Try saying “Coated Canvas Cyan series” three times fast. Did you start saying “Cylon series,” too? No? Hmm, maybe that’s just me. Is it possible to have a Battlestar Galactica speech impediment? Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a sci-fi geek like me in order to adore this messenger bag, part of the Coated Canvas Cyan series from Altego. Though it IS really out of this world (ha ha .. see what I did there?!).
The Coated Canvas Cyan series is made specifically for MacBooks, and the series includes a laptop sleeve, slipcase, messenger bag, and a backpack. All of these are constructed from black canvas with cyan accents. (In case you need reminding, cyan is blue with a hint of green.) The canvas’s natural texture is subdued with the water-resistant coating. It has a nice feel.
The front of the bag has a covering flap, which features a pocket with a cyan-colored zippered closure. It’s a great place to store my transit pass and some moolah for my cafe latté. The flap fastens down with twist buckles--that’s right, twist buckles. Easy to use, the twisty part goes through the buckle and twists to secure. Twist it the other way to release. I bet Starbuck never had buckles as nifty as these.
What’s under the flap? A large open storage area for books, my lunch tote and my MacBook adapters. There are netted pocketed areas to one side making it easy to scan and grab my gear. The other side of the compartment has a pocket just for my iPad. It’s soft and padded. There’s also a large, flat zippered pocket at the rear of the compartment where I stow away documents and notebooks.
The compartment housing my MacBook is accessed from the outside of the bag. A double zippered closure seals away my MacBook Pro and makes it easy access my laptop in a pinch. The back of the messenger back has a rad padded grid, which echos in the interior of the Macbook compartment. The grid cushions my MacBook, and it also makes it comfortable when I’m walking around with messenger bag. (A friend thought the grid looked “cybergoth,” but I don’t know what that means.)
The adjustable shoulder strap and streamlined, non-slip shoulder pad are *extremely* comfortable. The strap measures approximately 52” at its maximum extension. There’s also a handle to carry the messenger bag like you would a briefcase. The handle is sturdy and utilitarian, but not as comfy as the shoulder strap. Besides when you’re battling Cylons, you need your hands free.
The Coated Canvas Cyan messenger bag fits both 13” and 15” MacBooks and retails for $69.99. The bag and the rest of the series are available from Altego.