Mike Wendland: Design a Laptop Bag for the Commuter You Love

Mike Wendland Design a Laptop Bag for the Commuter You Love
Remember when we carried briefcase bags?

Then we toted our new laptops around in computer bags.

Now, to be truly stylish as you carry that laptop and the assorted digital gadgetry that accompanies it, you need to get yourself a bicycle messenger bag -- even if you commute in an SUV instead of on a Schwinn.

The single-strap, big-flapped, brightly colored bags are hot items these days among students who use them in place of the old two-strapped, backpack-style knapsacks and business types who've dumped the stiff-handled leather attach� cases that used to be corporate chic.

The bags were first developed for couriers who plied the busy streets of London, New York and other metropolises delivering letters, contracts, architectural documents, small packages and legal papers.

The first models were made of thick canvas and vinyl coated to keep out the rain. They were basically big, flap-covered pouches that looked like modernized versions of the bags once used by newspaper delivery boys.

The bags were meant to be worn across the back with a wide strap that sat atop one shoulder and under the opposite armpit, leaving the hands free to steer the bike.

Today's models are more typically made of nylon, are waterproof, contain numerous pockets, flaps and adjustable straps, and come in bright colors, like rooster red or M