Which Laptop Briefcase Meets My Computer Needs?

Comparing the Red Oxx Line of Laptop Bags

Red Oxx generally steered clear of the ever-changing laptop briefcase bag market until it settled out into common popular computer screen sizes. This philosophy was based on consumer needs, instead of chasing down the latest and greatest laptop screen size.

Focus On Laptop Bag Development

Our focus was into designing and refining existing elements in the briefcase line. These would be applied to securely carry a typical laptop. Design improvements to our Metro, and CPA Laptop Briefcases, and our Gator EDC (tablet) bags were prioritized.

As the need arose, Red Oxx launched several new bags. There was plenty of prototype testing and revisions until the finished bags were market ready. These included our popular Micro Manager Tablet Briefcase, the Maximum Utility Travel Tote, and the C.C. Rider Laptop Messenger Bag.

To help you make that all-important decision regarding which laptop briefcase will meet your computer needs, each bag’s features will be discussed. How can they resolve your search for the perfect laptop briefcase?

Essential Components to Red Oxx Laptop and Tablet Bags

# 1 – PROTECTIVE PADDING:

The number one ingredient in desirable features on a soft-sided computer bag is padding. How protected is your investment? Since there’s no hard shell exterior what can be done protection-wise with a soft-sided bag?

Red Oxx hand-crafts all our computer bags using two kinds of tough, durable closed-cell padding. Closed-cell padding is of consistent density thus improving resistance to chemicals. This closed-cell padding also minimizes water and moisture absorption.

• Most laptop bags feature a thicker dense and heavier padding for main compartment bag walls known as Fuzion 4 Pound STD Natural Closed-cell Padding. This is found in the Gator, Metro, CPA. Micro Manager, and Mini Boss Computer briefcases and the back side of the C.C. Rider. The 4 pound rating refers to the amount of weight of pressure applied before compression of the foam.
• A thinner denser padding for a special computer and device sleeves contained within the main bag called Hypur-cel is used in the Micro Manager, CPA, Gator, Metro, and C.C. Rider.

The main compartments of all our computer bags usually contain Fuzion padding. This dense foam padding is relatively impervious to moisture and is stiff enough so that the bag stands upright on it’s own. Yet it’s flexible enough to qualify as a soft-sided briefcase that you can be fold down for storage. Flexible padding also allows you to stuff it into a storage compartment, such as the overhead bin in airplanes.

Watch the video below with Lead Bag Designer Lacy explaining the redesign improvements made to our Laptop Briefcases.

The Laptop Sleeve Cradles Your Computer

An addition to the padding of the exterior wall, Red Oxx developed an independent “Laptop Sleeve” where the laptop is located inside the cocoon of the exterior shell within it’s own (also often padded) sleeve. These sleeves are filled using the thinner, and denser Hypur-Cel foam.

Laptop sleeve padding inside the C.C. Rider cradles your laptop.

By suspending your laptop in this padded sleeve, it won’t make contact with the ground when the bag is set down hard (or accidentally dropped). Each sleeve is then held in place by an adjustable clasp, so you can tighten it up against the wall of the bag for more security.

# 2 – BAG ACCESS:

The second component essential of a quality laptop bag is access. Are the interior compartments and pockets easy to get into? This is important because easily finding your writing instruments, or your charger and cables, reduces your stress and improves work efficiency.

In addition, since Red Oxx manufactures our own bags it’s important that the bag be simple to manufacture. Red Oxx developed “kits” of important interior pieces that are constructed separately. These can fit a variety of bags across the product line. This is why you’ll usually see the same interior pockets and space divider on all the briefcases.

Organize with plenty of pockets.

# 3 – NOT JUST POCKETS – POCKETS THAT EXPAND:

An ingenious exterior pocket that is a cool feature on three of our computer bags are the bellows pockets. These sleek looking exterior pockets are expand outwards and are a popular place to insert your mouse, chargers and cables.

The unique one-finger snap-loop allows quick and simple pocket lid closure. They look sharp and give the bags a distinctive appearance, especially in the proprietary Safari Colors option.


Expanding bellows pockets on a Safari Color Gator.

Comparing Red Oxx Laptop Bags

C.C. RIDER MESSENGER BAG:

Now let’s break down each bag’s individual advantages. Starting with the top-of-the-line C.C. Rider Messenger Bag, this laptop messenger style bag had over a decade in prototype development.

Over the years samples would travel from Vietnam to Zimbabwe to Texas garnering useful feedback from Red Oxx “Ambassador Testers” to make it our crown jewel.

When the bag was shown to a 20-year veteran soft-sided bag builder (and ex-production manager at former Montana bag company), he spent nearly an hour going over the bag. He checked seams, opened pockets, zipped zippers, poked inside and out. When he was finished he would declare he could not determine any improvements. That’s a heck of a compliment.

Unlike most Red Oxx bags, the C.C. Rider Messenger bag features more pockets. Not just more, but more useful. The front facing pockets are raised instead of our typical bellows front pockets. What “raised pocket” means is each pocket has semi-ridged walls, built like a box. Whereas a bellows pocket is flat with the sides folded in to allow expansion when you need it.

YKK #5 access zippers on top of each raised pocket reach around half way down the side, allowing easy access. It also has our typical laptop sleeve protection cradle.

Top Access

A feature not found on many typical messenger bags is the top flap access slot. There’s an access zipper on the top of the bags so there’s no need to lift the flap, making it super easy to get inside without having to flip the bag around, contort yourself to lift the flap, or set the bag down to open it. It allows the bag to have the cool look of a messenger bag, but optionally access like a briefcase.

In addition there’s a trolley sleeve so that you can slip the bag over a rollaboard handle.

This messenger laptop bag has the ability to slightly compress your load with straps and buckles on each side. This creates a compact and sturdy container that prevents spillage and keeps things from shifting around inside.

Lastly, the carry strap is the upgrade version – our Long Hauler Comfort Carry Strap. This strap is built with cushy neoprene padding to comfortably grace your shoulders.

The C.C. Rider Messenger Bag is our best laptop bag for men or women to carry your high-end computer in complete confidence.

Dimensions for the C.C. Rider: 16″L x 4″W x 10″H. Weight: 3.75 Pounds.

Will hold a laptop with standard 17″ screen (not game laptops).

C.C. Rider Messenger Bag makes you look good anywhere.

METRO STANDARD LAPTOP BRIEFCASE:

The second oldest computer bag in the line, the Metro employes our size-up / size-down build philosophy. That is, find something that works, then size it up or down.

The basic design elements of the Gator EDC Bag, which was birthed as a macho diaper bag, were adapted to laptop configurations. Taller, narrower, wider, yet using the same front bellows pockets idea, the same wrap around closed cell padding, yet the same interior splitter pockets arrangement as the Gator. The Metro is large enough for most common laptops up to 17″.

We like to call it our “Million Mile Metro” as one customer logged a million flight miles on his before a warranty issue came up.

Go for the Metro if you need a clean and distinctive looking laptop briefcase to carry your business basics.

Metro Laptop Briefcase Dimensions: 17″L x 3.5″W x 11″H. Weight: 3.15 Pounds.

Will hold a laptop with standard 17″ screen (not game laptops).

Million mile miracle Metro Laptop Briefcase ready for takeoff.

CPA LARGE LAPTOP BRIEFCASE:

Expanding on that size-up size-down idea, the CPA goes one better. This large laptop bag has all the superior features that the Metro has with one clear advantage… it’s wider. About twice as wide in fact. This allows room for your business laptop basics — plus a light coat, socks, undies, shirt, and tie.

Look to the CPA as an ideal laptop travel bag for use as an “Overnight” business briefcase.

CPA Large Laptop Briefcase Dimensions: 17″L x 7″W x 11″H. Weight: 3.25 Pounds.

Will hold a laptop with standard 17″ screen (not game laptops).

Red Oxx CPA Laptop Briefcase is swank.

GATOR EDC TABLET BAG:

The first tablet bag, when tablets were paper. While not exactly a size to hold typical legal documents, the Gator was found to be a good fit for most tablet devices once that market erupted. It’s a hair short for a small laptop and some larger tablets won’t fit. So we developed a tablet specific bag to suit that market – the Micro Manager.

The Gator is also designed along the lines of the Metro and CPA, same basic features, scaled down.

Gator EDC Bag Dimensions: 12″L x 6″W x 9″H. Weight: 2.35 Pounds.

Will hold a tablet with standard 10″ screen.

Red Oxx Gator EDC Bag – Gator Eats Chicken.

MICRO MANAGER TABLET BRIEFCASE:

The Chica Mini Messenger Bag was the first bag we discovered would carry most tablets. But not everyone is into a bag that might look like a travel purse to some, and has an official “feminine” name. Besides, there was a need for a briefcase-style tablet bag that appeared more businesslike.

The Micro Manager deviates from the Metro/CPA design routine. No front bellows pockets, no end pockets, though it does have an interior padded tablet sleeve. It’s also still padded all round in the walls and floor. The Micro Manager will also fit smaller laptops such as a Macbook 13″.

Micro Manager Tablet Briefcase Dimensions: 12″L x 4″W x 9″H. Weight: 2 Pounds.

Will hold a tablet with standard 10″ screen.

Red Oxx Micro Manager tours downtown Billings, Montana.

MAXIMUM UTILITY TRAVEL TOTE:

Quite possibly our most popular laptop tote bag. It can comfortably and safely carry a laptop. The Maximum Utility Travel Tote, or M.U.T.T. as the herd fondly calls it, was designed from the get-go to accommodate the portable computer.

The same mesh interior split-sleeve pocket arrangement that holds your computer in place in the Briefcases is employed in this laptop tote. This time the base of this laptop tote is padded with Fuzion, so there’s no Hypur-cel padding in the laptop sleeve.

An enormously popular everyday carry bag, fans like Steve raved “This bag can do it all!”

Maximum Utility Travel Tote Dimensions: 15 1/2″H x 7″D x 15″W. Weight: 2.2 Pounds.

Will hold a laptop with standard 17″ screen.

Red Oxx Maximum Utility Travel Tote hangs out.

MINI BOSS LAPTOP CARRY-ON BRIEFCASE:

And finally we have the Mini Boss. This business briefcase was developed to fit any typical airline carriers checkpoint personal item bag checker box. We even purchased our own bag checker box just to be sure.

Again, the padded laptop sleeve protects your computer. The much wanted extra interior room allows enough capacity to make for a nice weekender bag or 2-3 day business trip.

If you fly a lot of international flights, no worries, the Mini Boss will carry-on, any flight, any where, any time.

Mini Boss Laptop Briefcase Dimensions: 19″L x 12″H x 6.5″W. Weight: 3.4 Pounds.

Will hold a laptop with standard 17″ screen. An ideal gamer laptop bag.

Red Oxx Mini Boss ready for take off!

Whichever Red Oxx laptop or tablet bag you finally decide on you’re guaranteed the world’s finest “No Bull” Lifetime Warranty. These are the laptop bags that will outlast any computer so prioritizing which one for you is an important decision. Good luck!

~Cheers,
Jim Markel, CEO