This Travel and Laptop Bag from Turkish manufacturer YDS is a two compartment bag with four different and useful methods of carry, writes Bob Morrison.
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Although I have a trusty and perfectly serviceable high specification laptop bag with top handle and detachable shoulder sling, I have increasingly found myself using this comparatively inexpensive bag ($69 list price from ydsshop.com*) on my travels as it is not only incredibly handy but also quite smart looking without being too ostentatious and therefore likely to attract the sticky-fingered.
Measuring 41x32cm and around 15cm deep, so well within airline ‘under seat’ dimensions, this black polyester bag is sized to accept a conventional laptop up to 15-inch (38cm) in a sponge-padded pouch inside the main compartment. If carrying a smaller laptop, there is a broad retaining strap with Velcro to prevent movement and the rear of the main compartment is also padded for additional protection. Behind the main compartment zipped lid there is a small pouch pocket / organiser panel with four pen pockets and two smaller pouch pockets; of course these pockets only work if the bag is carried vertically.
The secondary zipped compartment is also padded both sides and is large enough to carry a netbook in a padded sleeve, meaning I can carry both a conventional laptop for day-to-day work when away from the office plus a backup computer for emergencies; having edited a magazine with Survival in its title for two decades, it is probably no surprise that I became a bit of a ‘belt and braces’ type. This second compartment is totally clean, with the exception of a USB 3 cable which connects to a port on the outside face of the bag to give the handy option of recharging a phone or tablet on the move if you connect it to a power bank (not supplied).
Both compartments have double action zips, with pull tabs, which allow for three-quarter opening. There is also a small zipped pocket on the front face of the bag, which can be used to store the removable adjustable side strap when not in use. This pocket is also handy for holding quick access documents and accessories etc., but although I have used a passport here for illustration purposes, on security grounds I would never recommend carrying anything valuable in there if wearing the bag rucksack-style; there are way too many sticky-fingered people in the world. All zips used are high quality YKK type.
¤ Here one shoulder strap is clipped on and the other is tucked away in the carry pocket [©BM]
The thing I like best about the YDS Travel and Laptop Bag is the four different methods of carry: top grab handles; side grab handles; removable diagonal side strap, for single shoulder carry; and stowable padded shoulder straps, with quick release buckles. The latter stow away in a simple open pouch pocket on the back face when nor in use and one strap could be used for diagonal back carry if so desired. The grab handles are formed from nylon webbing, folded over for comfort, and the removable nylon diagonal side strap has a sliding shoulder pad.
As previously mentioned, this bag has already seen a lot of use and I fully expect to travel widely with it as my ‘under seat’ aircraft hand luggage during the 2025 defence expo season to free up space in my ‘overhead’ hand luggage camera bag. With its four methods of carry, I should be able to handle a suitcase as well for those longer trips.
* Note that at present the ydsshop.com website is currently Turkish language only, so if buying online you may need to use DeepL or Google to translate, and also remember that additional import duty &/or purchase taxes might be incurred dependent on your country of residence.
[images © Bob Morrison]
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