The Muzetto bag is a little too pricey, but the WaterField Design product seems more reasonable for purchase. Are you getting the iPad Travel Express bag as a gift from your children?
I'm considering one between the iPad Travel Express and the SGP Dressen messenger bag. Thank you for your input! Much appreciated.
The Muzetto from Waterfield Design exceeds my budget as well, but it's a beautiful bag, especially if you carry nothing else.
The problem I have to deal with is a bit different. When I travel I have to take both a 15" laptop and my iPad 2. (I need the laptop for work, but in today's sardine can airline seats I can't get it open if the a*****e in front of me insists on cranking his seat back into my lap. I don't trust the airlines with my laptop in checked luggage so I have to carry on both the laptop and the iPad.) But once I'm on site at a client site I can often carry just the iPad to meetings.
So, bottom line is that I have to have a case that will accommodate both a laptop and the iPad and a case for the iPad, alone.
I have a Waterfield Design "Cargo" bag that I use for the laptop (and gobs of other stuff including its huge power brick.) It wears like iron and still looks good after almost five years. However, it won't hold both the laptop and the Timbuk2 iPad case. So I need a case for the iPad that can either work alone or be fitted into the Cargo bag along with the laptop. The Waterfield Design Travel Express meets that requirement.
Looking at the SGP Dresden Messenger bag, I'd have a couple of (personal) concerns. First, they don't provide dimensions on their website but it appears to be about the same size as my Timbuk2 bag, so it wouldn't work for me.
More importantly, it appears that the strap attachment may be a weak point on the SGP Dresden. I know from experience that it's better to have the strap attached to the sides of the bag instead of the top. Less weight/stress on the attachment points when the weight doesn't pull "up" on material that holds the strap ring attachment. The Waterfield Design bags all attach to the sides rather than the "top" of the bag as you carry it for that reason. And they're quadruple stitched. They simply don't come loose.
I'm also a big fan of Waterfield's straps; they support the bag well and stay on your shoulder comfortably. Can't tell if the SGP Dresden is as good on that score, but the strap shown on the SGP website (from what I can see) looks a bit less "robust."
Another difference appears to be that the Waterfield Travel Express opens only on two sides while the SGP bag opens completely with a zipper that opens three sides. In my experience, the shorter the zipper, the better. A bit less convenient, but less likely to "catch" and be subject to damage. I have a lot of faith in the Waterfield zippers. They're industrial strength. Not sure about the SGP Dresden. And like the strap, if the zipper fails, the bag is worthless. The SGP "two zipper" design just doubles the risk of failure, imo.
To be fair, though, the SGP opens completely and lies flat. Some may find that to be a better design. Personally, I prefer the Waterfield Design approach with less risk of losing stuff with an accidentally open zipper, but I'm an absent-minded klutz. YMMV.
Finally, the Waterfield bag is made in San Francisco; the SGP is "designed in California and manufactured in China. I'm not a nationalist about products. I have many Chinese made products (including the iPad). But if I can support a company that employs folks living in SF, I try to do so. And I know from experience that Waterfield Design's quality control and customer service are top notch. If you check, I think you'll find that complaints about their products are very few and far between.
Apologies for the lengthy post but some of the features of products like these are subtle. I don't have any personal experience with SGP products and can make judgments only on the basis of their website. They may well sell a very good product. But the absence of critical information (like the size of the bag and its construction details) doesn't impress me.
Finally, to answer your question, yes, my six year old is giving me the Travel Express bag for Father's Day (with some guidance and financial backing from her mom.)
