What are these things that came with my laptop bag?

October 19, 2013 2:04 PM

I bought this laptop bag on Amazon, and it came with a couple of accessories that weren't advertised: a small pouch with a plastic ring attached to it, and some colored Velcro straps. (Photos here.) I've never bought a laptop bag before, so I have no idea what these are for (the packaging has no explanation, and I can't find any info on the manufacturer website). My wife is similarly stumped. What the heck are these things and what are they for?
posted by Mo' Money Moe Bandy to Computers & Internet (11 answers total)

Could that be for putting the charger inside, with Velcro to tie up the looped cords? Hard to get a feel for how big it is.
posted by routergirl at 2:06 PM on October 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

The velcro strap is a cable tie for your laptop cable. The pouch might be for a Mac-style square power brick.
posted by Nomyte at 2:06 PM on October 19, 2013

I agree that looks like a mac charger holder baggie, but i would never ever use it. Why? Because the cord running out of those blocks getting mashed against the casing is why they break so often. Either from people tying them up too tight(you gotta leave a little slack it to stick out and not bend too much!, or getting mashed into little bags like this.

So yea, if you have a mac... don't put the brick in that little bag.

And yea, the velcro is totally a cable-tie for a standard laptop brick.
posted by emptythought at 2:10 PM on October 19, 2013

Not sure about the little bag, but the velcro strap is for cord control. You coil up your cable then secure the coil with a velcro strap. Much easier to carry in a bag that way! I've never seen a laptop bag come with them, but cool bonus feature.
posted by Sara C. at 2:23 PM on October 19, 2013

The little square bag definitely seems like the right size for a mac charger, but yes, emptythought is right, using it seems like a bad idea for the longevity of the cable connection.

that is a cute dog and you should hug it right now
posted by elizardbits at 2:46 PM on October 19, 2013

Response by poster: I'm sorry, it is hard to tell how big it is from the photos. Here's one with a small dog and an iPhone for scale. It does look like it would fit a square MacBook charger (I don't actually have the MacBook yet, so I don't have that charger), but it seems kind of lame for that purpose. However, I suspect that is what the thing is for.

I'm not sure I want to use it that way, though, for the reason emptythought pointed out. Would welcome any suggestions for creative ways to use this thing. (Sandwich holder?)
posted by Mo' Money Moe Bandy at 2:48 PM on October 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Now it's obvious, the bag is for the dog.
posted by HuronBob at 3:16 PM on October 19, 2013 [24 favorites]

A banana is the required scale model prop on imgur, but, nice dog. The square thing looks quite a bit bigger than the usual Mac charger brick and maybe not as evil for the wires as suggested?

This sleeve from the same manufacturer comes with a little accessory carrier; it is "More capacitive space for accessories." Here it is just "accessory bag." Definitively, from cartinoe.com, it is an accessories bag. "Breath Series."

Put...put your accessories in it. A scarf? A crushable hat?
posted by kmennie at 3:23 PM on October 19, 2013

I'd say it's just a pouch for accessories like a jump drive or mouse or extra usb cords. Or dog treats.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 4:08 PM on October 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

the idea is that you use the pouch so that your charger doesn't scratch up your computer when they're in the bag together...
posted by sexyrobot at 5:02 PM on October 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

You say you bought it at Amazon, so you could go back to that page and post your question there. I've found the members pretty helpful.
posted by NoraCharles at 8:54 PM on October 19, 2013