Laptop Bag Organizer

I'm not terribly thrilled with my laptop bag. Or the one I had before it. Or the dozen or so other ones that I've tried for varying links of time. Why, you may ask? Because I just can't be happy with anything. Well, at least that's what my friends tell me. And my mom.

But, that aside, the latest reason I've come up with why I don't care for any of the myriad bags currently decorating my office is because they don't have the enough pockets, or at least right kind of pockets that I want. So, all my junk ends up floating around in one big pocket. While the opportunities for my flash memory to make friends with a book of stamps or a spare contact lens are not lost on me (socialization is important, you know, especially for Sony products), I'd prefer a bit more control than that. And yes, I was one of those kids who didn't want any of the different foods on my plate to touch, to answer your question.

So, I decided to take the problem into my nimble, attractive hands (I'm a hand model, you know) and find a solution. That is, a solution other than buying more bags, each of them a vain struggle for laptop toting nirvana. (You know as well as I that I'll find some "serious" "flaw" with the bag about a month into use and decide I need a new one.) I decided that I needed an insert for my existing bag, which would help me lasso up all of those wily cables, adapters, Zapruder tape fragments and so forth and keep them in some kind of order so I wouldn't erupt into fits of blind rage every time I open a pocket. Plus, it would be nice if I could reconfigure it on a whim, since I'm just a whimful person like that.

And that's what I made: an insert for my laptop bag to organize my junk, and that I can rearrange when I get the urge to do so next week. It's modular, like some homes.

Step 1: Obtain materials

OK, so here's what you'll need:

A binder, one with a sturdy cover - this will for the base of our organizer. I got a reasonably sturdy one at the store just a bit ago for $0.75 since we're in the middle of a "back to school" bonanza. You'll probably want one made of a stiff backing, covered in vinyl.

A box of Velcro - Be sure to get the kind with an adhesive back so you can just put it right on the binder without any additional work. I wanted broad swaths of velcro so it wouldn't take a whole lot of effort to cover a large area, so that's what I picked up. This box cost about $5.00. I picked the kind that said "heavy duty" because:

1. It said heavy duty.   2. That must mean it's better.

A Fishing Jacket! -This is my favorite part of the project. I tried to think of something that had lots of smallish pockets that I could use as a basis for the organizer, and this sprung to mind. In addition to being convenient, this will also give you street cred in Montana.

Black Dye - The fishing jacket is tan, but the velcro and the binder are black. This cannot stand. I bought some black dye to remedy the situation.

Comments

[Terranan]

this was the first thing i thought of when i read your 'ible

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOLLE

lol, if the military uses this system, too, it must work!

[CybergothiChe]

What about this...? a laptop bag style vest, like the fishing vest that you used to make this bag, well what about a tactical vest like that or something similar, possibly with more support and/or padding, and have one large pocket on the back for your laptop, with the many pockets on and around you, you have all your other things, then you could have the laptop turned on in your large back pocket, in your back, and have it plugged in to either a small tablet screen or, like, some sort of computer screen projection glasses, where you can see the screen on the inside of the glasses, you know, or even into a screen that is harnessed onto you, so you can display things, like videos and stuff, and then you have a keyboard on your wrist, and a trackball too. I think the picture is pretty self explanatory. Enjoy!

[ybunnygurl]

Your lap top bag vest illustration makes me think of a cyborg from cruddy early 90's movie, and a great Halloween costume. :)

[Shadow13!]

The US Military is doing field test with a similar system. It does not have a full computer but a system that is used for silent and vocal communication: maps and location of team members, enemy combatants, as well as objectives.

[Skai]

you were able to cut out the pockets without cutting the seams?

[wilwrk4tls]

 I had an idea for a very similar organizer, but you provided me with the missing link with the fishing vest- awesome!  No more unwanted and unplanned socialization- sweet!!!

[TheAmazingQuackinator]

where did you buy that fishing jacket?

[jdhorne]

Strangely enough, I got it at Wal-Mart.

[TheAmazingQuackinator]

interesting... iLL have 2 go look over there...

[aylizxtuba]

ben bunun kadar profosyonel olmasada bunu bir benzerini diktim bloğuma ekledim

http://sevimlihayat.blogspot.com/

sizinki çok daha güzel görünüyor

[hard2eradicate]

I couldn't find a fishing jacket, so I bought two pairs of children's cargo pants ($2.50 each at Goodwill)... got plenty of pockets! I also attached some Velcro to my key chain, so I can stick that on as well. Thanks for such a great idea!

[hammer9876]

Much cooler than actually wearing the fishing vest. (It is above 80 degrees here and it's February! Talk about global warming!)

[Nettiemac]

I love this whole idea. Gonna steal it, and use it to make my travelling crafting kit - better than a backpack I think.

[tnsred]

The fishing vest was pure genius. When I first glanced at this I thought that there was an AWFUL lot of tricky sewing involved, but all the pockets were pre-made! Love it.

[denilsonsa]

Great! /me looks around... and sees an old pair of jeans pants... that can make some nice pockets... Anyway, I would like to see more "overview" photos of the entire laptop bag. I would like to see it from all sides to have a better idea about the final product. I would like also to know how you carry it. Do you put this "bag of pockets" inside a backpack? And sorry if I missed something, but how do you attach the velcro-ed binder to the laptop bag? Or you didn't?

[jdhorne]

That's right, I just slip it inside my backpack, so it's not attached to the backpack at all. Basically, it's just a rigid insert that has a bunch of pockets on it to hold all kinds of stuff. It's not attached to the backpack at all. It works great, even after all this time!

[Grey_Wolfe]

Hmmmmm...
Fishing Vest
Velcro
+ Belt

---

BATMAN

Muah hah haha ha, cough, hack, die.

Sorry, random creative idea. Utility Belt for hiking or backpacking. Thanks for the ideas, nice instructible, btw.

[Grey_Wolfe]

I love the sheep. The 'fuzzy' pocket would be a fitting home for him.

[recycledthoughts]

haha i use the same contacts i'm gonna ask my grandpa for his vest. or my dad for some fanny packs.

[ahead]

Another good use of velcro. Sweet.

[unknownuser2007]

Very clever, great Instructable! I did something very similar by repurposing an old gym bag but yours is so much more ingenious. A fishing vest! Why oh why didn't I think of that? I bow to your superior creativity...I hate you. : - )

[msthursday]

It's a great idea and you have a fantastic writing style. I laughed through the whole thing. Thanks for sharing.

[jdhorne]

Thanks bunches. :-)

[joonatan15]

Awesome idea. Gotta go fish me a vest from goodwill next week...

[i.am.mozman]

I've got velcro on the lid of my laptop and on all of my accessories directly (external HD, wireless mouse receiver, USB hub, etc.). That way I can still use them on the plane and when I have to shift between conference rooms I don't spend 20 minutes packing up. With this I could just stick them to the board at the end of the day... Or even just leave them on the board and plug the board in... OK, this could be too entertaining.

[radiorental]

fishing vest - genius

I can finally finish my laptop bag [sobs with happiness]

thanks

http://www.instructables.com/id/ESGWPYSTI0EP286BN4/?ALLSTEPS

[benjamenjohnson]

Poor fishing vest never had a chance. Maybe you could cover a shirt in velcro and put the pockets on it. A reconfigureable fishing vest. This is a great idea, but I would use sew on velcro for the pockets. I haven't had much luck sticking velco to fabric.

[jdhorne]

I hear you about the velcro on the fabric. So far, it's holding up pretty well. I'll attribute that to my splurging on the "heavy duty" velcro. But yeah, if it starts to peel off the back of the pockets, I see a sewing machine in my future.

[kerns]

To use that patch of faux sheepskin.. perhaps use a seamripper to detach it, then use Velcro to re-attach it and have it available as a screen dust cleaner? Or - is that what your portasheep is for?

[jeffroward]

is that a portable micro-sheep in the top right corner? could prove to be very handy.

[mtxe]

very handy