Been searching for weeks to find a bag for my gear that I have to carry back and forth for my job as sys admin for two locations. I ordered this one.
http://www.ebags.com/high_sierra/super_sonic_special_buy/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=70475
Cost about $40 with shipping and I'm amazed that I could get everything in it and still squeeze it into my trunk on the bike.
I have my macbook 13", which fits easily in the well padded laptop compartment, (enough room for a wider laptop), the power supply, mouse, another small bag with a LaCie brick external usb drive and power supply and cables, power screwdriver, ethernet cable crimp tool and rj45 connectors, a CD case that's a zip up 1x2 cd per page full of cd's, various cables, and a bottle of aspirin, all fit inside the backpack. Very well made and nice smooth working zippers. Has a padded shoulder strap, and tucked inside the back side inside a zippered compartment are padded backpack straps, one with a cell phone bag attached. Well worth the money. And if I have to use the trunk for extra stuff, I can wear the backpack and it rests just perfectly on the passenger seat so it's not bearing down on my shoulders while I ride.

If you don't have a trunk, but need to carry a laptop, this bag really is a good one.

just one question cause this is very important in texas, is it waterproof? if not, are the seams nice and smooth to where a silicone water treatment would take care of it....

I am looking at getting a small sub $700 laptop for school purposes, and that would be important to me. I wonder if it would be to any benifit to look at the rugged lines of laptops instead?

It doesn't say on any of the information that it's waterproof. You'd have to look at it more closely to see if it could be waterproofed. Don't know if this link will work or not, but here is a flash enlargement of it. If this doesn't work, go to the other link and on the left, click on the enlarge view link.
http://www.ebags.com/high_sierra/super_sonic_special_buy/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=70475#

humm, i am not feeling to well about the waterproofablity on that bag, looks very nice though. i think i just may take some foam (.5 thick, and maybe with a denser outter foam), and make a soft pouch for it and toss it in one of my saddle bags...