As a consultant, I often work out of numerous offices in any given week, and travel between cities for client visits relatively frequently.
For single day / overnight travel, this briefcase cannot be beaten I am amazed at how often I see other consultants using the exact same case!
The case easily fits a laptop, a zippered legal pad, a handful of files as well as an iPad, Kindle, umbrella (in the waterproof front pocket a nice touch!), glasses case and chargers. The main compartment can be expanded via zip about 2 inches, which means a toiletry kit and Eagle Creek shirt folder (smallest size) easily fit in.
The "pocket" between the front panel and main compartment is a well designed feature when carrying the bag, the pocket is held closed by the front handle, but it is easy to access anything kept in the pocket when the bag is put down. Very handy when flying I keep my earphones and Kindle in there so I can grab them before I stow the case for take off.
I have used this case daily, and the material has held up well no tears or scuffs. It is with regard to durability however that I have only given the case 4 stars. The zipper tabs quickly become chipped showing the metal underneath, and as they are painted black, this is very noticeable and detracts greatly from the appearance of the bag. The old Tumi messenger I used to use daily had dark gunmetal zipper tabs while these became tarnished over time, this was hardly noticeable. The chipped tabs look very cheap for such an expensive bag the design, capacity and overall material durability of this case is worth the price, except for this issue. I have considered buying the leather version of this / other Tumi cases, but will hold off until there is a change back to the old zippers / the zips are upgraded.
Overall a great bag, however the use of cheap zippers is unfortunate.
I own 2 bags one for work and one for personal. This Tumi bag serves as my work bag and I have been using it for over 7 years now. This model is the probably the most popular and for good reason. It has ample room for a laptop and all your paperwork. The expandability feature comes in very handy when you have to transport binders and other large materials. I have even put a change of clothes into it on occasion for overnight trips. The Tumi quality is outstanding as expected. As I mentioned before I have used the bag for over 7 years and it still looks pretty new. I would highly recommend this bag to anyone looking for a high end briefcase!
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I cannot say enough about this briefcase! Every detail has been gone over with a fine toothed comb, and it originated some innovations that have been copied by competitors. The product has received slight updates since I bought it 10 years ago. I enjoy how well it's made each time I use it. Seriously, every time I pick it up, I am pleased how nice it is.
Some things I really appreciate:
The way the business card pouch is accessible from the outside
The water(proof?) water bottle (Coke Zero!) pouch
The many inside zippered and elastic pouches
The printed refined cloth fabrics on the inside
The TUMI tracer
The key loop (love it when I'm traveling via air and don't need my home/car keys)
The umbrella pouch (perfect for a small auto-closing Tumi umbrella)
The CD holders (used for many purposes other than CDs)
The expandability (turns it into a one-night bag)
The large front pouch (fits the new Tumi Monster headphone case, which is a Tumi Alpha case)
Headphone port (I used that back in 03 with a hard disc iPod, but use less often today)
Cable organizing pouch (I actually bought two more because I'm an Eagle Scout and have held to the motto, Be Prepared :-D)
Awesome no-catch zippers
Indestructible and always looking good Alpha ballistic nylon
Solid clips and structural support throughout (I'm not worries it will break under any weight)
The two clip that can be selected if the bag is expanded for the strap (it just sits better on the shoulder when expanded. Necessary? No. A pleasure to use? Yes.
The leather handles (The wear, which is mentioned below, may not be great, but the soft handles are well-made and don't have problematic edges that irritate and was a good choice).
A couple things I don't like about my 10 year old version that might have been fixed:
There is an outside pocket that has a zipper on the bottom for putting it through a rolling case handle. On mine, it the bottom zipper won't stay closed all the time, so I cannot use if for storage. some sort of lathing zipper would be neat.
The new version has a monogram spot on the U shaped pocket. This "patch" doesn't seem attractive to me
The laptop sleeve isn't a good size for my thin Mac laptops. I got another sleeve from Timbuk2 that offers a bit of padding and just swapped it in.
A Note On Wear
I have used this briefcase every working day (and then some) since 2003, and other than some wear on the handles and a replaced strap, it looks brand new. The only reason I mention the handles and strap are that they're made with leather. I could probably recondition the handles. It's easy to buy a new strap from Tumi. I waaaay overloaded one of the front pockets a couple years ago and tore the inside fabric stitching. I took it to the Santana Row (Santa Clara, CA) store, and they sent it to a repair facility that repaired it for free less some shipping. They should've charged me, especially since it was 8 years old and I knew better. Oh, and they gave me a loaner briefcase too!
It's hard to go wrong with this bag! I suppose one only needs to decide how much storage they need and how big their computer or iPad is to ensure the right size. Tumi really hit it out of the park with this one!
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Years ago I used to make fun of all those stiffs in suits carrying their expensive Tumi bags. Then I started working internationally, wearing suits and trying to travel without ever checking a bag. This little tote/briefcase is awesome for that.
Right now I have my Mac Air, iPad and my Kindle in it, with all the cords as well as a pair of running shoes, a sweater, some t-shirts and boxers. This, coupled with my duffel, means I go abroad for up to two weeks without ever checking a bag.
Face it, Tumi makes a great product with a lot of thought put into what you need. It's durable and well organized and perfect for extended business travel.
Resistance is futile.
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I was very happy with my Victorinox laptop brief, which I used for about 2 years without any problems, but lately I increased the quantity of things (electronics and work papers) I'm carrying with me when traveling, so I needed a bigger brief but light in weight and with the enough compartments for those important documents and basic things I travel with (passport, travel shaver, bluethooth headphones, chargers, etc.).
This Tumi brief was exactly what I was looking for, I had the chance to try it on a duty free shop and I even got a discount price (payed less than the online price). It holds my laptop, the AC adapter, 3 chargers, my travel shaver, documents, the huge Nokia bluetooth headset case and my computer's security cable with no problems and it doesn't look like a sardine can. Totally recommend it.
This item is perfect for what it's intended to be, a netbook sleeve. There is a zippered pocket in front, but it is not big enough to carry the ac adapter, cd drive, mouse, etc. but it's not intended for that. I really like this sleeve, it meets my needs perfectly.
