Perfect Cheap hpc bag

I've been looking for a good padded carry bag for my hpcs. Normal laptop bags are nigh useless. Last week while Christmas shopping I stumbled on these.

Radio Shack sells a Samsonite portable DVD player carry case for $14.99. I bought one for my Mom and was amazed how well padded it is, and it has lots of places to stow accessories.

I realized how perfect it was for a 6551/MP880/SL4 or smaller hpcs with many accessories. So I bought 4 and RS gave them to me for $10/each. (YMMV).

Now all my babies have perfect, secure, well padded homes when I move them around.

I've been using a Fellows Media drive bag for my MP780. It was designed for a portable Zip drive or CD recorder and attendant cables/power supply. It has one large, longish main compartment and two smaller compartments on the front. MP780 fits quite snugly in the main compartment, with plenty of room in the smaller compartments for power cord, CF cards, etc etc etc...

For my J-720, I use a bizarrely custom-fit black padded case made for a Texas Instrument calculator, sold at Walmart (though I don't know if still) for $7.99

Not much room for accessories, just a wifi card or something similar, but I wanted safe mobility rather than space. It's absolutely form-fitting.

Jake

Sadly, I can't find that case at Walmart I'd like it for daily carry around use when I don't need my accessories. Radio Shack has some hard sided digital cam cases I'm going to look at. They look pretty slim and durable and priced right at $10. If the largest one is long enough it might work.

What's a few bucks for decent protection for our great little machines? Well worth it!

Another case I use is something I jerry-rigged from the sudden slew of zip-up pencil boxes that can be found everywhere. They're lean, even leaner than the TI case, and you simply cut the thread that fastens the elastic pencil holders, and that part comes out, leaving you with an empty case.

These cases come padded (though they could use more), but their zippers are usually recessed so that the edges protrude on all three sides, which helps as an additional buffer against a fall.

Jake

Interesting...
OT: Is there a 3rd party case that could fit a Compaq 2010c?
Thanks

A THIRD case option (when I first got my machines, I obviously spent a lot of time on their cases) is to visit the mega-office stores, Office Depot, Staples, etc. and look through the stores' planners. Day Runner planners often have the very shape needed for a handheld.

The rub is, those things are expensive, and you're simply throwing away all the guts (calendars, addressbooks, etc.) and keeping the case itself.

My first PDA was the Zaurus Classic, $50 at Staples, and $20 dollars for the Day Runner case, disproportionate costs to be sure.

On the other hand, the Zaurus has been retired, but the Day Runner case fits my Psion Series 5 perfectly. So the investment paid off, I guess.

I've never been a fan of the original HP case for the J-720. It's too big to be truly mobile.

Jake

I find the mixture of homrbrew cases interesting. I've never seen a facory case I'd spend the menoy on, leather or not, um, except my Amity case., which it came with.

As hpcs grow? (in size perse, SL4, NBP) we might see a larger choice of cases come to market. If/when they make a svga ppc it would have to be bigger to handle that resolution and those cases may well do some older hpcs great.

Until, enjoy your cheapness and hunting for the perfect case. It's a good excuse to get out for a day

Some of you might consider buying a lunch bag...one of those nylon ones with the insulation to keep things cold. It is about the right size, some have multiple compartments (a/c adapters, wifi cards, etc)..and the insulation makes a very nice cushion to keep the unit safe inside.

One that I have holds my 720, extra a/c adapter, wifi card, and a small thermos of coffee...I call it my Starbucks on wheels....

Rich

Thanks, I will go by radio shack and Wal-mart to day to see what they have. I have been using a cheap old hip pack for the 790. No protection though.

Good idea! In fact, I have a lunch bag I do not use. Now I can use it for my 2010c .

lol, the perfect solution for women is so easy. i just put the hpc in my little handbag i always carry with me... the hpc fits there easily (hmm, maybe the mobilepro doesn't really , but all my other stuff do) and it gives relatively good protection and i always make sure i don't put sharp or other dangerous looking things (keys, pens, etc) close to the hpc. they reside in another pocket in the bag. oh yeah and yet another pocket for the cards (wlan, bluetooth, sd, cf memory cards, pcmcia-cf adapters and whatnot) ... rather unique content for a girl's handbag eh?
edit: and did i say earlier i hated accessories?! (i still do)

Edited by cmonex 2005-11-20 3:11 PM

Speaking of insulated lunchbags, the last time I was back in the States, I went to The Container Store and picked up a 12" x 5" x 5" black padded lunchbox. I made a divider for it from an old laptop Velcro divider, and use the two halves to house my J or Psion, adapters, etc. on one side, and my Canon BJC-50 (which works great with both Psions and HPC2000 machines) on the other.

I live for cases

Jake

Wow! What a creative bunch.

I too, live for cases. There's such satisfaction in finding the perfect case which of course, was never designed for hpcs!

I also have one of those fellows media bags and it's great for my 6651 and kit. Well padded too.

Monica, in a way I envy you. Nobody thinks twice about the size of purse a female carries. My ex had some great purses perfect for hpcs but there's that silly stigma of a man having one.

I'm on the hunt now for the "perfect" case for my Pentax MX. It's an odd shaped camera so finding the right case will be a challenge.

Do you remember the days when all we carried was keys and money? Lol, it was like walking around naked.

I use a foam pencil box. It fits my 720 perfectly, with the wifi card in. And stuff can be put on top or underneath.

Cmonex, 3?! Everywhere?