Booq Folee XM Laptop Carrying Case

Booq Folee XM Laptop Carrying Case

Published August 25, 2008 at 01:16:01 PM, by Steve Martinez

Overview

The Folee is a bag produced by the company Booq, based in Sierra Madre, California. Appropriately termed as Booqbags, this company produces everything from Backpacks to laptop bags to smaller laptop sleeves and PDA accessories. I had the privilege of testing out one of their newer products suited for laptop owners who have a penchant for gadgetry. It's outfitted with a generous main compartment, two to the side, three at the front, and one compartment to the rear. The Folee is a laptop bag which reaches out to the future, grasps some innovative ideas & designs, and yanks them back to 2006 to form this major contender.

Design - External

The exterior comes in a brilliant black with orange accents, populated by round zippers attached with the Booq logo. The bags are manufactured from polyurethane-based nylon, which is not only extremely tough and tear resistant, but also water-repellent. There are two zippered pockets built into the base of the straps, as well as a flap that doubles as a pocket on the front side. The flap is held down by two fairly light, but powerful magnets.

I've used these magnets to store magazines quickly as well as newspapers, and they don't budge an inch. The outer shell is covered in a ripstop stitching to prevent wear, with that same stitching duplicated on a number of inside compartments.

The back of the Booq has a zipper at the top of the bag, as well as one at the bottom. If you only use the top zipper, it acts as another storage compartment for papers/magazines/newspapers.

Back pocket

If you open the bottom zipper as well, it becomes a pass-through compartment, used to attach the bag to a rolling suitcase post. There's the obligatory top zipper which opens into a fairly spacious, yet rigid, main compartment for laptops.

This bag comes together as a sleek, understated yet classy laptop bag that makes you look without drawing too much attention. Coupled with the orange trim, it's a bag you'll admire, even if you don't look twice.

Design - Internal

Rigidity is one of the Booq's greatest strengths as well as weakness. The main compartment is surrounded in 12mm HD foam padding, which contributes greatly to its inflexibility. That compartment is upholstered in non-scratch lining.

The front pouch (attached to the flap) is the width of the bag, although it's quite shallow, only dropping about five inches. The opening directly in front of the main compartment holds no less than ten pouches, including one pouch constructed out of mesh. That same opening houses a snap carabineer for keys as well. This is all upholstered in the same grey ballistic nylon, giving the bag a rugged feel both inside and out. The only opening that deviates from this fabric construction is the laptop compartment.

The magnetic flap, when lifted, reveals a grey compartment for a wallet, cell phone, PDA, and passport. Its orange stitching matches the orange underside of the flap, giving the bags normally conservative appearance a surprising shot to the arm.

Features

Padded Contour Shoulder Pad
This pad is breathable to maximize comfort, as well as contoured to insure that long trips with this bag aren't regrettable ones. It's threaded with a 2 inch wide adjustable nylon shoulder strap, both of which have reinforced stitching.

Accessory-specific pouches
There are no less than 12 pouches specifically designed to carry cell phones, PDAs, writing tools, as well as other gadgets. If you own it, there's most likely a pouch created for it.

Side Pockets
Two pockets at the base of the straps hold small items, and are fitted with headphone wire openings. They're perfect for an MP3 player!

Performance

I had the opportunity to bring this bag everywhere with me for over a month. From work, to lunches, meetings, and even trips across the country, this bag was by my side. What struck me was the ease in which everything was accessed. My boarding pass, passport, and itinerary I stowed in the front compartment. While some compartments were too shallow for most uses, wallet storage for example (I have a stack of supermarket value cards), it was perfect for those readily available documents. My laptop was protected throughout, with the rigidity I mentioned earlier making itself well known. It's not the best bag for cramming into small spaces, but with the items you'd normally put in this bag, you wouldn't be doing that anyway. The zippers are extremely rugged and show no signs of wear, and the exterior fabric feels nigh impossible to puncture.

I found myself carrying this bag by the strap when traveling, and using the handle in the office. The strap is detachable, and the base has two pockets with openings for headphone cords. They've thought of nearly everything with this bag, and it carries a price tag to match. At $179.99 for the small to $199.99 for the large, it's a significant price to pay for a bag, but well worth it considering the use you'll get out of it. Although I wasn't able to inspect this bag over long-term testing (>1 Year) it carries a high-quality feel that hints it is in for the long haul.

Conclusion

Pros:

• Rugged Craftsmanship
• A pouch or compartment for almost everything
• Comfortable shoulder strap
• Above-average protection for a laptop

Cons:

• Steep Price
• Minor inflexibility

Recommendation:
The Folee is a comfortable bag for everyday use, as well as for the business traveler. It's sleek design and modern feel is a refreshing change from the average bag, although subtle enough to avoid attracting too much attention. It's made for the gadget-head in all of us, with no less than twelve pouches to carry anything that could potentially keep you organized. The bag is friendly toward those who multitask as well.

The inner compartment allows your laptop optimal protection while the water-repellent exterior protects your peripheral accessories. The comfortable Nylon strap fills out this bag, and I'd be hard pressed to find something that wasn't created with the cosmopolitan traveler in mind. The rigidity I mentioned, while helpful for laptop protection, can seem cumbersome on long journeys in tight spaces.

At almost $200, this bag is priced at the higher end of laptop bags, although its price might be justified by Booq's attention to detail and quality to some. For others, a much cheaper alternative can serve the same purpose but at least Booq offers its own distinct look from the others.

Price and Availability
The Folee XL is available now with a limited lifetime guarantee. Their website is www.booqbags.com.

No User reviews for this product! Be the first to write a review on Booq Folee XM Laptop Carrying Case

To post a product-review you have to be a registered member.

Technical Specifications

No specifications are available.