I’ve now had the Lanier for some time, and have really put it through its paces, so I thought it was a good moment to stop and talk a little more about this very little bag. In my first post I wrote:
And yet there’s something about a true briefcase like this — a notion that people who carry a bag which is generally more restrictive, have somehow figured something out in their life that most of us have not.
I don’t think I could state it any better than that today. This bag is small, but it is in that smallness where you find a calm with it. It is not just small, but because it only has two handles to carry it with — it demands that what you put in it not weigh too much.
Because of both the size and weight restrictions, you not only feel as though you have figured something out the rest of the world has yet to figure out — you feel like a pro. Every other bag I own (and as you can imagine, that’s fairly high number) would feel out of place in a board room, some passable, but barely. Every other bag which I might consider having a place in such a room, wouldn’t suit me. I think the Lanier walks that line.
It’s a simple and small black nylon briefcase, and yet that in itself makes a bold statement.
What it Fits
The most amazing thing about this bag, is that it fits everything I normally put in my backpack, and then some. there is actually a lot of space. It easily houses my 12.9″ iPad Pro, all my cables and extra notebooks.
It’s astounding how much it really does fit. What it won’t hold is anything not flat. It’s thin, but spacious. If you travel with anything bigger than a MacBook Air, it’s just not the bag for you. However, the more you place in it, the more “stuffed” it looks and that is a dead give away you are using the wrong bag.
Traveling with It
I took this on a work trip with me, where I only packed the Outlier Quadzip, and I put the Lanier insider the Quadzip. This worked out fantastically as I could easily slide out all my tech gear in one fell swoop when in flight. When I arrived at my destination it was a perfect bag to take into client meetings and around the town.
I had struggled so much to find a perfect bag to compliment my one bag travel lifestyle, that I had even commissioned having my own bag made, but this bag is better. It is a near perfect second bag to carry inside my main bag for travel, and excellent on site. But this would only be true for business travel, because if I had kids with me, the lack of a shoulder strap would be a deal breaker.
Organization
In my initial post about the Lanier, I remarked how the A5 organizer (which Nock sent me with the bag) was an amazing bit of kit — I still very much feel this way, but it adds considerable bulk where I don’t need it. I would kill for a couple of pen slots and small pockets inside the front pocket, for a little more built-in organization. Far from a deal breaker for me, but something which takes getting used to.
A5 Organization Pouch
Despite the bulkiness this pouch adds to the Lanier, it’s fantastic. Slim, lots of organizational pockets, and room to hold a lot of stuff. What this pouch is not good for is holding wires. Holding notebooks, notepads, and writing implements is where this pouch excels. Luckily I typically only need to carry headphones as my only wires (AirPods where you‽).
Final Thoughts
My feelings about this bag have not changed since I initially started using it. It’s a fantastic bag which demands you make a lot of compromises when you use it. However, the compromises you have to make with this bag are simply carrying less — a lot less for many of you.
For me, I like the zen this brings to my life, but will fully admit my backpacks still will be used far more than the Lanier. Even still: I would not want to be without the Lanier.