Whenever I have a work-related trip I like to take the opportunity to grab a new laptop bag. Using a new, clean bag helps me to keep my stuff well-organized, and it gives me a chance to test the bag under the most demanding of real-world circumstances. But, I must confess, every time I do this, I get nervous. Will the bag be comfortable enough to wear on my shoulder for hours on end? Will it go through the airport easily, or will I get stuck in security? What if the strap breaks, or a seam rips, or I get caught in the rain while carrying a few thousand dollars' worth of electronic gear? This year, I traveled to CES in Las Vegas, and I took with me the Booq Boa Nerve Graphite ($155 direct). I'm pleased to say that it not only held together and protected my stuff, but it also made my trip a little easier and made getting around a little bit smoother.

Design and Features
The Nerve Graphite, like the other bags in Booq's Boa lineup, features nylon construction with heavy black nylon on the outside with a nearly white herringbone nylon lining. The black nylon exterior is accented with reflective piping and strategically placed reflective strips on buckle straps and shoulder pads to provide good visibility at night while remaining sleek, stylish, and business-like during the day. It's not quite as sporty looking as the Ogio Pagoda Laptop Bag (Medium), but it's far from being stuffy. A water-repellent coating on the black ballistic nylon also means you won't have to worry about a surprise rain shower.

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The bag's shape and structure actually resembles the Booq Boa Courier quite closely, with a large top flap, a main interior compartment, and various storage pockets inside and out. The top flap is kept closed with Velcro strips and plastic buckles. This lets you either buckle the bag for a secure close, or simply fold the flop down, trusting the Velcro to hold it shut. Except in a very few circumstances, the closure seemed perfectly adequate for securing my stuff. In those other instances, such as when I had my laptop and other expensive equipment in the bag, and needed to position it sideways on one end, or cinch it up tight for carrying on a bike or similar activity, then buckling and tightening the buckle straps was perfectly effective in keeping everything closed.

Pull open the large main flap of the bag, and you'll be greeted by the nearly-white grey nylon interior. The main section of the bag has a large laptop compartment and several storage pockets. The laptop compartment is padded with a soft plush lining to prevent scratching, and is secured with a Velcro strap across the top. It's large enough to accommodate most 15-inch laptops.

Four of the storage pockets are open, with two on either side of the main compartment, and are perfectly sized for holding a charging cable, a tablet or ereader, a portable hard drive and similarly sized objects. There's also a zippered pocket, which runs the length of the main compartment. The main compartment measures 10 by 17 by 5 inches (HWD), and is more than large enough to stash larger objects, such as folders and binders, a pair of shoes, or whatever else you might want to carry.