OUTBACK DUO LAPTOP BRIEF

Waterfield’s latest 16″ MacBook and Surface briefcase

I have talked about my bag fetish in the past. I love bags, and I know for a fact, I am not alone in this love affair. What is it with bags that are so seductive? I am always looking at new camera bags because I need it to carry this or that. How did I ever live without my last bag? Why are we so in need of a new and different bag?

The cold hard truth – there is no perfect bag. There, I have said it. There is no “one bag to rule them all.”

But after I upgraded to my 15″ MacBook Pro, my beloved bag was now too small to carry my new computer! I had to retire my old friend.

For two years, I searched for a replacement. If I found a bag that was small and lightweight yet fit my 15″ MacBook it didn’t have a luggage handle pass-through. If it did have a handle pass-through inevitably the bag was just too big.

You need to understand, for me, something as small as a luggage handle pass-through is a deal-breaker. When I travel, I carry all my essential gear with me as carry-on. That usually means a larger camera case roller bag and some sort of computer bag or an additional camera bag as a personal item. My “personal item,” whether a computer briefcase or camera bag, doesn’t go on my shoulder – I want it attached to my roller bag. I need to protect my back!

Let’s start from the outside and work our way in, shall we? The bag comes in two sizes; compact and full. Each of these choices comes in three color choices: Waxed Canvas with Chocolate Leather, Ballistic Nylon and with Chocolate Leather, or Waxed Canvas with Black Leather. My last bag from Waterfield Designs was the “Air Duffle Carry-on” and I got it in Waxed Canvas with Chocolate Leather So I decided to try a different combo and went with the Ballistic Nylon and with Chocolate Leather. 

The front of the bag sports a very cool looking dual-layer distressed leather pocket flap. The flap is secured with a “self-finding” magnet. Under this flap is a large gusseted pocket that goes across the width of the bag. This front pocket is big enough to store your AC charger, power cable, and other large items. That pocket is built around a series of smaller organisational pockets: three narrow pockets for pens, and two 5″ wide pockets for larger items like your mouse, or a bag of pipe tobacco 😉.

The bag I ordered is the Ballistic Nylon and appears to be rugged while keeping the bag light. The bag is closed by a waterproof zipper much as you’d find on a rain parka or anorak.

Once you unzip the Outback Duo, you will see the simple yet thoughtful design. The briefcase is divided into three compartments. The main compartment is large enough for several magazines, file folders or any other documents. Then, on each side, you have pockets that are designed to fit a 15″ to 16″ laptop or the large iPad Pro. These packets are narrow, so your device fits snuggly and doesn’t move or shift. Each pocket is lined with a super plush almost faux fur fibre that protects your device. The whole inside of the bag is lined with Waterfield Designs signature gold honeycomb textured nylon making finding things in your bag a breeze. This makes so much sense! Why do so many bag manufacturers create bags that are black on the inside? In an airplane or a darkened room during a presentation, you often need a flashlight to find something in your bag!

The last thing about this bag that I want to point out is that the Duo comes with the well thought out easily adjustable shoulder strap called the “Supreme Shoulder Strap.” Waterfield Design didn’t just buy some other company’s shoulder strap and adapt it to their bag. They designed their strap from the ground up. The 1.5″ strap was created with a longer shoulder pad than most other straps. The benefit is that when you wear the bag like a messenger bag across your body or off one shoulder, the pad is always on your shoulder without having to adjust the length. Brilliant! The strap is held on to the bag by custom industrial-grade snap hooks.

I am finding it difficult to find anything negative about this bag. If I’m forced to point out something it might be the price. At $239 for the full size bag it’s probably going to be too steep for many people. Let’s face it, it’s not a roller bag, it’s not a bulky carry-on, it’s a slim single purpose computer briefcase that does one thing and does it very well. So for some people $239 might be a dealbreaker.

Dimensions & Weight 

Specifications

Pros & Cons

Price & Options