Smart Alec

I've been surprised at how large and at the same time compact the Smart Alec is. What I mean by that is that it is able to hold more than I think it can, and at the same time, it feels less heavy on my back given the load. The bungee cord is great for when I have a small load and need to make the backpack smaller, or when the backpack is full to use the cord to hold my jacket.

At various times, this is what I was able to fit in it:

For a trip:
Macbook
Freudian slip (vertical) - love the organization!
cords
paperback novel
digital camera
knitting project
wallet
passport
cosmetic case
water bottle
umbrella
first aid kit

For a commute:
TWO Macbooks in neoprene sleeves plus cords for both
wallet
keys/whistle/flashlight
pocket moleskine
cosmetic bag
pocket moleskine
large moleskine
cosmetic bag

For filing my dissertation:
two reams of paper
wallet
keys
camera
(there was still room at the top for a light sweater)

In this thread, post a list or pictures of What You Carry in your Smart Alec. We will add your packing list to the Smart Alec page to help give other people a better idea of what the bag can hold.

i used the smart alec as my personal item on a recent vacation, and this is what went into it:

iPhone
iPod & headphones
charger & adaptor
physical therapy resistance tube
passport
wallet/pouch with ID, credit card, cash
lip balm & tinted lip balm
gum
notebook & pen
luna bars/builder bar/fruit leather
VegNews stack (bunch of magazines)
3 books
scarf/sarong
glasses
sunglasses
liquid/gel toiletries (in 1-qt. ziploc bag)

... we also used it when we did a few excursions during our trip, and we usually packed it with things like:

2 beach towels
2 swimsuits
sunblock
2 pr. sunglasses
guide book
snacks
water
2 iPhones
2 passports
1 pouch (my "wallet" with ID, lip balm, etc.)

now that we're home, i use it for my "going to campus" bag, so it's being used more traditionally:

15" macbook pro (in brain cell)
1 liter sigg bottle
1 book
2-3 journals
my lunch
wallet
iPhone
pouch with lip balm, gum, flash drive, etc.
and *plenty* of room to spare!

Will I be able to fit a 17" MBP in a brain cell into this bag?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eVolcre

Will I be able to fit a 17" MBP in a brain cell into this bag?

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Yes! The Size 1 Vertical Brain Cell (a perfect fit for your 17" MBP) will clip securely inside of the Smart Alec.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darcy

Yes! The Size 1 Vertical Brain Cell (a perfect fit for your 17" MBP) will clip securely inside of the Smart Alec.

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Cool. Thanks! Now I need to figure out what to do with my Empire Builder and HORIZONTAL brain cell.

Just out of curiosity, if I turn the horizontal and prop it in there vertically, would it give me any protection at all?

Kris

the wait for my Smart Alex (ordered a month ago!) is killing me. The backorder just got pushed back to LATE July. ughhhh *complain complain complain*

Quote:

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Originally Posted by leviathan

the wait for my Smart Alex (ordered a month ago!) is killing me. The backorder just got pushed back to LATE July. ughhhh *complain complain complain*

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I'm sorry about the further delay. A combination of things - mostly that we're waiting to receive materials needed to make the Smart Alec and those won't be in until the first week of July - led to the delay. We're doing everything we can!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by eVolcre

Just out of curiosity, if I turn the horizontal and prop it in there vertically, would it give me any protection at all?

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Yes, for sure. Just not the same level of protection you'd get if you used the Brain Cell in its proper format. Also, it will be somewhat of a pain to remove your laptop from the bag that way.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darcy

I'm sorry about the further delay. A combination of things - mostly that we're waiting to receive materials needed to make the Smart Alec and those won't be in until the first week of July - led to the delay. We're doing everything we can!

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I know you are, no worries, Darcy. I'm not complaining about you all. Just the wait.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by leviathan

I know you are, no worries, Darcy. I'm not complaining about you all. Just the wait.

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I completely understand! We don't like these waits either, and we are trying to come up with some solutions.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darcy

I completely understand! We don't like these waits either, and we are trying to come up with some solutions.

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Any idea how soon these are shipping?

I finally got to test the full extent and ability of my new Black/Steel/Solar Smart Alec this past weekend. I was asked to head out on a last minute adventure selling merch for pop-rock band Switchfoot. I was out for 3 1/2 days including stops in Atlantic City, NJ, New York, NY, and Hampton Beach, NH. I traveled by bus, train, plane, and car. And I lived out of one backpack for the duration of the trip. Which is saying a lot for me. I'm a heavy packer. Here's my list:

- Smart Alec backpack
- 13" Macbook
- 13" Incase neoprene Macbook sleeve
- Macbook charger
- Toshiba 320 GB external passport hard drive
- USB cable
- iPhone charger cable
- Canon Rebel XT with a Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 wide angle lens attached
- USB transfer cable (for the camera)
- 2 lithium-ion batteries (for the camera)
- screen cleaning cloth

- 2 t-shirts
- 2 button up plaid shirts
- 1 pair of shorts
- 3 pairs of boxer briefs
- 5 pairs of ankle socks
- 1 zip up hoodie
- 1 "cab driver's" hat
- 1 necklace
- 1 pair of sunglasses w/ case
- wallet
- emergency money in another pocket ($5 and whatever change I accumulate)

- 3 magazines (latest issues of Wired, Popular Photography, and Maxim)
- pens and a sharpie
- house keys
- safety kit (a ziplock bag containing: bandaids, advil, claritin, neosporin)
- shower supplies (another ziplock bag with travel size soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and my toothbrush)
- hair straightener (kept in the water bottle pocket (boys have unruly hair too))
- earplugs and case
- poncho (which I used yesterday in NH as the tropical storm was hitting the coast)

All that and I STILL had a little room to spare at the top. Plus I had the set of clothes i was wearing at any given time including another shirt, another pair of socks, boxer briefs, and a pair of jeans and a belt. I considered myself traveling light. I didn't leave or forget anything behind and I felt like I was fully prepared for everything that could have come my way.

Thank's for an awesome bag. Can't wait for the camera insert. I nestled my baby Rebel in a cushion made out of all of my clothes I packed. haha

Leviathan: good lord..that is quite a bit to pack into that bag!!! Did you use a cube of any sort to put your clothes in? I have been looking at the Smart Alec for a while--mostly, I am tempted cos the zippers are inward, and is much less theft prone than a standard backpack especially on mass transit. I am impressed that the Canon went in with the lens along with the Mac.
A question about the Mac in the neoprene case: was that adequate padding for what you were doing? and how easy was it to retrieve in and out for security?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shiva

Leviathan: good lord..that is quite a bit to pack into that bag!!! Did you use a cube of any sort to put your clothes in? I have been looking at the Smart Alec for a while--mostly, I am tempted cos the zippers are inward, and is much less theft prone than a standard backpack especially on mass transit. I am impressed that the Canon went in with the lens along with the Mac.
A question about the Mac in the neoprene case: was that adequate padding for what you were doing? and how easy was it to retrieve in and out for security?

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No cubes of any sort. Just careful folding. Dirty clothes went in a grocery bag at the bottom, fresh clothes closer to the top. And I surrounded my camera with various pieces of clothing for transport. The bag is huge. Way bigger than I expected it to be.

My last backpack, bought at Target, had a dedicated "laptop pocket" closest to your back. It was a slim pocket and my computer and sleeve just slid right in. My only qualm with the neoprene case right now is that if my bag isn't stuffed it slides around. I can't afford a Brain Cell just yet, so I'll have to deal. Access to it was pretty easy. I used the magazines I took along for the trip as a barrier between the computer and the clothes. So even when I took the computer out of the bag, my pack still maintained it's basic shape.