Good wheeled laptop bag with telescoping handle?

July 22, 2019 2:41 PM

Please recommend a spacious laptop bag on wheels with an extendable handle.

I have problems with repetitive strain injuries in my arms and hands. I am being encouraged to travel with a laptop stand and separate keyboard and mouse in addition to my laptop, and to get a rolling laptop bag with an extendable handle to carry all this stuff without weight on my shoulders. Do you have one that you like?

posted by medusa to Shopping (7 answers total)

Is this realistic for you? Many people with hand and arm RSI will have their injuries aggravated by the rumbling of a towed bag. Pushing is safer, but again, people can be injured fighting to keep it in a straight line, lift it in and out of a cab &etc. the larger size increases the risk.

Are you going between few enough locations that you can pre stage keyboards? One can build a pretty good stand with coffee cups, coke cans and notepads on site. Make a mark on the side of your laptop to use as a ruler so you can quickly reproduce it. If you find a standard keyboard that works for you, watch eBay and have them shipped to your destination. If they’re cheap enough you don’t have to bring them home.
posted by unknown knowns at 5:00 PM on July 22, 2019

I’m also surprised that a backpack wouldn’t be better for you than a roller, which often involve awkward twisting and movements whenever obstacles are encountered, i.e. constantly. eBags makes decent rollers, from what I hear, but I abandoned wheeled luggage long ago, preferring soft-sided gear from companies like Red Oxx.

A mouse can be terrible for RSIs. I would recommend a trackball for a PC (Kensington’s Expert Mouse is excellent), and Apple’s Magic Trackpad for a Mac. Apple’s Magic Keyboard is also very good (even if their recent laptop keyboards have been much-maligned).

For heavens sake, don’t order and throw away a keyboard at every port of call, like the other poster recommended. We generate enough e-waste these days.
posted by vitout at 5:21 PM on July 22, 2019

I’m going through something similar right now, but my issues are more back / hip than hand / wrist. I tried out a lawyer-style ‘business case’ on a recent trip and hated it — it was fundamentally designed for paper files, not gear. But I did like that it was a ‘spinner’ with four wheels instead of a ‘roller’ with two.

That led me to investigate camera bags, which are a little better-built and closer to my use case (and designed with flexible and adaptable interiors). I’m saving right now for Think Tank’s Roller Derby bag.

So... check out brands like Lowepro, Tenba, and Think Tank, along with whatever you’re looking at.

And sorry, vitout, but if the asker is moving between and home and work, or home and one or two work locations, partially or completely duplicating their ergonomic setup in multiple locations may be the best way forward.
posted by sixswitch at 5:40 PM on July 22, 2019

Response by poster: I think the wheeled bag idea is a good one because the origin of my problems is in my neck and shoulders, and getting weight off that area seems to help a lot. The duplicating workstations idea does not solve my problem.

It would be most helpful to me to get specific bag suggestions rather than other advice, please.
posted by medusa at 7:15 PM on July 22, 2019 [1 favorite]

I have a number of colleagues who use a keyboards like the Kinesis Advantage 2 or sculpted keyboards like the Surface ergonomic keybooard, as well as ergonomic mice - the Logitech MX Vertical seems popular these days - to keep RSI at bay, and they absolutely do travel with them, and a stand that meets their needs, so that they've got a competent ergonomic setup wherever they end up.

The general consensus about wheeled luggage seems to be that if you're generally living an airport-to-hotel travel life that the four-wheeled "spinner" luggage is fine, but that if you've got to walk through a city with that luggage two wheels and pulled behind you is much less of a pain. I picked up a Timbuk2 CoPilot bag a while back that's apparently discontinued, but continues to serve me well and is on sale in a bunch of places.

I think almost any reputable brand of wheeled carry-on luggage - the Wirecutter has ideas here - will meet your needs - maybe this one will do the trick depending on your laptop or choice of keyboard? - but I encourage you to be super-picky about that choice of keyboard, mouse and stand. Ergo stuff looks expensive until you factor in the fact that you're only getting one set of wrists.
posted by mhoye at 7:55 PM on July 22, 2019

I had this thing, the Kensington Contour Roller, for a few years, and other than it being a little bulky for the bus or coffee shop, the only thing I didn’t like about it was the handle was a little short for my height. So if you’re 5’9” or shorter, it’s probably fine.
It’s less expensive on other sites; I just grabbed the link from the first site I found it on while I was scrambling around without remembering what it was called.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 8:23 PM on July 22, 2019

My apologies for ignoring the question you asked and answering something you’ve already thought about. I’m sorry.

I checked with 2 people with RSI that use roller luggage. One likes the pategonia duffles for the volume and ability to pad around a kinesis. The other went with a folding document cart, because it has larger wheels, and the longer handle lets her clip on multiple small bags, each of which is small enough to lift into an overhead bin on bad grip days.
posted by unknown knowns at 12:00 AM on July 23, 2019