Suggestions for new briefcase

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bchad

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I’m thinking about getting myself a new briefcase for the holidays. Not looking to spend multi-hundreds of dollars on it, but would like something reasonably durable, good looking, and functional. Any suggestions?
A few criteria for the ideal case:
Reasonably weatherproof - it doesn’t have to survive underwater or anything, but I shouldn’t be worried about destroying it if I’m headed to the subway and it’s starting to rain.
Slim - I am not going to carry a laptop in it, though I may carry an iPad and an occasional book.
Sturdy enough to stand on its own without flopping over. However, I don’t like hard-shell attache cases for myself.
I’m willing to pay for something that looks nice, but not so much that I would feel hard-hit if it were lost or stolen (aside from whatever contents get lost with it).
This one comes close:
http://www.shoebuy.com/bellino-3722-the-wall-street/337404/719642?cm_mmc...
I think I’d prefer it in a deeper burgundy color, and the fact that it is advertised as “Wall Street” irritates me because I feel it’s pretentious. But it’s close.
Ideas or suggestions? Places to go and look in New York?
 
I’m curious to hear from Numi.
But I think he’d just say Tumi.
 
You already know what I’m gonna say bchadwick!!! Tumi all the way!!! Tumi’s stuff fits all your specs, and they’re always having good sales. The other brand I might recommend is Victorinox - seems similar to Tumi but lower price, and potentially better value. I got a Victorinox duffel bag off ebags.com - think it was ballistic nylon or something like that - and it’s super durable, pretty weather-resistant, very functional, easy to clean and looks respectable.
I have one Coach mesesnger bag which I have never actually used because I’m afraid to scuff up the leather. I just don’t have the heart to put it through the daily grind especially knowing that some kind animal gave its life for the bag to be made (I received it as a gift). I should probably sell it on eBay or something. The rest of my bags are synthetic and by Tumi (Numi doesn’t make bags – only tea – so Tumi was the next best thing).
I reckon you can find something good in either category for under $200 easily, probably more like $100-150 if you find them on sale. Your best bet is to buy something like this online.
 
(all those blocked-out urls are: t i n y u r l . c o m )
So Numi, I was looking around in Filene’s Basement and ran across a Victorinox Corso slimline laptop brief (http://tinyurl.com/34g3rxu) for $69 (black/platinum color). Since Victorinox was a Numi-approved brand, ;-) and the price was reasonably inexpensive, I picked it up and will see how I like it. I have 30 days to return it in saleable condition if I don’t or find something better.
Meanwhile I’ll still keep looking to see if there is something I like better.
It’s not really what I was imagining when I started looking, but it’s nice. It doesn’t stand upright on its own, and I had originally been thinking of something more classic and leatherbound. This one is much more sporty without being completely casual. It is very light, has lots of pockets, and looks good. Actually, I have a some of bags of this type already, but they all have some other company’s logo on it… so this one is nice because it doesn’t have something like Lehman Brothers or Bear Stearns or AIG written on the side.
I’ve been waiting for the Timothy Geithner/Ben Bernanke specialty luggage line to come out. Apparently it has been designed especially for helicopter use.
Here are some of the other breifcases that I ran across and thought were nice (and may still end up getting at some later point).
URLs are all: t i n y u r l . c o m
Tandi Slim Flapover w/combo lock: http://tinyurl.com/32vujcz
This one is a bit slimmer but with only one compartment: http://tinyurl.com/2bpzh64
Here’s a Kenneth Cole. Inexpensive and looks nice: http://tinyurl.com/3xvxrwm
Ken makes more expensive stuff too: http://tinyurl.com/27aoqht
Finally, this one is nice and thin, and has a nice ballistic lining for when the masses rise up and decide to kill all wall streeters. I may die, but I will breathe my last more easily knowing that my reports and model code will survive: http://tinyurl.com/2eccd5p
 
bchadwick, I like the Victorinox bag. It’s a little bit more industrial of a look but it should be quite durable, easy to maintain, and has lots of compartments. All the other leather bags look pretty similar, and to me they just look pretty uninspired. The Kenneth Cole look particularly boxy…which I guess would be complement one’s outfit if one wears square-toed shoes….my verdict on the Kenneth Cole = Marco PoNo
 
The Victorninox bag is ok, but it’s not really what I was looking for. I need something like it anyway, because there are plenty of times when I travel and don’t want to worry about scuffing up a bag, etc., and it is able to be light in the way that a leather bag cannot. And the price was reasonable. So I think I’ll keep it for now.
I’ve seen the Tandi bag w/lock in person… it looks a *lot* nicer in real life than in the photo, where admittedly, it does look a bit “blah.” The leather is very supple, the whole case is lined with material that makes you wonder why you never thought about the lining of a briefcase before, and the handle has a cushion on the underside that makes it incredibly comfortable to carry. All these little details go into it that make you realize that the designers really thought about how to design a superior bag. To me, that’s more important than whether other people can tell what brand it is.
 
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