HOWTO put a laptop in rope-bondage for a bag-less messenger bag

Here's a quick video showing how to tie up your laptop (or other boxlike object) such that you can wear it like a messenger bag; it'd be cool to be the guy at the meeting who shows up at a meeting with a coil of rope around his shoulder so that you can go hands-free when it's over.

How to Make a Wearable Harness for a Box-like Object out of Rope (Thanks, SumitSumit, via Submitterator)

• [MadRat]

  Very nice, it’s useful and has no complex knots. The only thing I’d say is you can wrap the rope around the line on the back for extra security, that’s how it used to be done for packages before there were grocery bags.

• [bkad]

  Pretty cool, though as Matt points out, bags perform other functions in addition to “securing objects to one’s body”. :-)

• [PaulR]

  Alternately, if your main concern is carrying a laptop, you can keep an eye on the deals, and get one of these.

  Just make sure it has the built-in loops for a carrying strap.

  I got a refurbished one (I swear there was reddish Iraqi dust around some of the covers) for less than what a new [garanteed to break down after two years of heavy use] laptop from another manufacturer. Yeah, it’s a little heavy, but I don’t need a carrying case.

• [PaulR]

  Aaarrrgh! Forgot to post a link:

  http://www.trustedreviews.com/laptops/review/2005/11/24/Panasonic-ToughBook-CF-29-Rugged-Notebook/p1

• [Anonymous]

  the dude’s from india…

  growing up there, (20 yrs ago) when traveling I would always see this on trains- a standard way of securing your luggage against thieves who could pop open a lock in old fashioned suitcases..well at least they would have to cut through twine which takes way more time..enough to get noticed and beat up by a mob.

  you can take the man out of India but you cant take India out of the man..

• [adamnvillani]

  Not really sure if “cool” is the adjective I’d use to describe showing up to a meeting with a coil of rope for this purpose.

  Still, it’s a remarkable act of rope-work.

• [Anonymous]

  Rope needs to be very soft, with a trace of lipstick and dried astroglide. Then it’s cool.

• [teknocholer]

  A couple of generations ago just about anyone who needed to mail a parcel could do this. As a certified ancient one, I can remember getting packages from overseas relatives that were tied up using more sophisticated and elaborate methods than shown in the video*. Packing tape has eliminated the need for this knowledge (and admittedly works better). Canada Post, for one, specifically tells people not to use string on parcels.

  And whip the ends, ya landlubber!

  *Yes, they were one of my favourite things.

• [sixohsix]

  Awesome trick. Adding some thick rope to my “nerdy stuff” shopping list…

  @Anon, that really does look like the Songsmith guy. Weird.

• [Anonymous]

  Waitasec–isn’t that the “Microsoft–so it’s pretty easy to use” guy from the Songsmith video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oGFogwcx-E&t=1m54s

• [Anonymous]

  Why yes, I DO enjoy having rope eat into my shoulder.

• [Anonymous]

  Feeding a carabiner through the final loop would prevent accidentally undoing the knot as well.

  -Hobie

• [Anonymous]

  Bondage is right, it’s very rope top, with the human-comfortable gauge and the bight and the overhand knots. It’s a lazy top that lets his rope ends get all manky like that, though!

  Neat trick, anyway. I think if I was doing this I’d probably loop the strap back and forth a few times, anything heavy enough to deserve a makeshift holder is going to be pretty uncomfortable over the shoulder with only two 3/8″ ropes.

• [Anonymous]

  Where do I tie the power adapter?

• [Matt J]

  Not quite weatherproof enough. That and I don’t really want to advertise that I’m carrying £1500 of electronics around with me.