Aaron Adams’s Blowhard Blog

I take my PowerBook with me just about anywhere I go. I use it during the day to make a living and I use it in the evening to work on personal projects (such as this web page). With all the traveling me and my PowerBook do, it’s imperative that I have a good bag or case in which to carry it.

Until recently, I used a Matias Laptop Armor case to carry around my PowerBook and a precious few accessories. And that was the problem Ñ there wasn’t a lot of room in this case to carry around the incidentals that I needed for every day computer use. Laptop Armor provided excellent protection against damage to my machine, but after putting the mouse and power adapter into two inner pockets, the side of the case bulged out and I just knew that those two things were pressing up against the lid of my PowerBook, which seems like something bad. After the power adapter and mouse, there was no more room for anything else in the case, and I needed those other things. The Laptop Armor just wasn’t going to do what I needed.

After watching a friend’s PowerBook accidentally plummet to the floor in the Cincinnati Apple Store last year when a strap on his bag broke, I wanted something that would protect my own computer from such disastrous damage, but I also wanted something that provided plenty of room with lots of pockets to hold small bits and pieces. I knew RadTech had a selection of such items, and John Grzeskowiak and the RadTech staff had always treated me great, so I decided to solicit an opinion from him.

His suggestion: RadTech’s MacTruck and Curve shoulderbag.

John’s recommendation provided me with a two-part solution: The MacTruck acts as a protective shell for the PowerBook, and then it inserts into a pocket in the Curve bag, which holds everything else. It’s a little less elegant solution than having an all-in-one accessory carrier / notebook protector, but it seems to be the best way to do what I want. Mind you, I’m not unhappy with the arrangement, but given a choice in a perfect world, I’d rather have carrying capacity and protection combined in a single unit.

The MacTruck

The MacTruck gets its name from the fact that, if you’re so inclined, you can run it over with a truck and it will prevent your notebook from being crushed. I haven’t tested this myself, nor do I intend to, but the picture on the left is convincing enough for me.

There isn’t a whole lot to the MacTruck. It’s an aluminum alloy case with stiff foam on the inside that holds your PowerBook in place. It’s held closed by two latches on either side that are released by squeezing together two nubs centered beneath the carrying handle. Two rings are provided on the top for a carrying strap (not included) and thick rubber feet are attached to the bottom of the case for times when it is used as a desk stand, as pictured below.

The MacTruck weighs in at 2.4kg for the 15-inch model, which will almost double the 2.6kg weight of your 15-inch PowerBook. Whether the added weight is worth the protection the MacTruck provides is a judgment to be made by the reader, although I can personally see where carrying a MacTruck-enclosed PowerBook inside a bag for an extended time, such as around the MWSF showroom floor, could become tiresome.

While the RadTech website and the picture above illustrate the MacTruck’s strength under pressure, I’m not sure how it performs in an impact. Matias provides a video of their Laptop Armor, computer inside, being dropped from 20 feet with no damage to the machine. I don’t know anything for sure, but I don’t think the MacTruck could protect a PowerBook in such a fall. However, it seems like it would handle a drop of four or five feet well. This is all speculation on my part and I’m not going to test any of it with my own PowerBook.

I’ve only used my PowerBook while contained in the MacTruck once while taking pictures for a prevous story. Generally, an opened MacTruck is a little too deep to use on desks, but it did come in handy in the server room that evening. I preferred having my PowerBook propped up in the MacTruck as opposed to having it sit on the floor. I can also see where the MacTruck would be a useful item to have when using a notebook for outdoor activities. Personally, I enjoy astronomy and I use the PowerBook as a star map or telescope control many nights, and I’ll take the MacTruck over the bare ground any time.

Apparently the MacTruck is popular with musicians also. John Grzeskowiak tells me in an e-mail that a number have been sold to popular artists. Check out this list: Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, Phish, Lenny Kravitz, The Goo Goo Dolls, Dave Matthews, Coldplay, and The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.

The MacTruck is simple and sturdy. It will protect your notebook from scratches and scrapes, dents and dings, and maybe a catastrophe or two. The price may be a bit steep, but the cost of repairing your Mac is usually much steeper.

The Curve Shoulderbag

The Curve shoulderbag is the compliment to the MacTruck. It comes in either a slate blue and gray color combination or a red and black variety. If you don’t wish to use a MacTruck, the Curve comes with a padded insert to contain your notebook in its place.

The first thing I noticed about the Curve is that it is constructed of thick material and the sides are padded. The front is a flap held closed by two velcro strips. I was initially concerned that the velcro could wear out and wondered whether a clip or a snap would have been a better design choice. After a month of continuous use, the velcro seems as sticky as ever and doesn’t show any signs of wear. Admittedly a month may not be enough time to make an accurate judgment as to how durable the velcro is, but its ability to hold up so far has eased the reservations I had.

The front flap contains three zip-up pockets, one of which is netted. The upper left of the flap has a split opening intended to allow headphones to poke out so that your iPod can stay in a pocket while you carry the bag around and listen to your tunes. The pockets are pleated so they can expand as items are added.

Flipping up the front flap reveals… surprise!… the inner flap, which is held in place by velcro in the upper left corner while being sewn in place on the right and bottom sides. Folding down the upper left corner of the flap reveals several more pockets: Three pen pockets, a netted pocket closed by velcro, and a zip-up pocket. Also included is a key clip which detaches via a pinch mechanism.

The top of the bag is held closed by a zipper. Opening it reveals the inside of the Curve and yet more pockets. The large pocket is where either the included notebook insert or MacTruck can be placed. The MacTruck fits in the space well although with very little wiggle room. I find that I have to fold down the MacTruck’s handle and pull the Curve’s corners over the top to make it fit. This doesn’t stretch the Curve in a detrimental way, but it’s snug.

Alongside the notebook pocket is a netted pocked that goes up about one-third of the bag’s height. The netted pocket is closed by a piece of velcro, but it tends to be a little loose and useful for holding small pieces. My iSight camera fits nicely in this pocket at well.

Opposite from the notebook pocket are yet more smaller pockets, one intended for a PDA and the other for a cell phone, but which handily hold my power adapter and wireless mouse, respectively. Two more pen pockets are also included. Each pocket, including the notebook pocket, can be held closed by a strap with velcro on the end.

Inbetween all these pockets is a large, open space, perfect for carrying books, magazines, folders, CDs / DVDs, other hardware like portable disk drives , or the multitude of wires, cables, and cords that good computer geeks need to be ready surprises.

Personally, I have to admit that I prefer backpacks over shoulderbags. The Curve comes with a wide adjustable shoulder strap that has a thick sliding pad intended to make contact with the wearer’s shoulder. As good as the pad is, the weight of the bag (and MacTruck) on my shoulder starts to become uncomfortable after a while, which is why I prefer a backpack Ñ it’s more comfortable for longer. Also, shoulder bags tend to flop against my hip when I’m walking. The Curve’s designers anticipated this and included a click strap that goes around the wearer’s waist to hold the Curve in place. There are two sets of buckles on the back so the strap can be adjusted to a height that is comfortable for the wearer. If you don’t wish to wear the Curve over your shoulder, a carrying handle with a stiff rubber grip is attached to the top.

Overall, I like the Curve and it seems like the kind of bag that can last several years, both physically and in the sense that I don’t think I’ll outgrow it’s carrying capacity. It’s well designed and provides a reasonable number of pockets for the things I carry. It’s roomy and reasonably padded. The only thing I don’t like about it is the fact that it’s a shoulder bag. As much as I would prefer a backpack, the Curve has enough positives that I’m not about to ditch it for that reason.

RadTech’s MacTruck $199-99 - 229-99

RadTech’s Curve Shoulderbag $74.95