Chico, Sustainable

A friend of mine sold me his 13" x 9" laptop over the summer, sans a carrying case. Knowing that I would likely drop it someday, use it for a dinner plate, or otherwise abuse it, I went on a quest to find an appropriate vessel for my machine.

A recent errand-run took me out toward Circuit City and Office Depot. Both were out of the right sized case. Disheartened, but not completed discouraged, I remembered that I was an Gen-X’er, and started surfing the web. I began with the online Apple Store. I found a nice case with side pockets, shoulder strap, and water proof, coffee proof, and bulletproof petroleum-based padding was $49.95, made in some faraway country but shipped to my doorstep in 24 hours. But I didn’t like the color.

I also wondered, in this world of hybrid cars, grass-fed beef, and fair-trade hemp hacky-sacks, if I couldn’t find a more local, environmentally-friendly option for my laptop.

So more surfing turned up Timbuk2, a San Francisco-based company that seemed pretty hip, but their cases were made of nylon for $35. I knew I could do better. Then I found cases made from recycled carpet, recycled tires, and even recycled cardboard. The carpet one cost $30, the tire $90 (or $165 for a higher-end model made from tractor tires), and the cardboard one (which looks like a glorified pizza box) is not readily available for sale.

Reassessing my needs, I realized what I really wanted was something simple and inexpensive that would protect my laptop from scratching when taking it in and out of my backpack. Here is my $2 solution, purchased from the Thrifty Bargain Store on the Esplanade:

When I get tired of the cloth and want to upgrade to something more classy, I might try to make my own out of a cardboard boxes and duct tape, using the online instructions provided here.