Full Review

17 August 2007 - I bet you like your laptop don't you? Thought you did, trouble is travelling around the world with it leaves it prone to getting knocked and bashed and worse case scenario broken.

In steps TechAir with its 5504 laptop bag, which it says "will do a great job of protecting the high value contents within". So will it? We get tough to find out.

Suitable for 16- and 17-inch laptops the TechAir 5504 uses the company's TechAir technology, which is basically a matrix of air cells on the sides and bottom that give you an extra layer of protection when you chuck your bag around the office or the airport.

In practice and those air cushions do a good job in making sure your contents bounce rather than clunk against the floor.

It's not just about added protection of course, the bag has to fulfil other requirements and there are plenty of storage options available.

The bag is divided up into three main compartments - a front pouch that has internal pockets for stuff like CDs, your phone, and even an MP3 player complete with a hole to the outside world for the headphone wire.

The rear compartment has yet more space for more stuff and also features something that TechAir called Skins. It's basically a detachable system of pouches that can be swapped to other configurations to suit your requirements. It's really just another way of saying there are more pockets.

The main pocket is where you store your laptop and any other junk you care to carry with you.

VERDICT
Overall the 5504 is a great bag with plenty of space for stuff. It's tough, durable to the weather and will even stand being pissed on by a dog (we kid you not).

If there is one compliant however, it is that is a big old beast before you even start filling it with stuff.

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