CES: Meeting with Timbuk2

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At CES we met with one of our favorite gadget bag companies, Timbuk2. While with them, we got to see some of the bags and accessories they’ll be introducing this year. Not surprisingly, we were impressed with the continuing evolution and utility of their designs. We have reviewed several of Timbuk2’s bags over the years, and we were impressed anew by the design and quality of the bags being shown.

Among the bags they will have coming out this year is the upcoming Command ($130, shown above). The Command won a CES Innovation award, and it is TSA-compliant so that your laptop does not have to be removed when going through security.

The protective portion of the new bag is fondly referred to as the “Love Glove”, and it is designed to take laptop protection to a new level. This is also true in the smaller size version of the Control.

In all, the new line is designed with the awareness that people are often now carrying a laptop and a tablet on busy work days, there is a need to protect them both.

Timbuk2 also showed off their upcoming camera cases. Like their laptop bags, the new cases are designed to give superior protection while maintaining comfort when carried for extended periods. There were two features that caught our eye in particular, the first was how the removable insert gives a tremendous amount of flexibility to the bag’s use, and second was the fact that although these bags are specifically designed to be camera and accessory bags… they don’t look like it.

Also new this year will be the Pop Up Sleeve ($39) and Kickstand Cover ($49). Both iPad cases offer tons of protection without looking like they do; the Pop Up has innovative corner protection …

…while the Kickstand serves as a protective sleeve that has a built-in stand — handy for watching video on the plane or at a desk.

One of the most interesting things about our 20 minutes spent with Timbuk2 talking to them about how as mobile devices grow smaller (think iPad and MacBook Air 11″) the bags people want to carry need to get smaller too. For example, Dan loves his Timbuk2 Q backpack, but now that he is carrying either his iPad or his 11″ MBA it is just too big for daily use. On the other hand, Judie was using a black epi Louis Vuitton Lussac that was just big enough for her gear (Air, Tab and girly stuff), but not so big as to be too heavy to lug — even if its straps were digging into her shoulders by day’s end. An example of how Timbuk2 is addressing this shift to smaller bags the new CandyBar Backpack for women.

In short, as more and more people are carrying one or more expensive mobile devices all the time, the need for good bags that offer excellent protection continues to grow. Our visit with Timbuk2  not only let us see some great upcoming bags from, but it also gave us some insight into why the company is making the design choices they are making and what goes into their thought process. We were impressed, and we hope to have a chance to review many of their new offerings this year.

Timbuk2 Bags

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.

1 Comment on "CES: Meeting with Timbuk2"

  1. lots of gadget bag goodness coming soon! RT @GearDiarySite: CES: Meeting with Timbuk2 http://goo.gl/fb/0cCTf

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