We got an e-mail a while ago from reader Amelia, who notes that “I consider myself too old (too fabulous?) for a backpack (I’m 28) so I’m looking for a bag that is stylish, comfortable, and suitable for a laptop. I am just wondering if there is anything more creative out there than the black padded messenger bag…”
Amelia – Ah, law school! We remember it well. If we were heading to law school right now, this is the gear we’d be stocking up on:
- a cute laptop sleeve (available in so many cute options that we’ll have to Hunt them all down for you guys sometime soon)
- a large nylon bag — you want something durable as well as lightweight, because your law school books will definitely be heavy enough by themselves. We’ve suggested a few for you below, but in general we’d suggest looking at diaper bags and beach bags as your main campus bag. If you have back problems, you may want to look into a rolling backpack, as most of the ergonomic bags are a bit too small for law school textbooks. (Another option is to to not buy the books at all and just read the cases from Westlaw or Lexis, which would allow you to carry only the 100 or so pages being discussed in class that day, or even just store the cases electronically on your computer.)
- A cute mini-bag (either a cosmetics case or a pencil case) to keep cords from getting tangled in your bag 
- Something to control the cords when you’re plugged in — most law school classrooms and libraries are wired so you only need about 10″ of cord, not 2′. You can keep them neat (and distinct) with velcro ties, such as these, available at hardware stores like Lowe’s for a few bucks.
Here are our suggestions for bags:
The two bags this author remembers seeing around law school a lot are ones that are hard to find online: the largest Longchamp bag (either Le Pliage or Planetes (available online only in the medium, not the large size) or the Herve Chapelier bags. Both are available at a variety of department stores around the country; the Longchamp store in NYC has a wider variety of bags and colors (such as black leather on black nylon) (we’re also told that black on black combo is available in Canada.) These bags are great but there isn’t much about them in the way of interior organization — but then, that’s mostly fine if you’re just going to class all day. (Ooh, we just noticed that you can “create your own bag” at Longchamp’s website.)
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Otherwise, there are lots of great bags out there that are not backpacks or messengers. We’ve admired the brand Timbuk2 for a few years, also — they’re durable and practical but cute, as well; the large size of this Classic Cargo (pictured below) is 16.5″ w x 12.2″ h x 8.5″ d, yet is only 2.25 lbs (and $90). Timbuk2 will also let you make your own bag.
LeSportsac also has a nice variety of bags with durable yet lightweight nylon. Most are available in solid black as well as the crazy colors (but come on, how happy would you be going to class every day with this bag?) The new Erika bag (below) is 15″x 19″x 5″ and $56; the brand is also available at stores like Macy’s.
Land’s End also has a variety of bags that are pretty good as totes — for example, this Business Tote is 15″x 12.5″x 5.5″ deep and already has a padded interior to carry a laptop. Available at Land’s End for $59.50
Also, we must recommend one book, at least. The summer before we went to law school, we read Planet Law School II: What You Need to Know (Before You Go), But Didn’t Know to Ask… and No One Else Will Tell You, Second Edition
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
No help from me on the bags–I carried either a full-on backpack or a small shoulder bag once I decided handwriting worked better for me than laptop note taking. But I have to warn against printing out the cases from Westlaw or Lexis or just storing them online–that’s crazy!! In some (many) classes you’ll be assigned short excerpts from 5-6 cases a day, and printing out those cases would not only quintuple your reading but leave you with no idea what small part of the case the class was going to concentrate on. Not to mention that you wouldn’t have access to any of the notes and discussion following the case. That’s just a really poor idea–I’m surprised at you, Ms. Corporette.
you don’t have to go nylon–i had a great, simple, leather bag from, surprisingly, l.l. bean, but i think they’ve stopped selling it. and my good friend had a large leather coach bag that lasted all 3 years.
I am procrastinating right now on studying for the bar exam, so why not write in! I am 27, and was not going to law school straight out of undergrad, so I had the same questions.
I bought a Coach diaper bag on sale at the outlet. It was alright – held my laptop, books, and other stuff, and it had plenty of pockets. For some reason I didn’t ended up loving it all that much.
I got a Timberland backpack off eBags.com. It had a padded laptop pocket, and plenty of other nifty things. Love, love, loved it, but yes, it’s a backpack, so not appropriate everywhere.
I’ve had two messenger bags from Fossil that I’ve liked a lot. Although they’re for men, they’re cute and professional looking. They have festive linings that I enjoy, lots of pockets, large capacity and comfy straps.
For my laptop, I got a sleeve and a cord organizer from GymsPac, also on eBags. They’ve lasted me through 3+ years, and are still going strong. The cord organizer is like a little neoprene cocoon that unzips to reveal two mesh pockets. It holds all kinds of cords and is very convenient.
Sounds like Emily and I had similar experiences — I started law school at 25, after having worked a few years after college. My first bag was a fab Coach diaper bag I thought I would love but just didn’t. I ended up with a men’s messenger bag from, of all places, the Gap. It came with a padded laptop sleeve and was roomy and very, very sturdy. It stayed with me for the duration. I don’t think it looked particularly masculine — just practical, maybe with a little bit of edge. Some caveats: I went to law school in super-casual Los Angeles, and using a professional-looking bag on campus would have been out of place. Since we Angelenos practically live in our cars, I was able to essentially use my car as my locker, so I may have tested the sturdiness of the bag less than someone who would have to carry bags on public transportation, for a long time, etc. (although I did always have an extra canvas bag in my car to lug around extra books, if necessary). If I was commuting to law school using public transportation I would definitely have invested in a rolling bag, and if I was going to law school while also working (eg, attending a night program while keeping a full-time day job) I would have opted for a more professional look than the Gap messenger. But, lucky for me, I was in LA where we wear sweatshirts with shorts and flip-flops, and I could get away with such a casual bag.
Another useful tip (in addition to the ones left by other posters): keep your pens, pencils, and highlighters together in a pencil case! You’ll have a lot of them, probably in different colors for different reasons, and you’ll want them in the same place.
Finally: good luck on the bar, Emily!
I second M — good luck on the bar, Emily!
Jay — you’re right, printing out cases definitely is not for everyone (and likely not for 1Ls). It’s something that seemed smarter my 3L year, though, when a) I had spent the summer slogging through unedited cases and realizing I didn’t truly know how to read a case, which is a valuable skill, and b) had thousands of dollars worth of leather-bound books that were outdated almost as soon as I graduated from law school.
Leslie — thanks for your comments; you’re right too; nylon isn’t for everyone. Some leather bags can be way too heavy, though; just so long as they go in realizing that they’re fine.
For me, the sturdy nylon bag was great (Chapelier), but I also used a plain black leather Coach “work tote,” which had a built-in laptop sleeve. If you are going the nylon tote route — consider something I overlooked initially – the width of the straps. The Chapelier bag was great because the straps are thickeer, so they are more comfortable on your shoulder and distribute the weight a little better. This is especially good if you go to school downtown in a city like I did and are walking alot or using public transportation. Also, unlike the Lonchamps bag, it has a flat bottom, so folders/binders/books don’t slide around as much.
Also, definitely get a nice-sized nylon zipper bag for your pens and highlighters – you’ll likely have a ton! (You can go the matchy-matchy route, or, LeSport Sac is great for those).
Best of luck!
p.s. — While you can easily find these bags at Nordstrom/Bloomingdale’s etc. (online or in store, check out eBay for a good deal every now and then too, like fun colors, etc.)
FYI: Flight 001 is having a sale on lots and lots of bags. I didn’t look too closely but it might be worth a look — for students and non-students alike.
Go to Franklin Covey, they have a great selection!
http://shopping.franklinplanner.com/shopping/catalog/category.jsp?id=cat2230008
I second M’s comment on looking on Ebay. I got my Longchamp for less than market rate because I bought it (new) on Ebay. However, keep in mind that although it’s nylon, it still stains. I bought red, and I wish I’d bought black, because the red got pretty dirty, even after washing. As for the lack of pockets, I keep a pencil case, a little cosmetics case with bandaids, etc, and a wristlet in it, with the latter holding ID, keys, subway pass, etc, so I don’t have to take the whole big thing with me if I run out for a coffee.
I was in a similar situation (age 27 when I started law school), but try as I might, a backpack became necessary to preserve my back and neck. If you have any amount of walking to and from school, don’t write backpacks off altogether; Some of them aren’t half bad. I wound up with a past incarnation of this one(http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/lightwire-bag?p=48863-0-685), which has been great.
Also, consider getting the binding taken off of your textbooks. The books (particularly in the first year) are MAMMOTH. You can go to most any copy shop and ask them to take off the binding and three hole punch your book. From there, you put the whole thing in a binder and take out only the cases you need for the day’s class. It cuts down on the volume of stuff in one’s bag dramatically.
I used 2 bags: (1) laptop bag, and (1) backpack. Even though you might think a backpack will look too youthful, I am going to attest to the fact that it probably saved my spine from collapsing and let’s face it, looking younger now isn’t worth the chiropractor bills twenty years from now.
I used to tote my 16″ laptop on my shoulder, carried my books with a backpack (Jansport with air-gel-padded straps – padding is important!), and carried a purse and coffee with the other. 1Ls, you know this is necessary. 2&3Ls can usually dump the backpack, as the class load becomes more realistic.
I spent 8 bazillion hours (and this is not an exaggeration) looking for stylish laptop bags. Finally, I bought the following and got tons of compliments on it: Abbi New York (http://www.myabbi.com/). They’re well-made, and thoughtfully designed with little rubber bits on the bottom to stop thumps and bangs, but are thin (not wide), so don’t count on a lot of excess storage space. TJMaxx sometimes carries them for $34.99 instead of the $89-120 they command on the open market. Aaron Irvin and Briggs & Riley also make stellar and professional bags with a hint of style.
Also, and this is totally unrelated – but printing and reading a google of pages every night will drive you batty, don’t do it. *Casenotes*, which are keyed directly to your textbook, can really save you from going blind. http://www.aspenpublishers.com/casenotes-legal-briefs-law-school/. Talk about picking out the issues and presenting them concisely! I had the torts one keyed to Epstein, and it saved me from utter humiliation every time I was Socratic-method-ed.
However, keep in mind that although it’s nylon, it still stains. I bought red, and I wish I’d bought black, because the red got pretty dirty, even after washing. As for the lack of pockets, I keep a pencil case, a little cosmetics case with bandaids, etc, and a wristlet in it, with the latter holding ID, keys, subway pass, etc, so I don’t have to take the whole big thing with me if I run out for a coffee. I am very pleased with the thought and don’t feel like adding anything in it. It a perfect answer.
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