Slappa Ballistix AURA Laptop Shoulder Bag

Slappa Ballistix AURA Laptop Shoulder Bag

Published April 29, 2009 at 08:51:39 AM, by Blair Mathis

Slappa Ballistix AURA Laptop Shoulder Bag

Slappa is known for their acclaimed high-quality laptop bags and CD cases. The Ballistix AURA shoulder bag from Slappa is a large case designed for everyday toting of a laptop and general items one might need for work or school. It is large and rectangular in shape with a front flap that can be anchored with two large metal clasps and carried by a nylon handle or large shoulder strap. Designed for laptops up to 17-inches, the AURA can fit as small as 14-inch laptops before the bag is too large. With an empty weight of 4.26 lb and external dimensions of 18 x 15 x 6-inches, the bag has 1,500 cubic inches of space. Its constructed with high-quality ballistic fabric that is water and tear resistant and priced at a fairly high $129.99, which includes a 360-day extended warranty.

Design - External

The AURA shoulder bag is rectangular and available in two different styles: black/gun metal and light silver/bright orange. The bag is made of ballistic nylon and overlaid with gun metal colored plastic-like material. A large raised Slappa logo is placed in the middle of the laptop case and a large SLAPPA name is stitched under the logo.

The back of the bag has a unique cushion--the Slappa hand logo is placed on the back and stuffed with cushion, razing it an inch and provided a nice hip bumper when carrying around a large amount of gadgets. Above the cushion is a large alloy zipper that opens to an insulated magazine pocket; below the cushion is a smaller zipper which can be used to slide the laptop bag onto a wheeling briefcase or backpack.

Each side of the shoulder bag has one large gadget pocket and one half-loop for a shoulder strap; the shoulder strap loops are attached to very thick plastic and a single silver bolt, which makes it incredibly durable and unlikely to tear due to weight under 40 lb.

The bottom of the laptop case has two long strips of solid plastic that raise the bag approximately one half inch off the floor; the top of the case sports a thick, flexible handle covered in nylon and bolted underneath the same thick plastic that holds the shoulder strap. It is comfortable to hold and slides out from under the plastic, which allows it to stretch to meet the user's hand size.

Under the front flap of the bag are two small gadget pockets and one larger pocket behind it. The pockets are secured by small Velcro strips, and the larger pocket is closed via a thick zipper with an attractive metal Slappa logo.

Design - Internal

The inside of the AURA is insulated with 'super-cush,’ a silver diamond-stitched lining that both cushions and helps protect the internal items from damage. There are two compartments inside the main bag, one that is smaller and designed to fit laptops of either 15-inches or 17-inches, and another that is larger and meant to hold everything else you carry with you. Overall I managed to fit three college text books, a laptop cord, and a large pair of studio headphones in the internal compartment without distorting the shape of the bag.

The inside of the flap that closes the bag off has two silver metal clasps stitched to the inside, which keeps the bag closed. Like the rest of the stitching on this bag, the clasps are stitched thoroughly and resisted all my attempts to tug them loose. Likewise, the edges of the flap have small lips that cover the slight gaps between the bag and the flap that closes it.

Features

This bag features thick ballistic nylon, which allows any liquid to bead and roll of the bag--in the event that liquid somehow made it through the thick fabric, it wouldn't be able to penetrate the next layer of silver lining that Slappa calls super-cush, essentially keeping your gadgets and laptop safe from rain and snow.

The two front gadget pockets are small and can only hold one gadget each; the two pockets on the side of the bag are large and can hold a few gadgets each, or a fair amount of cables or two full-sized DVD cases. The zipper pocket behind it is quite large, I managed to squeeze my 9" Eee PC netbook into the pocket,- and it also has a small key hook and three small pen holders.. Inside the bag is a sixth pocket, which is long and thin and inside the flap--it is meant to hold the power cord, I assume, but it won't fit a larger adapter like one from a high-powered 17-inch notebook.

Finally, there is a shoulder strap that attaches to the sides; it is thick and has a shoulder pad that is about one half inch thick and embroidered with the Slappa logo. The metal clasps are thick metal and quite durable.

Performance

I use large laptop bags only for long trips and day classes, but usually find a fault in every one I use. Either I can't locate my pens or staplers fast enough, or my papers become jumbled, or I can't fit all my books and still close the bag. That's why when I first saw the Slappa bag, I doubted it would be much different from the other bags I use; a laptop bag is a laptop bag, right?

Wrong. The first impression of the AURA shoulder bag was that it's too minimalist to handle all the gadgets and gizmos I carry; it turns out, that apparent minimalism is what makes the bag so useful. I managed to fit my laptop and four-five books inside the bag. The inside pocket made it easy to access pens and other small objects. The outside pocket was used for my car keys and power cord, while the two front pockets made space for my cell phone and Sansa e260 mp3 player. The side pockets held an external hard drive and wallet, and the other one USB cables.

Overall, the bag was a pleasure to use, as I didn't have to tear through one pocket to get to another. The secure latches and rigid framing of the bag kept everything in its place, while the larger-than-normal magazine pocket on the back of the bag allowed me to quickly access all my folders, notebooks, and other papers.

The ballistic fabric was one of the nicest features of this bag, which allowed me to trudge through early-spring downpours without worrying about the contents of my bag becoming wet or damaged. Likewise, the cushioning between the laptop and external world helped assured that my notebook wouldn't become damaged if I dropped it.

Conclusion

This laptop bag is a very nice option for anyone who needs to tote around not only their laptop, but also books or an extensive array of peripherals in a wide variety of situations, including rain, snow, and public transportation. It falls on the pricey side of the laptop case spectrum, but for the price you get incredible durability and stitching that assures this bag will long outlive whatever laptop you carry within.

Recommendation

Overall, this bag does everything we expect in a laptop case; nothing is lacking, nothing is out of place, and it meets all expectations. With no complaints about the bag--except perhaps a high price--the AURA shoulder laptop case receives the Laptop Logic Editors Choice Award.

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Technical Specifications

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