My review of the Booq Mamba.XS and VAIO SZ

Here we go !

When I first slipped my SZ into this bag, I swear this bag was made for it. It's a perfect fit !

- Two compartments for accessories
- One padded laptop compartment
- Padded straps (Comes with 2, but I use one)
- Four point clips so straps can be adjusted to make messenger bag, shoulder bag, sling bag, backpack, etc...
- Thick top strap for easy grab and go
- Nice, sleek ballistic nylon with orange highlights
- Nicely padded back
- Only 2 pounds
- Lots of mesh pockets and zippered pockets inside

Everything you need to see is in the pictures ...

Videos are coming soon...

Enjoy !

 

VIDEOS !!!!!

The VAIO SZ and the Mamba.XS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8V8yZOoBmg

The Adjustable Straps of the Mamba.XS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0Sx59UQ1u8

And, more pics:

 

nice pics!

i was just wondering what is that black rectangle card with a 120W written on it?

 

EDIT: Videos are live ! Check second message.

qwerty: It's the Kensington 120W AC/DC adapter... it's indicated in the 3rd image of the 1st post.

 

Nice review. I couldnt near fit that many things in my bag. You are definately giving me something to think about.

 

Hey how much was this thing after shipping? and where does it ship out of. I think i may be switching out my bag here. ill post some videos of the TB Buzz later tonight.

 

Thanks Prophet ! I knew I had to hit you with a good review !

Well, I could fit a few more things I think... but its pretty good for what it is !

I got it from a place in Vancouver called SOHO, so I wouldn't have to pay over the border.

Booq still has the grey / white ones for sale, but I prefer the black stealth... I was lucky to find one at that SOHO place.

However, I'm sure it can still be found in certain places.

http://www.booqbags.com/Detail.bok?no=72 <<== Note this is the grey / white version
http://sohoservices.com/store/product_info.php/manufacturers_id/10/products_id/28

 

I have to get black as well. im gonna do a little checking up on the prices . And if i find one for under $50 im going to order it TONIGHT!

ok Under $50 is going to pushing it..lol

Im going to call Tom Bihn tomorrow and see what the return policy is there. If the news is good im going to get the mamba xs. If its too large of a restocking fee, i guess im good where im at.

But your review was GRRRREAAAT!

Just watching the videos make me feel like i have to buy one. **** im such an impulse buyer.

 

thanks for the review ikaris

 

Thanks I hope some other SZ owners can find this bag since it's very well suited for the SZ !

 

Hey do you guys think I should re-post this in the general accessories section ? Or will the mods not like that ?

 

Hey, Prophet, what happened to the Buzz vids ?

I still wanna see it !

 

oh sorry i been lazy
lol they're coming

 

It's all good

I'm just curious, and I find vids give more info than pictures for certain things.

 

whats the model number on the headphones? is it bluetooth

 

Yeah I'm gonna post in the Sony forum. Nice bag, your an over packet like me. =)

 

Metamorphical:

hehe well for such a thin and small bag, it holds a surprising amount.

graph101:

The headphone model number is in my sig image...
Sonorix OBH-0110

They're collapsible, lightweight, charge via USB, have soft spongy ear-covers, loud and clear sound, stop / play / pause / next track / prev track / volume up / volume down buttons which work with A2DP and AVP...

Maybe I should post a similar review of them too !

 

I have one of these bags collecting dust. I originally purchased it as it was designed as a "piggyback" to the larger Booq XL bag. I used to carry my 12" Powerbook in it zipped to the larger bag which carried a HP ZD7000....the whole rig weighed in at over 15lbs!!!!

At any rate, it's a nice bag, it does custom-fit the SZ, but it's so **** small that you really can't carry much more than a few notebooks/magazines along with the laptop itself. It's just collecting dust for now.

I travel extensively, both domestic US and international, 100K+ club on two different airlines. I've owned at least a half dozen different laptop backpacks. The best value for the money (for me anyways) is my now two-year old Ogio bag. The way the laptop sleeve fits in the very back of the backpack and the HUGE "dump area" of the middle pocket makes this the perfect backpack for me. My Tumi, Booq, Victorinox just can't compare to this baby and I only paid like $65 for it from eBags. Great bag, not sure they still make them.

 

Your Ogio what ? Which bag is it ?

In any case, in my Mamba.XS I am able to carry:

- Power supply
- VAIO SZ
- RJ-45 ethernet cable
- Bluetooth earphones
- Bluetooth mouse
- USB cable
- Papers and magazines
- Pencils
- USB Thumbdrive

And I'm sure I could fit a bit more.

The whole thing weighs 6 pounds...

I don't know what else I'd want to put it in, that seems like a lot to me for such a small bag !

If yours is gathering dust, tell ProphetX, he was considering getting one !

 

Well, as I said, I'm a road warrior. I carry in my computer/backpack the following all over the world:

-Computer
-Power Supply
-Bluetooth Mouse
-Mini USB Hub
-Kensington USB/Ethernet/RJ11 all-in-one retractable cable kit
-External HD (actually an old Archos AV340 upgraded to 80gigs) plus power supply
-Sony PSP, power supply and a few games
-A notebook (old-school hard-bound ledger type)
-A few business files
-A book, usually paperback
-A few trade magazines/journals
-Assorted odds and ends...business cards, pens, packs of gum, water bottle, keys, passport, vitamins, tylenol, etc.
-A hardcase folio of 10-15 DVD's, some video, mostly data
-Cellphone charger (for a Tmobile MDA)
-Universal power converter plug kit
-Airline power plug converter (for business/first class power outlets)
-iPod w/ziplink USB cable/charger
-A Pentax OptioS5i digicam (the battery charger travels in my regular luggage)
-Bose noise-cancelling folding headphones
-Small/light metal "mesharmor" that I wrap around the backpack when carrying it in foreign countries. You can buy these at most backpack stores. Prevents someone from slicing your backpack open and stealing your stuff. This happened to me in Israel and Turkey both, lost two laptops that way. It's foiled 3 additional attempts since I bought it....must-have for heavy travel.

Put all that together and the MambaXS is just way too tiny. The powersupply alone starts compressing against the laptop screen and it causes issues. I also found the Booq's straps to be pretty inferior at the attachment points. The straps themselves are very durable, but they are just sewn to the body of the bags. For what I spent on the BooqXL and the Mamba combined, I could have bought a Tumi and it's a much better bag at that price range. But I wanted the ability to transport two laptops so had little choice at the time.

The MambaXS would be fine for daytrips, everyday commutes, etc. but I hate having to port stuff from one bag to the other.

BTW, my Ogio is the Ogio Metro in black, 2005's model. I don't think they changed it for this years' model. I paid $55 plus shipping for it from eBags.

PM me if someone wants to buy the Mamba from me. It's been used maybe twice and is in like-new condition. I'd let it go cheap.

Someday, somehow, someone will invent a universal powersupply that powers/charges anything and everything. I've bought a few and none have been perfect and/or require me to buy so many stupid extra tips that they get obnoxious. If you go thru my stuff, I bet I could save 5lbs just from power supplies alone.

 

Thanks for the info !

Well I specifically got this bag because of the weight... getting a big bag when you have the SZ is sort of removing the whole point of having the light laptop !

I used to have an 8 lb. laptop and a Targus bag that could holdas much as you're describing, at 5 lbs... add it all together, and we're talking 16+ pounds !

So, although I probably can't cram a million things into the bag, its still pretty impressive for what it is, and as you said good for day trips and most light traveling.

 

Hey Ikaris,

I just tried out the Mamba.XS and like you said, it's great. However, I've got one question/complaint. The straps that connect the D-rings to the bag for the shoulder straps are _elastic_. Are yours like that as well? When I'm walking, the bag bounces. Not a big deal, but I'm worried that the elastic is going to die and eventually break. All my backpacks have this type of elastic webbing somewhere (not load bearing) and they've all lost their elasticity.

BTW, funny videos. Looks like you had the camera in one hand and had to do all the manipulations with the other.

Skrunch.

 

My personal experience with the Booq backpacks are that the attachment points for the backpack straps to the main backpack are quite weak. I'll have to post a picture of what happened to my Booq.XL and why I quit buying Booq bags in general. The straps themselves are quite sturdy, but they really have some design flaws at the junction point to the backpack.

 

did you find it in black

 

Hey ! Thanks for the reply !

I usually have the bag in sling mode, and I keep it very tight to my chest, so it doesnt' bounce. It's exactly what I wanted in a bag anyway, to each his or her own. As for the elasticity, I didn't really notice that they are elastic, and so far it hasn't been an issue for me... I'll let you know if it is !

hehe... thanks

That's exactly what I did... it wasn't easy, but I did it !

For the Spacebar Fix movie I did, I used a tripod... so... that was easier.

 

Well maybe it's not the case with the XS... its small and doesn't carry a big heavy laptop... I assume a bag called the "XL" is for big laptops

All the stuff I put into my XS weighs no more than 5 pounds.

 

Can someone please post the link for this model..I can only see this on the manufacturer web-site:

http://booqbags.com/s.nl/it.A/id.105/.f?leadsource=
Mamba S

Fits: 13" MacBook, 12" PowerBook, iBook, 12-13" PC

Laptop Compartment: 13.25"x12"x2" (337x305x51mm)

Exterior Dimensions: 14.5"x12.5"x3.5" (368x318x89mm)

 

Great review!