Specifications

Reviews
W
e’ll admit: Maximum PC
editors are suckers for a
good-looking bag, espe-
cially if it’s comfortable to carry,
includes configurable storage
areas, and sports dozens of small
pouches that can fit all the impor-
tant laptop accessories we need.
We toted around each of these new
bags for several weeks—here’s what
we found.
—WILL SMITH
Axio Fuse Hardpack
At first glance, the Axio Fuse
Hardpack looks ideal, but on closer
inspection, its design is inconve-
nient at best, and unworkable for a
demanding user.
The Fuse has two main compart-
ments. One is fully configurable to
fit your gear, and uses the same kind
of Velcro and foam dividers found
in quality camera bags.
The other compartment
holds your laptop in a
snug sleeve and also
sports a couple of
pouches sized to
fit business cards,
a PDA, an MP3
player, and your
car keys. The
bag also comes
with an external
quick-access
pouch for your
cell phone.
But there’s
a problem.
Because the Fuse
uses an inflexible
hard shell design,
accessing either
of the two interior
compartments
requires you to open
up the bag all the
way. Now imagine accessing the
compartments when in cramped
quarters—like, say, the middle seat
in an airplane’s coach section; it’s
an exercise in frustration, to say the
least, and will most likely require
the help of your seatmates. The
configurable section is especially
difficult, particularly if what you
need is near the bottom of the bag.
The Axio bag is sturdy and looks
sexy. And while the hard shell
makes it more than capable of pro-
tecting your gear, we just can’t rec-
ommend a bag that makes quickly
accessing its contents this difficult.
Ogio Boss
After we carried our first Ogio bag
for a few weeks, we were hooked.
The Boss not only protects a laptop
from all sorts of damage, it also
remains easily accessible for those
pesky airport security checks.
For starters, the bag features
quick-access external pockets for
your cell phone, plane tickets,
power cables, MP3 player, CDs or
DVDs, and even a water bottle. It
also includes a spacious inner com-
partment with room for anything
else you might need, including your
PDA, gaming devices, and portable
hard drives. There’s also a fan-file
section for your paperwork—or
magazines—and an area in the
main compartment big enough for
a large hardbound book.
The laptop pocket itself deserves
special mention. In addition to an
egg crate foam sleeve, the bottom
of the bag—where the laptop
rests—is a curved, padded shock
absorber. Drop the bag, and the
shock absorber takes the hit so your
laptop won’t.
We found carrying the Boss to
be comfortable. Its wide strap is
coated with a high-friction surface
so it won’t constantly slip off your
shoulder, and it’s long enough to be
worn either across the body or on a
single shoulder.
Our only gripe with the Boss
is its weight. At 4.5 pounds, it’s
heavier than the average messenger
bag. But given that good laptop pro-
tection and low weight are mutu-
ally exclusive anyway, we’d rather
have a sore shoulder and a working
laptop than the alternative.
It’s a Bag, Bag, Bag, Bag, World!
It takes more than good looks to build a perfect laptop bag
Easy access to contents, loads of external pockets,
and admirable attention to detail.
It’s a little heavier than we’d like. And how ‘bout
some color options?
$120, www.ogio.com
9
MAXIMUMPC
VERDICT
Ogio Boss
BRUCE CAMPBELL
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
MAXIMUMPC DECEMBER 2004
Beneath its front flap, the Boss hides a vault for your laptop. A shock-
absorbing bottom and egg crate foam sides ensconce your laptop in a
protective cocoon.
94
It may be pretty, but the Axio
Fuse Hardpack is unwieldy
and no fun to use. We blame
the hard shell.
Lots of storage space, and good protection for your
precious electronics.
Contents aren’t easily accessible, and near impos-
sible to get at on an airplane.
$140, www.axio-usa.com
4
MAXIMUMPC
VERDICT
Axio Fuse Hardpack
CIRCUIT BREAKER
FUSE