More Packing Tips

A comfortable bag, a slick folder holder, and three leather tubes.

James A. Martin

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Feature: More Packing Tips

A bag, a folder, and three rolls. Sounds kind of like the beginning of a spy novel set in a bakery, doesn't it? But fear not. It's merely a grandiose hook to lure you into this humble little column. This week, I'm serving up some intriguing recommendations from readers for products they say make their lives on the road a little easier.

By the way, a quick disclaimer: Neither of the readers quoted this week are affiliated with the companies that make the products they recommend.

A Bag

"After having a job where I traveled a lot, I realized a good notebook bag really made a world of difference," writes Gregory J. Graham, an independent consultant in Kanata, Canada. Graham's bag of choice: Swiss Army Brands' Victorinox WebMaster, which offers "excellent quality," expandability, a convenient mesh water bottle pocket, and "what is probably the world's most comfortable shoulder strap," according to Graham.

The WebMaster also includes a padded computer sleeve that accommodates a notebook with a 15-inch or smaller screen, a legal-size fan file system, a clip-on mobile phone holder, and a zippered pocket for a newspaper or an umbrella. The nylon bag measures 17 inches wide by 13 inches high by 6 inches deep and expands to 8.5 inches deep.

The black ballistic nylon Victorinox WebMaster was recently selling for $150 at the Luggage Source; the site also sells a leather version for $314.

Graham says the WebMaster compares favorably to similar bags from Tumi but costs less. For example, the Tumi Large Expandable Brief With Computer Case, which measures 17.5 by 14 by 6.5 inches, retails for $395.

Swiss Army Brands offers a tracking system to help locate your bag if it's lost or stolen. (You must register to participate.) Also, the company used to offer a free Laptop Protection Program that reimbursed WebMaster owners for $1500 if their notebook was stolen within one year after they purchased the bag. Many of Swiss Army Brands' online retailer partner sites, such as The Luggage Source, still mention this perk, though others, including Ebags.com and Swiss Army Brands' own site, do not.

A Swiss Army Brands representative said the protection program was discontinued about six months ago. However, the company is still honoring the program for any bags currently in inventory that contain a Laptop Protection Program registration card inside, the company says. Hint: If you want the protection plan, buy the bag from an online retailer that still promotes it. Of course, it's possible the retailer simply hasn't removed the protection plan reference from its Web site, so there's no guarantee.

The WebMaster's only downside, according to Graham, is its weight (about 5.5 pounds). "If you don't like shoulder straps," he advises, "leaving the strap behind saves you over a pound in weight."

My two cents: While many people prefer shoulder-strap bags or computer backpacks, any notebook bag without wheels can be burdensome to carry after a while. For comfort's sake, I prefer wheeled notebook bags.

The WebMaster is large enough to accommodate a 10-by-15-inches Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder 15, which is essentially a packing folder with mesh covers and Velcro closures that keeps your clothes together and relatively wrinkle free (at least in my experience). Graham says one Pack-It Folder 15 fits perfectly in the WebMaster's file section. The Pack-It Folder lets Graham travel overnight with one bag, because in it he can fit a shirt, tie, polo shirt, khakis, underwear, and socks. For longer trips, Graham says he's "ready for anything the next day," even if his checked luggage is lost.

"Best of all," he says, "if you go to a meeting and open your bag, no one sees your boxer shorts. Your clothes are discreetly packed inside the sleeve."

I own a Pack-It Folder as well, and I recommend them because they organize clothes nicely and help prevent them from wrinkling. The Pack-It Folder ($24) comes in various sizes and colors, and you can find it at Eagle Creek.

A Folder

Te Smith of Santa Cruz, California, spends at least one night a week on the road for business and rarely travels without a File Pac ($25) from Levenger Studios. The Levenger File Pacs are zippered, nylon folders designed to contain up to 1 inch of letter-sized papers and other items. Each File Pac measures 12 by 10 by 1.25 inches and features a mesh see-through top so you can easily identify its contents.

Smith "loves the nylon/mesh folders for organizing projects. Throw in folders, brochures, and tiny bits of paper, then zip it up and throw it in the travel bag. There's even a little pocket in front for my airline and hotel frequent traveler cards."

Though they're a bit pricey, Smith says she has "tons" of File Pacs, and they're "worth their weight in gold."

Up to two File Pacs can fit inside a Levenger Traveling In-Box ($30), which is designed to accommodate multiple files for large projects.

And Three Rolls

Levenger's Jelly Rolls are another of Smith's essential travel accessories. Made of leather, Jelly Rolls are cylindrical in shape and designed to save suitcase space while holding a variety of items. "Since they're round, you can tuck them into odd corners," Smith explains. Jelly Rolls come in a set of three for $70 and vary in size. "I use one for my computer mouse, cords, and adaptors; one for vitamins; and one for extra batteries," she adds. The Rolls come in black and toffee (though the Web site displays only pink, a color that wasn't available when I checked recently).

More Baggage Claims

What's your favorite notebook bag or packing accessory? Send me details.

Hungry for more packing tips? Browse my previous columns about notebook bags and packing for business trips: "Packing Tips," "Hands-On Guide to Notebook Bags," and "Notebook Bag Buyers' Guide."

Notebooks & Accessories

News: A Notebook Bag Full of Air

While we're on the subject of notebook bags, here's a new line worth noting: the Targus Elite series. Elite bags feature two L-shaped air cushions that protect portable computers from damage in the event of a fall, according to the company. The $149 Elite TR701 bag also includes air-filled pneumatic wheels, straps, and other extras. For more details, read "Consumer Devices: Make Your Pictures Move" (scroll down to the bottom third of the page).

Review: Wide-Screen Acer Aspire

The Acer Aspire AS2003LMi's slot-fed rewritable DVD drive, gorgeous 15.4-inch wide-screen display, good battery life (4.5 hours on one charge), and solid performance make it an ideal companion for business travelers, says PC World reviewer Carla Thornton. A four-in-one card reader accepts Memory Stick, SmartMedia, or Secure Digital flash memory cards, and buttons conveniently allow you to turn Bluetooth and 802.11b wireless networking on or off. Carla's only disappointment was the notebook's sound, which was weak and flat. The unit Carla tested listed for $2000 at the time of her review; for the latest pricing, visit Acer's Web site.

Review: Multimedia-Savvy Satellite

At 6.1 pounds and with a 15.3-inch screen, Toshiba's Satellite M35-S359 is a slimmed-down multimedia powerhouse, says Carla Thornton. Great stereo sound from Harman/Kardon speakers? Check. DVD/CD burner? Absolutely. Volume-control thumbwheel and CD buttons on the front that let you play tunes with ease? You guessed right. And for only $1499, it's a great value. The notebook has a few minor drawbacks, though, such as a battery life that's healthy (3 hours, 47 minutes on one charge in our tests) but a bit short compared with the 5-hour and up performances we've seen with some other Pentium M-based portables.

Check the PC World Product Finder for the latest prices.

PDAs & Gadgets

Review: Fodor's PDA Guides

Fodor's, a major travel guide publisher, recently introduced PDA city guides complete with restaurant, hotel, sightseeing, and other tourist information.

The guides include color maps and route calculations, which in my experience were sensible and accurate. The routes don't include the total distance to your destination, however, unlike MapQuest and other sites that offer driving directions. The sometimes unintuitive interface could use some refining as well--it's easier to search the listings than it is to browse, for instance. At $20 per guide, though, having a Fodor's city guide on your Palm OS or Pocket PC device is hugely preferable to toting around the paperback version in your backpack.

You can download a free trial version of the New York City guide or purchase guides for Boston, Chicago, London, New Orleans, Paris, San Francisco, Rome, and Washington, D.C. at Fodors.com.

Review: A Deluxe Headset

Shure's tiny E3C headset blocks outside noise so you can focus on the tunes pouring out of your MP3 player or notebook. The flexible earpieces fit snugly and are delightfully low profile, says Agam Shah of the IDG News Service. At $179, it's a pricey but worthwhile accessory. For more information, read "Consumer Devices: Make Your Pictures Move" (scroll down to the bottom third of the page).

News: Clie Screen Sizes Up to the Tungsten T3

Last fall, the PalmOne Tungsten T3 made headlines for its color display that stretches to 320-by-480 resolution when slid open. Not to be outdone, Sony's new Clie PEG-TH55 also offers a 320-by-480 resolution color screen, though not the T3's ability to switch between landscape and portrait modes. Unlike the similarly priced T3 (both cost $400), however, the new Clie also offers integrated Wi-Fi connectivity and a VGA camera. The Clie weighs about 6.5 ounces, compared to the T3's 5.5 ounces.

Go to our Product Finder for the latest prices.

Wireless

Tip: Cut Through the Wireless Data Plan Confusion

I don't know about you, but wireless phone plans for voice and data have me in a constant dither. To the rescue comes PC World Consumer Watch columnist Anne Kandra. Her recent article, "Beyond the Dial Tone," sorts out the various options for each wireless service provider. The article includes a handy chart that provides an at-a-glance view of data service plans, text or instant message fees, e-mail and Web use fees, and multimedia message/photo fees.

Suggestion Box

Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it.