Kensington Contour Terrain Notebook Case

We really like the business-casual exterior of the $50 Kensington Contour Terrain Notebook Case. Its drab-olive canvas body and brown-corduroy accents are a bit more upscale and subdued than a Timbuk2 messenger bag but still not as stuffy as your typical black-nylon bag. Based on looks alone, in fact, we thought we'd found our laptop bag of choice. But despite the Contour Terrain's attractive appearance and largely functional design, we ran into a few deal breakers during our use: First, the weight of our 15.4-inch laptop strained the straps so much that we're worried they would rip out after a few months of regular use. And secondly, even if the straps proved sturdy, the bag's fabric material lacks structure and looked very misshapen when we carried our laptop in it. In the face of these concerns, we'd rather carry a nondescript black bag than spend money on a bag that at best looks disheveled and at worst seems likely to fall apart.

Two padded handles on the Kensington Contour Terrain's exterior let you carry the bag like a briefcase, and a shoulder strap attaches (via sturdy metal clips) to metal D-rings on opposite sides of the bag. The placement of the strap anchors helps keep the bag close to your body whether you carry it over one shoulder or messenger-style. On the front of the bag, there's a large, slit pocket to hold a bottle of water or a cell phone at the ready, though without a way to close the pocket we'd worry about the cell phone falling out. A horizontal, zippered pocket stretches the length of the bag and provides a more secure place to stash your cell phone, plus a boarding pass, tickets, or other items that need to be secure but still easily accessible.