crumpler expirence?

anyone have the The Dreadful Embarrassment

i was wondering if the z70va would fit, asus measurements say its a tad bit but maybe a there off? well looking for hope. im really picky in bags and the dreadful embarrassment is alot cheaper than horseman lol

17.7x11.8x7 inches vol 16 litres 13x9.8x1.6 [internal laptop sleeve]

 

I don't know that one, but did a review a while back of the salary sacrifice, if you want to look at that for thoughts on overall quality.

 

Chances are your laptop would fit - the Dreadful Embarassment is designed for a 17" widescreen laptop, AFAIK, so a 15.4" laptop should fit just fine. What are the dimensions of the Asus?

So far, I've found that my Considerable Embarassment has been rather rough on my laptop - it's compressing the screen against the keyboard, and I've lost all the paint on the corners of the screen lid, so I'm a little displeased.

 

I noticed that the crumpler series uses a lot of velcro for the "opening" of the bag.

does it emit somewhat of a loud noise when you "tear" the bag open to get your stuff?

the reason why i'm hesistant on buying the bag is because as a student i may have to open and close the bag a lot and it's annoying when the velcro keeps "emitting" loud sounds. Apart from that there doesn't seem to be a lot of compartments for different stuff.

 

They do use a lot of velcro for the sleeve, and it's not really quiet, no. As to pockets and such, at least in the model I had, there's not a ton of them, but they were fine for my needs.

 

I found a great price on a Crumpler Considerable Embarrassment so I ordered having only seen the pics on the web. It arrived today (right after I sent my new notebook back to Sager for repair) and I'm not impressed.

The build quality is excellent in every respect and it's an attractive bag but there is no way a decent sized 15.4" notebook computer is going to fit inside this thing. Additionally, the interior capacity is not going to fit my needs. It will hold a mouse and power supply with a bit more room but everything just gets thrown in -there is only one zippered compartment of any decent size. My final complaint is that the padding around the computer compartment is a bit on the light side.

If you do go with a Crumpler I'd suggest going one size larger...that may make a big difference. I need to find a new home for this bag as it's not going to suit me.

 

I think the Considerable Embarrassment is an excellent bag. Let me address some of the points made by others:
-ICamp: you are right in saying that it will not fit a 15.4" machine- some of Crumpler's measurements are a bit weird- it is sized for a 14" or a 12" with an extended battery (my 12" with the extended battery is too deep for the smaller sized bag). We did use it with a 14" unit and it was a perfect fit
-Capacity: this is the largest messenger bag in its weight class that I could find anywhere. It only weighs 28 ounces and can carry a laptop and 2 reams of paper. My daughter is in law school, carries her laptop, adaptor, lock and assorted other computer stuff and books and generally has enough book room (although she sometimes has overflow of books when headed toward the library, but many law students have a second bag when headed there)
-Velcro closure: yes, velcro does make noise- but at the beginning or end of class, everyone is unpacking/packing up and making noise. I think it is a huge plus- the laptop is secure with a velcro flap in its sleeve and the bag is closed with velcro. Yes, there are the buckles that most bags have but, truthfully, they never get fastened running between classes. Most people won't bother fastening the buckles and will run between classes with the flap down but not secured if there is no velcro. I like the fact that the laptop is in a fastened bag.
-Padding: I think the padding is good. Are there better padded bags? Yes- Crumpler makes a bag with not only a padded sleeve but where the bag itself is padded. It comes back to weight. This bag is 28 ounces. Any other bag with more padding is in the 3 pound range. Actually, the padding in this is comparable to that of many bags in the 2.5-3 pound range. For example, Tumi is a top of the line bag manufacturer and has no better padding in its messenger bags, but they weigh close to 3 pounds and their capacity is no larger. The padding is definitely fine if you are a careful person; if you plan on tossing the bag around, look for something with more padding.
-Trippytiger: The bag isn't compressing your screen. Screen compression is due to a combination of books (or other stuff) pressing against the screen lid and having a screen that has too much flex. Manufacturers tend to use more and more plastic to make things lighter- and plastic=less durable. Unless you carry your laptop in a clamshell case (which is bulky and heavy) screen compression can be an issue. Many here have recommended a screen protector- a piece of microfiber cloth that is stored between your keyboard and screen. It is a good cleaner too. Shaggymac sells nice ones- for $15 it is a good investment- helps prevent the keys from marring the screen. Most of the laptop cases- even the top-rated Brenthaven ones- have the bulk of their padding at the bottom of the case, and the sides are much less padded, especially the internal side, against which books are stored. The bottom padding on the Crumpler bags are similarly heavier on the bottom than the sides.
-This is a lightweight and waterproof bag with a generous carrying capacity. For its weight its capacity and padding can't be beat (at least not by any bags I could find). If you exercise reasonable care the laptop will be well protected.

Photococan on Ebay is a good reseller- prices are better than elsewhere and they are very accommodating. If you need exact sleeve dimension, e-mail them and they will measure the bag for you. If you don't see what you want (color or style) e-mail them.

-Ceipf: The Dreadful Embarrassment should be fine for a 15.4"- but e-mail Photococan for an exact sleeve measurement. Midwestbags also is accommodating for measurements (the Crumpler stores are hit and miss- you want someone who won't just read the specs, but will actually go take a tape measure to the bag because Crumpler's specs are not always accurate). If you are reasonably careful (what I mean by that is not abusive- if you want to be able to fling it across a room, like some people do, then this is not the bag for you) this is an excellent choice. I spent a month researching bags and chose the Considerable Emb.

 

Well, the reason why I mentioned it is that I never had the same problem with my backpack (something by Wenger), and that the design of the Considerable Embarassment leaves laptops t vulnerable to being compressed against books and such. I suspect that this is a problem with a lot of messenger bags, though, simply because of the way that they're worn.

I seem to have had better luck with putting my laptop into the sleeve the other way, though, with the hinges towards the top. I still want to find a hard case for it, but they seem to be tough to find (at least in any store I've been in), especially for a very thin 14" notebook.

FYI, though, my laptop has a magnesium alloy screen lid and a lip around two sides that makes it quite rigid, so it's less prone to flexing than most other laptops with a similarly thin screen (although I think it might also put the screen closer to the keyboard when closed than other laptops).

 

It'll be the same problem even if you flip it since the laptop is still stuck in between your butt/thigh and books.

But I can concur it's from the compression from a lot of books. If you're carrying a lot of books, the messenger bag isn't a good choice anyway since it tends to be too heavy for just one shoulder, that;s what I find anyway.

A better solution is to put the laptop on the outter side of the bag in a sleeve. (On the buckle side) So that way it won't be compressed between anything. And to play it safe, put a screen protector in between.

If you are looking for a crumpler bag, send photococan an email. He doesn't have a lot of models on his ebay store, but if you email him asking for certain models, he can give you a quote on it.

 

Well, all I carry in my bag is the laptop, one 400 page notebook, a clipboard, a bunch of pencils, and some other gadgets and stuff in the pockets. Probably not much more than 10lbs altogether, which is fine for me - I used to carry 20-30lbs of stuff in a regular backpack off of just one shoulder.

It would be better to put it in a sleeve on the outside, definitely, but I'd rather use the integrated sleeve. I just wish that Crumpler made a 14" version of their School Hymn notebook sleeve, but nooo...

 

I'm using the sleeve from sfbags.com. Awesome quality, a bit weighty, but seems like it has excellent protection.

I might switch to a crumpler backpack, 2-3 clipboards + 2 text + 6.5lbs laptops in the Considerable Embarassment doesn't really feel all that comfortable. Photococan quoted me for about $100 for the King Single and about $110 for the Beer Pack. But still hesitating whether to buy it or not. Seems kinda retarded to blow $100 on a bag. lol