Well
Tim Bihn's Cadet arrived the other day and I hadn't had time to really look at it and play with it. My schedule for the next week will be such that I'll not be commuting or traveling so I'll not get to use it until the second week of July.
I'm unsure if I want to keep it. I have 60 days provided its in new condition.
First image is my old Waterfield Racer-X bag and the Cadet, which as you can see the Cadet is a tad taller and significantly thinner - The thinness is something that I wanted. The Racer-X offers a lot of protection but its a thick bag.
Second image is of the handles, and I have to say the Racer X handle has spoiled me so much, it's been a joy to use and lug around. This is why I've held onto this bag for around 12 years. The thing about the handles, is I prefer holding using the hand grips instead of using the shoulder strap (I know I'm weird) and using that mountain bike grip has as the handle has been great. The downside of my old Racer-X bag is that thinkpad barely fits into the laptop compartment and it is bulkier especially on those days that i'm just bringing my iPad into the office - The Racer-X feels like over kill.
Third image is the laptop sleeve and its a basic neoprene sleeve, not much in terms of protection but better then nothing. The clips in the fourth picture are odd and a bit difficult to undo. They're not quick release to be sure and I think the idea is once engaged you don't take them off very often. The inner pocket next to the sleeve (you may kind of see that in the last image) is inaccessible (with the clips engaged.)
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Reasons for returning.
If I do choose to return the bag, the reasons are as follows:
- The handles since that's how I carry the bag.
- The inner pocket is inaccessible and unusable.
- inadequate protection. I may be over-thinking on this, but the neoprene sleeve doesn't seem to provide a lot of protection.
Overall its a good bag, but the cost was in the 200 dollar price range and for that price tag, do I want to live with some of the short comings?