most rewarding experience as a designer?   
I love seeing my ideas come to life -especially when it feels risky.  I like trying new things and watching them evolve.  And I love making people happy.  When I meet or hear from someone who bought one of my bags and they love it. That's the most rewarding part of all of this.

~ ~ ~

Lexie has added some new shapes and fabrics to her bag collection.  I have reviews of her new laptop sleeve, laptop backpack and all-purpose (knitting!) tote over at my Squidoo lens.  I've also updated my original review of the Echo Laptop Case.

Note: all these pics are from Lexie's site, including that HOT one of the bags on the couch.  Now THAT is product photography!!

Some thoughts on the new TSA laptop bag guidelines

As you may have heard, the Transportation Security Administration (aka the TSA - the folks responsible for security screening at airports) put out a request to a number of laptop bag designers to design a "checkpoint friendly" laptop bag in a effort to reduce screening time as well as to reduce passenger anxiety of sending "naked laptops" down the belt.

A number of companies responded and have developed prototypes.  Mobile Edge has created Checkpoint Friendly backpack, messenger and briefcase style bags. Skooba has a briefcase style bag. And Tom Bihn has a checkpoint friendly briefcase in the works as well as a backpack and a messenger design (no pics yet, but I've seen the briefcase - it's cool).

Recently, the TSA released some additional bag design guidelines to further help designers as well as passengers in packing these bags.  From a design point-of-view, I find this diagram really interesting:

If you haven't spent a lot of time thinking about bag design - this picture is a good place to start.  Even when you're trying to choose a bag just for day to day commuting, start by thinking about the basic style of the bags and what needs you have for your bag.

The TSA info also included some guidelines for passengers:

If you intend to use a checkpoint friendly laptop bag once they are on the market, make sure to check that:

• Your laptop bag has a designated laptop-only section that can lay flat on the X-ray belt
• There are no metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, underneath or on-top of the laptop-only section
• There are no pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section
• There is nothing in the laptop compartment other than the laptop
• You have completely unfolded your bag so that there is nothing above or below the laptop-only section, allowing the bag to lay flat on the X-ray belt

Remember, a well designed checkpoint friendly bag must be packed appropriately if you intend to leave your laptop in your bag for screening.

These are important to understand.  I was speaking with a writer for Aviation Week today - she and I agreed that there will have to be an increased level of responsibility taken by the passenger to ensure their bags are packed smartly.  No more willy-nilly throwing everything into your bag and hoping for the best.

What I'm really waiting to see though, is once the basic form of the bag is in use, how long will it take for these designers to make stylish versions of them?  I want my funchico checkpoint friendly bag!!

Are you a knitter? Check out our knitting bag reviews - starting with the Swift by Tom Bihn!

I'm pleased to announce that we've added a new type of bag review to the FunChiCo family - Funky, Chic and Cool Knitting Bags!  Now, I'm not a knitter, but my partner is - so she is going to start reviewing knitting bags.  Our first one is the Swift by Tom Bihn.  From the review ...

With its clever construction, myriad organizational options and action-oriented name, I predicted that the Swift would take me from knit klutz to knit kninja in seconds. That's right! Knit Kninja! Hear that wooshing sound? That was me, finishing a whole sock before you could turn your head!

Okay - the Swift does not *technically* make me a faster knitter. But it makes me a much more organized knitter, so that I can get to the knitting faster and that's the first step.

Read the full review of the Swift by Tom Bihn.

THIS is how you do a video laptop bag review! Tom Bihn's Ristretto

I was surfing around the interweb this evening and came across this fantastic video review of the Tom Bihn Ristretto by Rob Bushway, one host of the GottaBeMobile InkShows.  This is how you do a video bag review folks!  It's 10 minutes of exploring the bag as well as experimenting with which laptops fit in it.  Much better than some of the 30 second "it's pretty!" reviews that I've seen.

I visited the Tom Bihn factory recently and met the great folks there.  I'll be posting my own review of the Ristretto soon, but really wanted to share this one with you.