If your commute feels like a John Carpenter movie, or you just like to frequent sketchy places with your laptop, the Pacsafe MeshSafe M100 ($99.95) is the bag for you. It's a security-conscious messenger bag with an internal stainless-steel mesh webbing and an external padlock to lock it to a stationary object.

Pacsafe claims that both the bag and the strap are slashproof, and the locking zippers are tamperproof (though I did not test this claim with my personal belongings). Some nice added features are a removable padded laptop sleeve, a top handle in addition to the shoulder strap, and two padded gadget pockets.

There are two things I like about this bag, after some basic usability testing. The first is that all the reinforcement and safety features do not add much weight to the bag; it still feels relatively light. Second, the bag comes in a variety of colors, and the fashion sense is contemporary. Those stodgy black-leather or nylon laptop bags most office gnomes carry say to everyone on the street, "I have an expensive laptop and I'm probably from out of town. Won't you please rob me?"

Pacsafe also makes the MeshSafe in a larger model, the M200, for bigger notebooks. And the company recently introduced the InnerSafe 19L ($99.95), a bag insert with the same steel wire mesh and lock.