I decided that my old Ogio bag was getting a bit long in the tooth and ragged in the seams so I asked our friends over at Brenthaven to give me a case to test. We have recently added the Brenthaven x-ray-friendly bags to our selection so the ProStyle II-XF seemed like a good choice.
Harvey Stone, the owner of Brenthaven is renowned in Apple circles for his energetic presentations at Apple Specialist conferences. He likes to put his laptop in one of his bags and then to the gasps of the audience, drop it from heights or toss it across the room. He obviously has a lot of confidence in the construction and protection offered by his products. (Harvey is apparently also an expert at making animal noises, but I have yet to hear his imitation of a hippo.)
The way an x-ray-friendly bag works is that it has a separate section for the laptop that can be spread out in the belt without taking the computer out. Since it is the only thing that is in that compartment, it cannot shield anything else (which is the reason that TSA wants you to take your computer out of your bag).
Brenthaven also has a “zero impact” policy in which they promise to invest in Green projects to offset any impact their products have on the environment. That certainly fits well with Small Dog’s commitment to planet!
The bag itself features high quality construction with high density foam to protect your computer, a great ergonomic shoulder strap and plenty of pockets and compartments. I find the bag to be very comfortable to carry and it definitely keeps its shape much better than my older bag.
The best part was walking through the lines at the airport without having to get an extra grey tray and take out my MacBook Air every time I went through the security lines. Brenthaven offers a lifetime warranty on their products and I can wholeheartedly recommend their ProStyle II-XF.