Either way, it’s a very well made case, but I have some issues with it:

1) Velcro sucks. It doesn’t hold well when you have stuff in it, and it sticks to other parts of the case like the shoulder strap. I would much prefer one snap buckle with a slightly adjustable strap like they have on some of the other small messenger bags/satchels.

2) The shoulder strap is nice, but why doesn’t it have the clips on the end so that it doesn’t constantly get tangled up and twisted 20 times. Pain in the ass. Also the material on the underside of the shoulder pad is a lint magnet and doesn’t let go of it.

3) Why have pockets if you can’t put anything in them? Many of the pockets on this bag are nice and convenient, but WAY too tight to actually put anything in them if you actually want to get them out at some point.

There is a handle as Jeff mentions, and it works, and it seems to work OK. The bag is so light that I think it would work well all around.

I was skeptical about the weird colors this thing comes in … but I can live with what is basically black with a fluorescent orange interior. I am not crazy about it, but I can live with it.

My one criticism right away is that the outer flap seems a bit large and kind of gets in the way when you have it slung over your shoulder and want to open or manipulate the insides of the bag. It could be 2 inches or so shorter without a problem. I use the outer flap to carry my wallet in. I can fit my cellphone, camera, voicerecorder, wallet and still have room inside for other stuff. I don’t want to stuff it full or stuff … it is not a purse, it just relieves my pockets of stuff and acts like a big pocket for my new iPad.

I love the velcro, I wish the whole bag was velcro. I really do not like zippers. Zippers are a pain in many ways, and also need big protectors because they can scratch devices. This should be a totally soft, velcro only deal in my opinion, but I still like it of course.

The inside pockets are very handy, also small, so don’t expect something that is not small and think to fit into most of them.

The strap is sewn on at one end and velcroed at the other end. I think the idea is that you can unconnect it and stuff it in the the little side pockets when you are not using it. I find I can expand the strap all the way out and that way I can manage the bad standing or sitting.

I know this is all about padding and protecting the iPad … but I would have liked there to be a little less padding and the bag to be slightly less bulky. With the bag hanging off my shoulder using the strap, the thing is just a slight bit too big. It would be cool if they could make it slightly curved so it would hug the body more and move less. The internal pocket there the iPad lives is really much larger than the iPad – perhaps for other devices that are not as small as the ipad.

I really like the vertical shape and design. It seems more stable and easier to carry and manage. I think this is money well spent and expect to be very happy with this bag, even as much as it cost, it’s fantastic and nicer than anything else I saw.

“• 1 flat handle on back for quickly picking up and moving the bag”

They don’t show a picture of it on the Booq website, but it seemingly is the same as this picture of the same handle design on the Taipan Shadow S:

http://www.booqbags.com/c.579293/site/TSD-BLK/TSD-BLK9l.jpg

Still not as good as a regular handle in my mind, but it might work. Any chance you could take a second look to check this handle out?