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RE: A great wearable-carrying pack

So have you ordered it already?  Any pics of the thinkpad inside?
Although I haven't gotten as far as many with a wearable (I'm just starting
again) I have a laptop case that is designed to work with the laptop inside,
just not closed up so I need to make some holes.  I have a slim USB hub, it
was in a pcmcia format case so you could store it in a pcmcia slot when not
in use.  I removed the outer case and wrapped it with electrical tape until
I get a heatshrink tube enough to go around it, extened the usb cord so it
reaches the laptop and stays in a cd rom pocket.  My bag has two other
pockets for drives, batteries, pda's, whatevr.  My plan is to add in an
extra battery in one of the pockets and run a cord from it through the hinge
to the laptop.  I think you may be able to do a front carrier with a laptop
sleeve by cutting holes and sewing the edges.
Eugene

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Barr [mailto:]
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 10:50 PM
To: 
Subject: A great wearable-carrying pack

I did a lot of thinking about what sort of pack I would need for
my wearable.  It had to be washable.  It had to allow carrying
a ThinkPad.  It had to hold all the peripherals and allow them
to be plugged in.  It had to allow use while sitting, standing,
walking, climbing stairs, etc.  It had to let the ThinkPad
vent.  Etc.

I searched and searched and finally found something which looked
like it would meet my needs.  It wasn't in stock in any store
I could find.  I felt really stupid ordering it unseen, though.
What was I going to tell the clerk if I had to return it?  I
mean, its a front facing baby carrier.  "I like it, but I
couldn't plug all my USB devices into the, er, baby..."

Fortunately it looks like a great decision.  The computer sits
up front, so you can sit down or stand up.  There's a 'handwarmer'
pouch in front which works great for cable management (run them
through it and/or stuff excess cable into it).  It also has
room left over for a USB hub and the like.  There are plenty of
straps and velcro to attach things to.  I clipped the volume
control for the headset onto a strap, and can stick the velcro
Twiddler2 strap onto some velcro to hang it there.  It is
washable.  The cutouts for the baby's legs and the top of
the baby in my case let all the ports and vents I'm interested
in be clear without any cutting of the carrier.  I'm really
suprised to find I can use it without doing anything other
than adjusting the straps.

I was lucky in that the T40p fit in such a way that the VGA
connector came out one leg opening, and the USB, heat vent,
and PC Card slots come out the top.  Maybe I'll need a heat
shield until Fall, after which it becomes a face warmer. :-)

The entire front is removable from the back; it uses 4 plastic
'backpack' clips.  In theory you could replace the front with
a custom-made carrier of your own design.  Or you could slide
an additional bag (such as a laptop protection sleeve) into the
place where the baby goes for more protection.

Kelty Kangaroo Baby Carrier
http://www.epinions.com/kifm-B-BEquip-Carriers-Soft_Carriers-Kelty_Kangaroo_
Soft_Carrier
http://www.kelty.com/Kelty/index.cfm?fuseaction=Kids.Home

Pros:
Washable
Allows you to sit down and stand up while wearing weable
Lots of pockets, straps, velcro
Existing openings at (possibly) convenient locations
Makes carrying wearable computer weight easy

Cons:
Costs money
Without adding padding, two corners of ThinkPad exposed.
May cause even more jokes from coworkers than wearable itself

Perhaps the best compliment I can give it is that after a few
minutes adjusting the straps, I started trying to arrange all
the peripherals in the carrier, while I was wearing it with
the ThinkPad inside.  At some point I just forgot about the
weight; it was quite comfortable.

Steve
--
http://www.stevebarr.com

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