Review: Waterfield Designs Medium Cargo Bag
Packing your mini in a SleeveCase is fine, but the mini is not a self-contained laptop—we need to carry more gear, and we need a suitable vessel. Thus the interesting question: where are you taking your mini, and what else needs to go along for the ride? Our first thought was a mobile home theatre rig; pack up some DVDs and accessories and head out for a visit to your buddy with the 61” DLP TV. For this, we’ll need a decent sized bag with some organization, and the Waterfield Design Medium Cargo ($189-$229) looks like it fits the bill.
Design
The Waterfield Cargo bag is a messenger-style bag of exceptional quality and organization. The large main compartment is large enough to comfortably fit two mini’s side-by-side, or your mini and a nice stack of DVD boxes. The main compartment also houses a spacious pouch flap, with large and small pockets that accommodate business cards, an external 3.5” drive, boot and restore DVDs, and even a putty knife if you’re so inclined.
The front flap protects two easy-to-access pockets and a zippered accessory compartment. The latter is just right for your remote control, VGA adapter and other small items. The two easy-to-access pockets are large enough to hold the mini’s power supply, power cord and the Keyspan IR receiver, or your 5.1 USB adapter. The flap itself is also a zippered compartment, handy for tucking away awkward cables.
The back of the bag has a velcro-secured compartment suitable for stashing thin objects such as magazines or a modest binder. The side offers a pocket for your iPod, PDA or cell phone. The pocket is easy to reach, and does not impede access to the iPod’s headphone jack.
The Cargo offers a pair of leather-wrapped handles and an adjustable shoulder strap made of heavy nylon. An optional shoulder pad is available.
Waterfield offers a range of cases for iPod accessories, cables, and even a sleeve for your Apple Wireless keyboard. The Cargo comfortably swallows these cases in its main or accessory compartments.
The Cargo line now offers a choice of clasps for securing the front flap. A paraglider buckle joins the airline belt buckle clasp.
Cargo bags are available in six ballistic nylon colors and an equal number of leather colors. Interior linings are gold nylon to help spot loose items in the bottom of pockets. The colors and textures are bold, but not overwhelming.
Performance
The medium Cargo is a very capable messenger bag with excellent organization. Given that it’s large enough for a 15” Powerbook and almost anything you might want to attach to it, the bag is certainly capable of hauling our mini along with the rest of our media rig (TV not included). We had no trouble fitting the mini, all accessories and cables including remote control and external drive, a half-dozen DVD cases, and even a 1” binder and all of our take-apart tools. More than enough for a movie night.
The Cargo is nicely balanced and holds up well to a day over your shoulder. Part of the bag’s comfort stems from how it holds close to your body, keeping the bag from swinging as you walk. Unlike many other messenger bags that we’ve used, the Waterfield Cargo is less rigid in its design, allowing it to form around your hip and stay out of the way as you walk through the airport.
We must point out that a bag this size is easily loaded to the point of being very heavy. The optional shoulder pad is a must, although frankly we’d expect it standard in a bag of this price.
The size and placement of pouches and hide-aways is well done. The main compartment is easily accessed while wearing the bag, which is very handy with a laptop and permits storing a wide range of things that you might need to reach when on the run. The front flap keeps a clean exterior face, with very little chance of snagging on passing objects. Small accessory spaces permit keys, pens, USB thumb drives and the like to be stored without getting lost in the bottom of a large space.
Waterfield’s clasps are not only interesting, but visually striking and functional. We happen to own a small Cargo with the aircraft buckle, which we assure you is a full-on airline seat belt assembly. If you’ve ever paid attention to the lovely woman in polyester on a commercial flight, you’re already a pro at using it. It excels at one-handed operation, easily giving access by lifting the clasp or securing with a maneuver that comes with a bit of practice of holding the locking clip with your thumb and securing the clasp with your fingers. And ruggedness shouldn’t be an issue—if it’s good enough for the FAA, it’s good enough for us. The downside is that the buckle is relatively large and will accidentally open if the clasp hooks on an object—usually when sitting down (easy-to-open tends to be a double-edged sword that way). Fortunately, being aluminum, the buckle doesn’t add noticeably to the weight. Plus, it looks cool—big and bold.
The medium Cargo we received was among the first with the new paraglider clasp; Waterfield has again bucked convention with positive results. Unlike the aircraft buckle, the paraglider clasp is small and unobtrusive, and nearly impossible to open accidentally. The clasp operates by simultaneously pressing down and inward on two mechanical catches located on either side. The smaller size prevents it from hooking on objects, and no one stares at your bag as you walk by. However, the paraglider clasp isn’t as easy to operate with one hand.
Heavy-duty zippers have plastic finger holds on short nylon pulls and are much easier to use than traditional metal pulls. We’ve never had the zipper come undone accidentally or bind.
Conclusion
All told, Waterfield gear is as rugged and durable as you could hope for. Our previous small Cargo bag is currently on its third laptop and still looks brand new. Four years later, the medium Cargo is also a model of fit and finish; Waterfield’s quality doesn’t appear to have waned a bit.
Waterfield is a bit pricier than some other brands, but they make up for it in quality—replacing the medium Cargo will be a choice rather than a need. Available with a range of sizes, colors and options; you can buy directly from the manufacturer at www.sfbags.com, or from select retail locations.