I see more and more iPads in transit these days – on airplanes, on the bus, and one of my in-laws drags hers around and uses it as her camera. I remain a netbook user; I never really fell for my iPad as a travel computer. The fragility of it makes me nervous. I don’t like carrying it around with me; it’s too slippery and shiny. Bag makers are tapping into that anxiety by designing carry cases for your iPad (that are, handy for me, often exactly the right size for a netbook, too).
OverLand Equipment makes a nice little bag to keep your iPad stowed and safe while you’re schlepping it through security or on the express bus to work. It’s the Ellis Large, a shoulder bag with a lightly padded pocket that’s just the right size to protect your hardware.
The back pocket has two sections: one for your iPad or netbook and the other for your power supply. The front section is divided up into a series of pockets and easily accommodates your wallet, phone, keys, lip balm, boarding passes; the kind of stuff a traveler drags around with them.
There’s an adjustable shoulder strap, long enough so you can wear it messenger-style, across your body. The hardware is plastic; it feels heavy duty enough to handle some wear and tear, but I’ve come to have a preference for metal hardware because it lasts longer. The one thing I really wanted was a key hook; it seems I’m always digging around in the bottom of my bag for my keys.
Here’s my dilemma. There is nothing wrong with the Ellis; it’s a perfectly nice bag for the price. But I’ve also tried the Ristretto from Tom Bihn. At $125, it costs nearly three times what the Ellis costs but it spoiled me for the Ellis. I kept mentally comparing the Ellis to the Bihn bag, and it didn’t stack up.
I’m sensible; you should be too. If you don’t want to drop a C-note and change on a bag, the Ellis Large will serve you nicely. It’s a good little bag and stows your gear nicely. It comes in two colors, Poppy (red) and black. The bag retails for $45 directly from OverLand Equipment.