Laptop bag reviews – Scaramanga Medium Overlander 16″

Laptop bag reviews – the best bags for working away from home

Helping you to carry all you need for a day working away from home – laptop bag reviews by busy home workers.

Scaramanga Medium Overlander Leather Satchel 16″

Design *****
The bag is made of distressed leather and attracted plenty of admiring comments on its trips out of the home office, and I expect it will look even better with use. Nice details like side pockets that close with poppers and are ideal for a mobile. The straps and buckles are all ‘proper’ ones, not the fake kind with a magnet underneath.

Capacity *****
The main compartment is 16 x 6” and holds up to a 16” laptop, still leaving lots of room for files, pad of paper, cables etc. Both the main compartment and the front pocket will swallow up A4 files without making them dog-eared. A smaller laptop will fit into the front pocket. So no problem fitting things in, the only problem might be lifting it once it’s full! You could probably use it as a joint laptop/overnight bag if a meeting is taking you away from home.

Well-made ****
The leather of the Scaramanga Medium Overlander is good, the stitching is sturdy and altogether it feels like a quality bag. Nice green canvas lining. It took me a while to notice that the strap on the front pocket is made of a different leather than the rest. Arrived well-packaged and in a dustbag.

Does your laptop feel secure? *****
My MacBook was a major investment so I’m very careful and always use a sleeve and there is masses of room for that in the main compartment. If you’re less paranoid, a 15” laptop will fit into the front pocket.
A suggestion for manufacture would be to include a padded pocket in the main compartment to slot a laptop into.

Easy to carry****
For a large bag made of leather the Scaramanga Medium Overlander isn’t as heavy as you’d expect, but you’d need to watch the weight as you pack, as it just swallows stuff effortlessly!
The wide, adjustable leather strap distributes the weight well on your shoulder and is long enough to wear across body. There is also a handle so you can carry it like a briefcase.
This size was too big for me, a short woman, to carry comfortably, but I wouldn’t need all the space. Scaramanga have a wide range of smaller bags and satchels you can fit a laptop into, and they would be a better choice for me. There is a comprehensive size guide on the website and plenty of photos of models holding the bags to help you choose the right one for you.

Price*****
The Scaramanga Medium Overlander is well-priced at £115 (plus £6.95 delivery charge to the UK, more for elsewhere) and looks more expensive. It is a much better deal than comparable bags I’ve seen in chain stores such as M&S.

Overall score 4.7 *****

Best for
This size would suit a design-conscious chap who likes to carry plenty of gear but not look like a geek. I might well be tempted by one of the smaller Scaramanga bags when I buy a lighter laptop (such as the Small Wide Leather Satchel).

Thank you to Scaramanga for supplying us with a Scaramanga Medium Overlander bag for our laptop bag reviews.

Buy a Scaramanga Medium Overlander