On November 17th I woke up, rubbed the fatigue from my eyes, and started my day fully expecting UPS to deliver my shiny new copy of Left 4 Dead 2 and nothing else. To my surprise, the lovely folks at be.ez had also taken the liberty of sending over one of their new LE series commuter MacBook bags, thus doubling the quantity of items I received from the brown-pant delivery man. A day of UPS delivery joy became even more joyful, and now we’re here with this review of the product.

The LE Rush 13 is designed specifically to house 13” MacBook model laptops. Lagoon Dream is the color of the particular unit I was sent, as the bag also comes in Black Coffee and Lime Park flavors. Protecting our computers is an important part of ownership, especially when you’ve shelled out as much cash as it takes to pick up Apple gear. Bags like this are an essential part of life for laptop owners who take their hardware with them. Without any further introduction, let’s take a look.

The bag arrived to me in a plastic bag, so no special packaging here.

Again, I got the Lagoon Dream bag, which is a gray exterior and turquoise interior. It’s a nice pairing of colors.

The outer shell is made of “ballistic nylon” that I just dare you to try and tear. It’s a very tough material that gives this bag a ton of durability.

The front of the bag has a pocket that opens up with two very strong velcro pads. It uses heavy duty velcro – the kind that makes a real intense tearing noise when you open it, letting you know it’s well connected when shut.

The front pocket isn’t huge, but is big enough to carry accessories, gadgets, CDs, your computer’s power cord, and things like that. Inside is another zipper pocket along the back wall. This struck me as a good place for pens, flash drives, and the like. Inside that inner pocket are more pockets yet, as there are two vertical flap pockets along its back wall. If you actually have all these pockets within pockets filled with stuff, the overall front pocket gets pretty cramped.

Both the front and back of the bag have vertical nylon reinforcement straps that help hold the bag together. They’re basically car seatbelts and look extremely strong.

Because of the vertical straps, the pockets on the back aren’t super useful. They are another place suitable for thumb drives, pens, pencils, but little else. They are easily ignored and I personally have no use for them.

The inner pocket is padded with tough but gentle material. Like the rest of the bag, the colored interior is nylon that won’t scratch or damage your computer. There are also three more pockets inside – one big flap pocket against the back of the case, and two more vertical pouch pockets along the front. Inside is also the strap, which can be removed and attached to the outside for shoulder carrying.

The edge of the commuter bag is lined with hi-density padding for protecting the edges of the computer. I see a lot of bags without something like this, so it’s definitely a plus. There are also additional silicon reinforcements in the corners, absorbing shock when you take the bag off your shoulder and lay it down. Though it’s a nylon bag, if you try and crush in the corners with your hands, you can’t do it.

There are two nicely crimped hand carry straps on the top for those who don’t like shoulder straps.

Specifications:

LE rush 13
Your daily commuter bag for MacBook 13″

LE rush is the perfect gear to carry along your laptop, documents and accessories through a typical busy day. The LE rush Black coffee/Lime park/ Lagoon dream color choices are going to refresh the moments accented with a sweet hint of playful color.

The exclusive, classic looking LE rush has a functional pocket design, hand carry and an optional shoulder strap. All built with hi-quality durable nylon fabric, the efficient design brings great comfort and convenience for a carefree use.  With 3 color choices and 2 custom-fit designs for the MacBook Pro 13 or 15, featuring high-density padding for the ultimate protection of your computer during transit. All theses customs features make LE rush, a “be easy” bag for your mobile Life.

Hi-quality 1682D ballistic nylon enveloppe
Hi-Grade nylon belt handles and shoulder strap
Hidden silicon pads for additional laptop protection
Lightweight: 730g
Custom-Fit Apple MacBook Pro 13

Outer Dimensions:
37 x 28 x 8 cm

Custom-Fit Apple MacBook (Pro) 13

Attaching the shoulder strap is simple – it’s just your standard clips that go on the loops attached to the bag’s sides. One thing to note is the apparent high-quality construction in these clips. They appear to be very sturdy metal hooks and clasps, so I wouldn’t worry about these things cracking off too easily or becoming damaged. They look quite heavy duty. The zipper pulls on the bag follow suit and also don’t appear too easy to bust.

The computer fits into the bag real nicely. The fit is snug without being pressured. You can tell the bag was designed for the machine, as it’s just the right fit to protect it without being too tight – you won’t have to stick a shoe horn in there to pry the laptop out. Easy in, easy out, with just the right amount of air space.

The bag has a very slim profile that is retained once a computer is added.

While it’s good that the front pocket’s velcro closes so tightly, it also makes it a two-handed operation to open. Since this pocket is this bag’s “easy access” point, it’s not as easy as some might like. The back pockets are easier to access, but there’s only a limited number of things you can keep in them.

The bag is very lightweight, coming in at only 1.6 lbs. without a computer inside. Adding the 5-ish pound MacBook and its cord keeps the total weight under 7 lbs., so you won’t be visiting the chiropractor as a result of hauling around this bag.

There isn’t really a specific place for your MacBook’s power cord on this bag. It doesn’t fit at all into the pockets on the rear.

It does fit down in the front pocket or the interior pocket, especially if you disconnect the two halves and store them separately. They fit in there just fine. However, since there is no pocket truly designed for this object, they fill up most of these pockets and you’ll be hard pressed to fit much else in them. They waste space and just aren’t all that cozy.

I’ve already said this bag isn’t designed with the intent to carry everything you own. But I’d imagine most people carry their cord with them, and making space for it should be obvious. To me, the cord is just a part of the machine that needs encased, and additional pockets should be designed onto the unit after the machine and cord are considered. For a bag built to house a specific model computer, I would have liked to see more attention paid to this regard. The MacBook’s power adapter is somewhat bulky, so something designed specifically to suit would have been nice.

I do wonder how the interior foam will hold up over time. While the sides and corners feel real tough, the front and back padding looks as if it has the potential to thin out with wear.

Conclusion:

The LE Rush Lagoon Dream commuter bag isn’t the most fancy looking bag you can possibly throw over your shoulder, but it’s still quite appealing for a nylon unit. I appreciate its solid construction and dedication to keeping my MacBook protected, which is its ultimate purpose. There aren’t dozens of compartments and nooks to store everything you own, but it gives you enough storage space for a safety-focused bag.

It has the versatility of being a hand-carry or over-the-shoulder bag and works as a pick-up-and-go method of protecting your machine on the move. It would be a good airport bag, since you’re not able to carry all sorts of contraptions with you anyway. Despite a few flaws in design and personal qualms, it’s a pretty good bag for toting around your precious Mac laptop.

Pros:
+Well padded
+Strong zipper pulls and strap clasps
+Durable overall construction

Cons:
-Not beautiful
-Some fairly useless pockets
-No good place for a power cord

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance