Reader Question: Computer Bag Hack for a Bike

Occasionally we get questions emailed to us and recently we received the following email from reader K.

This isn't a hack, but a question.  Say I want to transport a laptop in my soft-sided panniers and can't afford a hard case for it.  Do you have any ideas as to how I might devise some method of protecting it while transporting it in a pannier?  I was thinking of building something out of several layers of Coroplast and foam, for example.

What say you Bike Hacks readers?  Any advice for K?  Post your ideas in comments. 

Comments

[Donald]

I just put my messenger bag/backpack (which has a pouch for the laptop to slide into) inside of my panniers and it works like a charm. No damage to the laptop this way as long as you don't get in a wreck, in which case that's a whole other issue.

If you don't already have a messenger bag like that, one can be obtained fairly cheaply... and it has the added bonus that if you need to just grab the laptop and go, you can pull it out of the panniers and take it with you.

One word of advice... DO NOT under any circumstances, try to transport the laptop on top of the bicycle rack (rather than in panniers hanging from the side), even if it is in a protective bag. IT WILL get damaged from the bumpiness of the road.

[Claw Hammer72]

I had the same issue. But, I gave up on my panniers and built another case for it with cardboard. I posted pictures on bikeforums.net: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/802408-Show-us-your-DIY-Gear

[Paul G]

I'm also looking for a good solution. Most bags seem to have the laptop as an afterthought. I currently use a neoprene sleeve for the laptop then put it in the bag. But I always have to push things out of the way, worry about rain, crashes, etc. I have a Pelican case for it and am thinking about converting that into a pannier using Arkel's cam lock kit.

[Tom Moeller]

Bubble wrap?!

[Wayne Myer]

When I was in college, crushing was a concern for me and the cause of death of two previous laptops. I built a balsa exoskeleton to protect my laptop. I don't have any pictures of that design, but the construction was similar to that of a wooden airplane frames with stringers glued to formers. I would put the laptop in a soft sleeve and put the sleeve inside the frame. Lightweight, strong, and kept my laptop safe from lots of bad things.

[0000dnbl000]

wrap it in a jumper

[Leedo]

Start with padding such as a neoprene case (http://bit.ly/xk5EGj) or even large bubble-wrap and add a 2-gallon zip-lock bag for water proofing. The key is reusability of materials otherwise, if you have to throw away your protector every 1-3 uses, it doesn't save you money in the long run.

Another route: I bought a used waterproof Ortlieb pannier for $20 that has a laptop compartment.

[carl]

the postulation about using coroplast is a good one, its what i did. i wish i had done an instructable on it but alas, i got too excited and just made it lol. i basically made a box out of an election sign, like how you cut a piece of paper into a t shape and fold it, ya dig? so anyways i had my cross-shaped piece of coroplast, then i used upholstery spray glue to attach a piece of thin foam to it. cut the foam, add a couple staples, fold up the box, secure with copious amounts of gorilla tape. attached it to the inside of my homemade panniers with some velcro.

[Don Madro]

My suggestion is to get a plastic carrying case that is used for cordless drills. A repair shop in the Detroit area sells these cases for $5.00. The DeWalt case is easiest to modify. I used a utility knife to cut out the interior pieces and then glued some flat foam into the case for padding and to keep the laptop from sliding around.

[Five Fingers BIKILA]

mosquitoes like obese people, fat people love this sweat secretions with more than a relationship, compared to healthy people attract mosquitoes more than the patient.Five Fingers SPEED Female

In case holiday is also more welcome by the mosquitoes.

[Notebook Accessories]

Hi,If you don't already have a messenger bag like that, one can be obtained fairly cheaply... and it has the added bonus that if you need to just grab the laptop and go, you can pull it out of the panniers and take it with you.

[Seagate Barracuda]

I basically made a box out of an election sign, like how you cut a piece of paper into a t shape and fold it, ya dig? so anyways i had my cross-shaped piece of coroplast, then i used upholstery spray glue to attach a piece of thin foam to it.