Review: Proporta Gadget Bag
Score:
75%
Proporta have been touting their Gadget Bag for a while now and I decided it was high time to give this accessory the ultimate test - give it to road warrior Ewan to fill/destroy. Here's his write-up, highlighting just how much stuff can be packed into the bag but also bemoaning the lack of internal loops and ties to stop your bits from rattling around. It's a positive review overall though and you can't argue with the price.
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How do you carry yours? Long ago, I remember getting the first sample of a “mobile briefcase” from a start-up company called Proporta. That case was the first in a huge line-up that has eventually covered every single bit of portable technology on the planet.
From phones and PDA's, to laptops and MP3 players, Proporta has turned into one of those little success stories you never read about in the press, but they're a great resource. Just before Christmas they sent me one of their latest products – the Gadget Bag – to look over. Given the amount of stuff I take with me on a trip, the bag looked to be a good solution, but would it be practical?
All revved up with nowhere to go.
So what have I thrown in to complement my smartphone? With one large section, and a two smaller sections, it's relatively flexible. In the main section, I have my netbook (an Asus 901 running a custom build of Ubuntu). Also in this section is a little pouch, and just enough spare space to put in one mains charger. On the travels I carry the charger for the netbook, simply because my other tools can charge over USB – so just a matter of adding in a USB cable and I'm all set.
The interesting thing about having a bag like this is that you realise that the phone (currently an E75) sits in the centre of a mobile road warriors arsenal. It provides the 3G data connection for the netbook; it's the portable music player while sitting on a coach or running across London; it gives the alerts for incoming emails; it lets you snap and upload pictures or video (even though you have an option to edit on your computer); and is the hub of all the other tools.
Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are.
What else do I throw into the bag? Alongside the netbook in the large section, I have a large portable battery, with interchangeable jacks that allow it to act as a charger for all the portable devices, just in case I can't reach a plug for a few days, meanwhile the second smaller pocket is taken up by a Sony PlayStation Portable and a number of the more obscure and complicated games (when Densha De Go runs on S60, maybe I'll consider leaving this at home).
So it carries everything that I use on my longer trips – but the secret sauce in this bag is that these individual compartments has a 'pass through' gap, covered by a plastic cross-piece. This allows you to thread cables between the different sections of the bag. This could be the USB cable from the netbook to the smartphone sections, the external battery pack to the PSP, headphones coming out to my ears; and any other combination that you might need.
Heaven Can Wait.... I've got my gadget bag.
It's not perfect – while it comes an adjustable shoulder strap I'd still like to see a basic carry handle as part of the package. More importantly, the sections of the bag (which can be unzipped and removed if you need a smaller or lighter package) have very little inherent protection from outside elements. There's almost no impact protection and it's unclear if the bag is waterproof for more than just the occasional splash.
There's also no internal organisation. Space for memory cards, flat pockets or some elasticated loops to help with cabling have been present in other bags from Proporta and, given the volume and various options that could go into the Gadget Bag, it would have been nice (for example) to have some help to stop cables and connectors sliding across your smartphone's camera lens.
The Gadget Bag is a good solution, and certainly has the space needed by a road warrior, plus the cable passthroughs make organisation that little bit easier. Yes they could add some extra bits and pieces inside the bag (though that's easily overcome with some twisties and a sewing kit - ahem) but on the whole this is a good case if you carry just a little bit more than just your phone. It's suited more for an overnight trip, but on an extended trip this would be a good addition to a larger pack.
And, at £25*, I think it offers good value for money, especially as a niche solution for road warriors for whom that sort of money won't be a problem.
* [Note from Steve - AAS doesn't have an affiliate deal with Proporta, but 3-Lib does. You can save £2.50 on the purchase price of the Gadget Bag here. One other note: the 'Eee PC version' is exactly the same as the 'standard' version - it's simply Proporta making it clear to Eee owners that the Gadget Bag fits their netbooks etc 8-) ]
-- Ewan Spence, Jan 2010
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at