Product review – Proporta gadget bag (aka the best gadget bag in the world)

On an average trip, I carry along an obscene amount of stuff. Here are the contents of my current gadget bag:

From top left to bottom right:

• Buffalo Hi-gain WiFi adapter (usb)
• Magicjack phone adapter
• Expresscard USB adapter (for moving a broadband card closer to a window)
• Various prepaid/postpaid SIM cards (27 of them)
• 2 USB drives with recovery software and other applications (4Gb and 2Gb)
• MoGo mouse x54pro
• Retractable USB cable for battery pack
• 4Gb SD card and 8Gb MicroSD card/adapter
• 30mW green laser pointer
• Mini-USB cable
• Ethernet cable
• 8 LED flashlight
• Plantronics Voyager 855 stereo Bluetooth headphones
• Jawbone Bluetooth headset
• Proporta USB mobile battery pack with charging tips
• 160Gb iPod classic (only 3Gb free space)
• Canon SD850IS + charger and spare battery (EyeFi WiFi card inside)
• Retractable Nintendo USB charger
• Microsoft Bluetooth Presenter Mouse 8000
• Blackberry 8800
• iPhone (8Gb)
• Sprint Mogul
• iGo charging adapters (24 different tips)
• Microsoft 2MP notebook webcam
• iGo AC cable
• iGo DC/AIR cable
• Mini USB cable/USB extension cable
• iGo Dualpower splitter
• iGo power brick

Be prepared for the amazing transformation…

I didn’t leave out a single thing. Everything in that first photo is now neatly packed away inside this gadget bag. It even closes without having to sit on it (unlike some of my suitcases). I may sound like a bit of a nutjob, but I’ve been searching for a decent gadget bag for quite some time. Up till now I carried everything around in 2 cheap Targus pouches, and kept things "neat" with ziplock bags and rubber bands.

At just 10.6" x 8.7" x 2.8" it is bound to fit any carry-on bag and even if you don’t carry as much stuff as I do, you’ll have at least one mobile phone, various chargers, some headphones and possibly an iPod.

The Proporta gadget bag consists of 2 smaller bags, one large bag (and a fourth inside the largest to hold small things like power tips and memory cards). I’ve split them up into: Phones/headsets, camera/iPod  and power/cables/network. The bags attach to each other with sturdy zippers. The large bag is roomy enough for a portable DVD player, or even an Asus EEE PC!

If I need easier access to my phone(s), I can simply unzip the "phone" pouch and leave the others in my bag. Or when I get on a plane, I can unzip the "iPod" pouch and pop it in the seatback pocket, leaving the others in my bag. Each of the pouches has a cord hole so you can leave the device in the bag and still use it, which is great for your mp3 player.

The bag is made very of sturdy nylon with a thick layer of padding to keep your stuff safe. Inside the large bag you’ll also find an elastic strap to hold the Proporta USB mobile device charger (more on that in a different review). The bag also comes with a shoulder strap.

I wasn’t kidding when I said that this the best gadget bag I’ve ever seen; it’s a tough challenge to hold all the stuff I carry with me, and an even tougher challenge to do that with an affordable and well designed product. This is just one of those products that everyone who cherishes their gadgets should consider.

The Proporta Gadget Bag costs $47.95 and can be purchased directly from the Proporta web site. They’ll even throw in a free bag of English breakfast tea (really!).

Next up: The Proporta Mobile USB Device Charger.