Product: Shuttle (Laptop Case)
Company: Higher Ground (Shaun Jackson Design)
Link: highergroundgear.com/ and http://www.sjdesign.com/
The ability to use your notebook computer in its carrying case is nothing new. In the past, I’ve had a chance to look at the Tekmod and Omni by Teksyl (and available at www.radtech.us), both of which accommodate using your computer in its case. These bags we’re cool, but I wasn’t in love with the idea of using your computer in its case.
I’ve been using a 15″ Shuttle from HigherGround for the last couple weeks. The Shuttle works similar to the Tekmod and Omni in that it too is built around the idea of being able to operate your computer without fully removing it from the case. I still don’t know if the “in case” design is right for me, but personal needs aside, this is a really great case.
Higher Ground describes the Shuttle as a “compact sleeve”. If you’ve ever seen a laptop sleeve before, one look at the Shuttle and that comment might seem a little perplexing. The Shuttle is certainly bulkier and any typical sleeve I’ve ever seen and definitely wouldn’t fit in a standard backpack (though its not designed for that either). The bag could more appropriately be described as a cross between a sleeve and a full fledged laptop bag. Leaving aside the semantics for a minute, sleeve or not, this bag is still great and does exactly what it’s supposed to.
The design of the bag has some great features. Not only does the Shuttle look good, but it helps keep your laptop looking good too. The inside of the Shuttle features four rubber-topped mounts (adjustable) that keep you laptop slightly elevated from the bottom of the case; beneficial for heat dissipation while using your laptop and for added support while carrying. A velcro fastened strap keeps your laptop from moving around inside the case, which had room for my MacBook Pro and a textbook (I don’t suggest lugging the case around with a heavy textbook as the tight squeeze likely adds unnecessary strain on your computer). The inside top of the case has a neatly embedded CD/DVD holder for 10 discs. This is great for holding movies, games or backup discs.
The outside of the Shuttle features a convenient pocket designed to hold papers, pens, drives, your computer plug or just about anything that will fit in it. The outside pocket it is sealed by a Velcro flap. 
One design feature that I really liked about this bag was that the pocket can be accesses/opened even further by undoing the zippers that seal the sides of the pocket. This might seem like overkill to a simple pouch in the front of a bag, but it proved to be really convenient for larger objects or even something a simple as not making too much noise by ripping open the Velcro.
For support, the frame of the bag is very well enforced and the front and back of the bag have a nice foam padding. Because the case isn’t fully hard-shelled, it won’t protect your computer if something were to hit the front or back faces of the case.
The bag can be carried in three ways. A handle, like that you would see on a briefcase, and a shoulder strap allow you to carry the bag in traditional ways. An optional backpack strap for about $10 allows you to carry the Shuttle like you would an ordinary backpack. 
My preferred method of carry was the traditional shoulder strap. The backpack straps are a nice addition but take away from the functionality of the case. Even though they take about 20 seconds to assemble and disassemble, the case is not fully operable when the straps are on as it doesn’t fully open. The straps weren’t uncomfortable, but they don’t have any padding, and weren’t particularly comfortable either. I wouldn’t recommend this addition unless you find yourself doing ALOT of walking or biking (or anything else where you might need both hands).
Overall I liked this case, but found it too much on the fence between a full out laptop bag and a sleeve. With that being said, I don’t want to take anything away from the quality of the bags build, which certainly wasn’t overlooked. I had a hard time deciding who would use this kind of bag. College/University students have too many textbooks for this case and business people need something more sophisticated. This case would be great as a second alternative bag, for use in the summer (when people don’t have tons of other things to lug around) and for high-school students.
Ranging in price from $39.95 – $49.95 (plus 9.95 for the backpack strap) the Shuttle delivers good value at the price and is definitely worth a second look.
More information can be found at higherground.com or sjdesign.com or you can call and speak to a representative at their offices at 888-662-4300.
makes using the bag much more comfortable and much more usable, while the well thought-out computer sleeve gives your notebook the added protection lacking in the bag itself.
