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The Akiko Laptop Bag for Men - Another Hit from Mamtak

Mamtak Bags already holds a special place in my heart with their lovely Aya laptop bag. Well they've done it again - this time with a bag for the gents. Behold, the Akiko Laptop Bag for Men.

Like the Aya, the Akiko bag's style immediately conjures thoughts of Amsterdam. The bag's familiar pannier shape references cycling in the Netherlands: delightful jaunts past tulips, windmills and those special Dutch cafés where you can get more than just a coffee.

Even with its roots in Amsterdam, the Akiko's style and edge easily fit into any North American metropolis, well, any metropolis really: Vancouver, New York, Tokyo, Paris, or Berlin. (Hmm, maybe I should test the bag on a world tour? That's reasonable, right?). It has a sophisticated yet casual look, something that I would expect from a unisex bag; however the design remains unexpected and simply modern.

The Akiko's pannier shape means it holds my laptop vertically. It's also tapered, wider at the bottom than the top, letting me carry a lot while it remains rather slim overall. There are two options for carrying the Akiko: you can use the sturdy, well padded hand grips or the generous detachable shoulder strap.

Akiko is Japanese: aki, "sparkle" and ko, "bright". The review bag I received is the Blue Zodiac version. Its exterior is a rich, bright blue tone. And while the bag may not sparkle, the water-resistant canvas does have a nice sheen, giving it a cool waxy appearance. The interior lining keeps it simple with a subtle charcoal and black pattern. The Akiko also comes in Umber and Ochre - both with the same cool sheen.

Under the Akiko's top flap, there is a zippered main compartment for my laptop and other storage. My MacBook Pro (15.4") slid into the interior sleeve and is secured with a velcro strap. There is definitely room for a thicker PC. The other section of the main compartment has a pocket that fit my cords and AC adapter, and there's plenty of room, too, for books and documents.

The front of the bag has an exterior pocket, which has a covering flap secured with snaps. Now, this part's brilliant: The front pocket snaps are on little loops so I can EASILY snap them! When I first saw the loops, I thought, sure, they look cool, but then I put my shiz in the front pocket and tried to snap it. It was then I realized what those little loops do: using the loop, you can snap the pocket shut between your finger and thumb. Smart!

The back of the Akiko features a slim zippered pocket, designed specifically for personal items: my wallet, keys, and Eurorail pass.

From the adjustable shoulder strap - with swivel hooks! - to the magnetic clasps and sturdy zippers, the metal hardware is simple, handsome, and high quality. After using the Akiko, you really can't help but admire Mamtak's attention to detail. A lot of thought has gone into this bag's function. The folks at Mamtak describe their bags as beautifully designed, but emphasize they're also made for "intensive daily use". From what I've seen, their products hold up to their promise, and demonstrate that style need not be sacrificed for function.

The Akiko Laptop Bag is available from the Mamtak Online Store for 89.85 Euros or around 120 USD. For more news and their latest designs, find Mamtak on Facebook or Twitter.

And ladies, lest you think this bag isn't for you, fret not. Even if it doesn't suit your personal style, take a gander at the model they used in their recent photoshoot.

Photo Credit: Mamtak Bags - from their Facebook Page

The Alesya Laptop Bag - a Sure-fire Southern Charmer

The Lovely Alesya in Eggplant

When I think of the contemporary Southern Belle, I think of a sophisticated woman with grace and style. I think of a woman who's crafty -- in all senses of the word. I think of Julia Sugarbaker from Designing Women. I grew up watching Julia simultaneously shatter, embody and ameliorate all Southern Belle stereotypes: smart, fashionable, clever, outspoken, polite, enigmatic.

I adored Julia.

When Alesya Opelt from Aleysa Bags sent me her new bag for review, I knew I had found a bag that Julia would embrace. Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Aleysa Bags embody the style and charm of modern Southern culture.

Plus, there's definitely more than meets the eye with this laptop bag.

First, Alesya's Southern charm actually starts BEFORE I even get to the bag. The packaging is delightful. The bag is cosseted in its own bag which came with Alesya's standard card as well as a personal card and note to me. And the whole kit-and-caboodle was packed in a sturdy, stylish box.

Below is a pic of the card as well as the initial impression upon opening the box; you can see a full slideshow of the unboxing on my Flickr.

When I first examined the Alesya bag I thought, "Wow - a gorgeous shoulder bag. Wait... it's a laptop bag?"

Yes, it is.

A shoulder bag, in supple leather with well-appointed hardware and careful stitching, is designer Alesya's disguise for toting around a laptop. The laptop sleeve is hidden under the bag's front zippered flap, at the widest part of the bag. Fully secured under an adjustable velcro strap, my 15" MacBook Pro is fully protected and concealed. Out for sushi with friends after work? No one will ever know I'm toting a laptop.

Clever, right? Really smart design. Now, the hidden sleeve is a tight fit; my Macbook Pro 15 cinched her girdle (ahh, the price for fashion) as I slid her in. An Air or a smaller Macbook would be perfect. If you have another laptop model, you're going to want to measure it and check w/ Alesya to make sure it will fit. And I was super-careful when I zipped up the bag to make sure it wouldn't scratch my Macbook - the zippers are very close to the corners and edges of the laptop when you're closing it. This is necessary to make the design work and keep the bag a reasonable size. I think this will get a little less dicey once I use the bag a bit and break in the leather and the zippers. (If you want to see this in action, there is a great video on the Alesya Bags site.)

The front flap of the bag provides storage with its own zippered compartment. Inside are pockets made specifically for pens and my iPhone. These are easily accessed, even while wearing the bag on my shoulder. The bag's back zippered compartment provides access to a large storage space. Books, work documents, notebooks, all easily stow away for me to take home.

My fav smart feature of this bag is the zippered top pocket - Alesya explicitly designed it to avoid "the black hole syndrome." Oh, yes! No more rummaging around in the depths of your bag! While at first glance, the bag's top compartment might appear to be the main pocket, it's actually a clever shallow space for storing keys and lipstick. It fits my small wallet, too.

The strap on the Alesya has an 8" drop, and the width of the strap (1.5") means the strap doesn't dig into my shoulder when I weigh my bag down with stuff. I packed the Alesya bag full, and it sat comfortably under my arm. There are some great pics of the Alesya stuffed full on her site.

Other great things ... The colours: my bag is purple - called Exquisite Eggplant; it also comes in Equestrian Tan and Kelly Green Girl - year-round colours for a year-round bag. The feet: there are little feet on the bottom of the Alesya (you know how I love little feet!). I had trouble standing it up with how I had packed it, but, at the same time, I'd never put this baby on the floor. It's a bag that needs to be shown off.

And shown off, it is. I've taken my Alesya to meetings, workshops and dinner dates over the last few weeks and got all kinds of compliments. Like a Southern Belle, the Alesya has style and sass, and as a newcomers to the laptop bag scene, offers some is stiff competition.

You can purchase your very own online at Alesya Bags for $265 USD (remember, it's leather!). You can also find Alesya Bags on Facebook; and you can follow the designer on Twitter or check out her personal blog.

Guest Review - Jett Laptop Bag from Spire USA

I'm so pleased that my friend, Raul, has written a guest review for Funchico. I don't often get a guy's perspective - so really pleased to have it here. Enjoy!

Frankly, I don't really recall the last time I had a portfolio-shaped laptop bag, much less the last time that I loved it as much as I love the Jett Laptop Bag by Spire (read Kate's review here). For the most part, I had always used a backpack-style laptop bag (for at least the past 10 years, considering that I was a PhD student, but then I also ended up staying with the backpack laptop style for long).

I've reviewed laptop bags before (you can read my review of the Kensington Contour, which I owned until it was stolen from me at a theatre function - I know, it sucks), but this is perhaps the first time I own a laptop bag (courtesy of Kate's review stash) where I feel professional in the academic and consulting context. Let me explain. I didn't realize how unprofessional I felt using a backpack laptop bag until I arrived earlier this year (a couple of months ago) to a meeting of experts at the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation in Montreal, dressed in  beautiful suit (Zara, if you need to know) ... trucking along my 17" laptop ... in a backpack laptop bag. OUCH.

I really did feel horribly unprofessional. And while I know that as a consultant (and heck, even when I was a student), the backpack-style laptop bag is perfectly acceptable, I really needed a portfolio (also known as messenger) laptop bag. Because of my academic and consulting (and even my travel blogging) activities, I need an air transportation-friendly laptop bag, which will allow me to get the laptop out of the bag really quickly.That's where the Jett Laptop Bag by Spire comes in. I have used it already to travel and definitely feel way more professional. While I could say that for the summer, I miss having a backpack-style laptop bag.

I do feel more confident when travelling to the university or at a high-level client meeting where I need to be dressy and show up with a more professional-looking bag. On to the specifications. The laptop bag can hold up to a 17 inches' laptop, but since I got a new laptop (Acer again), I ended up using only 15" of the 17" alloted. And as an academic geek, I love the ample space that I have to carry books (I have been trucking along 2 review copies of books for my upcoming fall teaching term, along with lots of other handy stuff, including an HP TouchPad, notepads, Canon digital cameras and pens, Logitech wireless mouse, and the list goes on. This Jett Laptop Bag by Spire seems not to ever get fully filled. And that's A GOOD THING, trust me.