Noreve Ultra Portable Leather Carrying Case Review

Noreve Ultra Portable Leather Carrying Case Review

Published August 25, 2008 at 01:16:03 PM, by Travis Simon

Overview

The coined phrase is often good things come in small packages, and with the Noreve Ultra portable pack - it holds mostly true. Good quality leather, excellent attention to stitching and wonderful on the eyes are all things you'll get from the French bag maker. You're in indefinite luck if you travel light and have an ultra portable (less than a 12' screen and 4 pounds or less) laptop, which is whom this pack is aimed for. If you have a larger laptop, don't fret if you desire the Noreve luster. The French bag maker does have other options, but none like this ultra portable retractable handled item. They do make slim leather sleeves and universal briefcases fitting up to 17' models.

In all my reviews with packs, sacks, and sleeves; it comes down to how well your laptop and gear will fit inside the pack. If it doesn't fit, why bother? Next are the design, comfort, and protection levels of the pack. And last but not least, purpose and its price. Right off the bat, if you don't own an ultra-portable, there's no sense in having this pack to carry anything other than perhaps your accessories. It's just simply too small to carry even a modest 15.4' widescreen laptop. If your laptop exceeds 12.8' x 10.4' x 1.6' - you are out of luck. However, a female friend did note it would make a nice portfolio for business - and I agree.

Portability
Weighing in at 2.2 pounds, and having dimensions of 13.6" wide by 11" tall yet only 1.6" deep, this pack nearly escapes the term 'purse' here in the states. It's meant to be whisked away with two fingers, and does so with ease. And it's even easier once the handles are extended from their slots.

External
One thing you will notice about this pack is that it is extremely well built. You can feel the leather in the air (it smells like an expensive trench) and the stitching inside and out show pride. The materials tag clearly points out the obvious - the outside is 100% leather, with only a single branding icon on a lower corner of the pack, and on a compartment zipper.

There are only 3 outer compartments built on this bag, which offer minimum storage. It has two CD/DVD sized sleeve compartments on the rear of the pack which serve their purpose. I was able to slide one slim jewel case in each, but that is all. There is one zippered 'pouch' on the front. The compartment on the front has some space to allow useful items like a cell phone, mp3 player (as shown in pictures) or a small power cord to be stuck inside, but unfortunately couldn't store a standard power adapter for most laptops.

All three packets look to have inner linings of a satin, or a silk-like material blend and gratefully will not scratch your devices. Despite their minute size, the pockets remind me of the pocket found on tuxedos - useful enough, but not exaggerated.

The handles, which count as an external element only if you extend them from their recessed housings - are built well. They are sturdy and offer little to no flex while toting an ultra portable laptop.

Design - Internal

Internal
Other than the 3 outer pockets described previously, the main compartment (which carries your ultra portable laptop) is lined with 100% padded polyester and a single tag giving homage to its state of being - proudly displaying 'Made in India'. The lining is soft to the touch, and has decent cushion appeal. All internal stitching is very well hidden and I saw no flaws in zipper attachment either. About the only flaw I discovered is the minimal amount of glue residue holding the polyester pad down in the extremities of the pack, but only in two places near the very top of the seam, negligible to say the least.

With the capabilities to hold a laptop under the dimensions of 12.8' x 10.4' x 1.6' - the list on their website pretty much sums up a collaboration of any ultra portable. As they simply state - it includes but is not limited to the following laptops:

• Apple MacBook 13'
• Acer Travelmate 3004 / 3012 WTMi
• Asustek U5A / U5F / W5F / W6F / W7J
• Dell latitude X1
• Dell XPS m1210
• Dell D420 / D410
• Fujitsu-Siemens V3205 / Si1520
• Lenovo Thinkpad X41 / X60 / X60s / 3000 V100
• LG LW20
• MSI Megabook S262-W1
• Samsung Q35 XIH 2300
• Sony Vaio G11
• Sony Vaio TR
• Sony Vaio VGN-SZ1 - SZ4
• Sony Vaio VGN-TX1 / TX3 / TX5
• Sony Vaio TX93
• Toshiba Satellite U200-163
• Toshiba Portege R200-113

Despite being a glorified sleeve, this ultra small pack surprised me for its state of 'ridged protection'. The pack has some sort of insert between the outer leather, and the main padded compartment - most likely a corrugated board of sorts, but none the less it didn't bend well at all and offered a decent amount of 'point' protection in my testing. Taking a rear end of a pen, and pushing till I saw the marginal effect on the internal compartment - took some force! Although the spine of the pack has no protection provided for setting a laptop down to rest on, the outer 'shell' offers much better protection. The pack survived an average amount of barrage while being whisked around.

The handles served their purpose - and unless you filled this pack with solid material exceeding 10 pounds or so, I doubt that they would fail you in any attempt. They do flex to the side, but are held within the unit very well.

The outer compartments offer minimal protection, and storage, so keep that in mind when putting your high end gadgets and accessories in them. All the zippers on the pack are quality YKK zippers, and give no slack or snags.

Conclusion

Pros:

• Great build quality
• Small footprint
• Retractable handles
• Fashion orientated

Cons:

• Small accessory storage
• No locking zippers
• Little protection on bottom
• Hefty price

Recommendation:

If you can bare the price tag to look fashionable while carrying your ultra portable, this little sack by Noreve does wonders for the social status. The small package, impeccable attention to detail, retractable handles and decent outer protection make it a quality pack. However, if you are on a budget you might look else where. It does do it's job, with fashion and flare to boot.

Price and Availability
Available through Noreve's website and certified global retailers for 149 ($199 US)

Warranty information can be found here

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Technical Specifications

No specifications are available.