Macbook sleeve recommendations for sober women

[Sesshi]

That's not 'women who are teetotal' but 'women whose tastes are conservative'. Think old-school Chanel. No particular budget although I'm not paying for some crocodile skinned, diamond encrusted monstrosity. A shoulder strap might be useful, but I think it would in most cases travel with checked baggage. Sleekness and quality materials is probably the order of the day.

Thanks

[grafikat]

That's not 'women who are teetotal' but 'women whose tastes are conservative'. Think old-school Chanel.

Thanks

I prefer the term "understated elegance"

But seriously, this is a good question. I need a nice case for my MB, too

And if I don't buy while sober, my choices usually are not, either :p

[mkrishnan]

Are the more conservative Acme Made (http://acmemade.com/thedesignerslim.html) products too fashion forward, still, for this person? I think they're the best designer sleeves and small computer bags in terms of looks and fabrics.

Otherwise, perhaps a slim leather briefcase design? There are a handful of very elegant briefcase designers that might be good. I went for Jack Georges recently, but my taste runs more post-modern than Chanel. Once you add a shoulder strap to most of these bags, though, the fashion quality declines precipitously.

[Sesshi]

Nice. Keep'em coming please.

[Mac'Mo]

check radtech.com for some great stuff

[skybolt]

I love the Waterfield Designs sleeves from www.sfbags.com. Have had one for each of my laptops and have even purchased for gifts (for recipients that were greatly impressed!). Their customer service is great, very personal! Shipping is quick, too. Straps, pockets, etc can be added if you wish -- so customization is possible. I prefer just the sleeve so I can put it in a bag that does not scream "laptop -- steal me!".

[Sesshi]

I prefer the term "understated elegance"

Being highly inelegant, such a turn of phrase failed to blunder into the periphery of my wording choices when composing the original thread.

But indeed, this is much more appropriate. Go on that please, everyone.

[grafikat]

Being highly inelegant, such a turn of phrase failed to blunder into the periphery of my wording choices when composing the original thread.

I was just teasin'!
The thread title is half the battle in getting your message read.

I've been doing a bit of research myself, and found a bag (http://www.stmbags.com.au/smallcargo) that has a very Coco ;) feel.

[alFR]

how about some of the sleeves from Tom Bihn (http://www.tombihn.com/)? You need to order from the US, but they make good kit.

[Sesshi]

I was just teasin'!
The thread title is half the battle in getting your message read.

I've been doing a bit of research myself, and found a bag (http://www.stmbags.com.au/smallcargo) that has a very Coco ;) feel.

I've ordered one of those for myself so I'm not sure what that says about that bag.

[Applespider]

The ACMEs above are lovely although when I finally saw one in person I was a little disappointed by the quality of the fabric.

I adore this one... (http://www.johnlewis.com/Sports+and+Leisure/Luggage/Luggage/Computer+Cases/410/230230983/Product.aspx); it has a matching removable sleeve inside. There's a similar black one but it doesn't have the removable sleeve.

http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/product/230230983.jpg

Radley make a few nice work bags too (http://www.radley.co.uk/collections/workbagsholdalls/index.cfm) - some of which are very sleeve like.

http://www.radley.co.uk/collections/workbagsholdalls/54701/img/lg/54701_black_lg.jpg

[T-Stex]

I think the sleeves by ACME might be a good bet, but I've got to throw out a recommendation for Booq's Vyper (http://booqbags.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b2d1f439060502c77ee43bfb88594e80984027c.e3eTaxePaNqNe34Sa3iTbNiTchn0n6jAmljGr5X DqQLvpAe?it=A&id=65) sleeve. I've got this one, and the build quality is great. It's got a great feel to it, and definitely fits into the "sleek" category. The only concern I'd have is whether or not the ballistic nylon material is too contemporary for their tastes. I think it would be fine, but that's just my opinion.

[mkrishnan]

The ACMEs above are lovely although when I finally saw one in person I was a little disappointed by the quality of the fabric.

Mmm, that's too bad. It's awful when you see something really pretty and you see it in person, finally, and it doesn't live up. :( But I haven't really seen enough of them up close to know if it's a slip or if they're all like that. :(

The red bag is gorgeous.

This is the briefcase I have, by the way. I think the leather is somewhat nicer in person than it looks.

http://www.luggageonline.com/images/luggage/JG/JG3402_lg.jpg

But it does seem to become a tradeoff... with a lot of respect to the things like Booq and sfbags listed in this thread, I think they're much more functional than what I would chose, but I also think they're ugly. :(

[skunk]

It doesn't have a handle, but Ms Skunk is rather pleased with the Incase neoprene sleeve with its dinky lime green lining.
They also do one in burgundy.
http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/61024042/wo/sqy7zEm0du2f3sBxjEzQMcqnt1u/5.0.21.1.0.8.25.7.11.1.3
65398

Oh, hang on, you said "sober women", didn't you? Scratch that suggestion then... :rolleyes:

[Mac'Mo]

jack daniels makes a sleeve, i know it

[Philscbx]

I'm very Impressed in the links that were shown here.
I'm glad to have found such a great crew here. This being my first entry.

I took a tour of all the links, as I travel to Europe quite often, and going in style is cool, but it also has to be done as stealth as possible. I travel with up to 4-5 grand of gear and don't want to loose it. I'm gone up to 3 months at a time.

You really don't want to be holding loose 500 hundred dollar bills in your hands, and some sheik bags are doing just that. A couple of friends lost all their camera gear this way just as they got to Italy. I would need 37,ooo worth of therapy if it happened to me.

Acme Made Some slick styles here, and compact for packing.

radtech.com Some slick styles here, and compact for packing.
Nice alternative gadgets

www.sfbags.com These are great looking bags, and look to be the world traveler type with extra space.

Tom Bihn These also look to be the real world traveler type with
extra space. Nice stuff here.

Radley make a few nice work bags too -
These are quite sheik, but for any real travel, might not stand up to the rough real world. The lack of a shoulder strap will kill the long terminal walks. Could cause to much attention.

http://www.stmbags.com.au/smallcargo
This link didn't work - because the server stopped responding.

Myself I use the InCase where my 15" PowerBook fits nicely
in it's padded cell. It's just flexible enough with the side pockets to add backup discs, a magazine to read later onboard, and with careful packing, can insert the power brick, and a back up 100 GB Lacie hard drive, and still look fairly slim.

I can lay the case in my lap, and set the laptop on it for a secure no slip action.
The custom shoulder strap is formed just right to stay on with the added grip applied on the underside.

I carry it on board, but when cargo shows up, I'll place it inside a rolling bag, till I get on the train like in Amsterdam.
I pick the rolling bags that fit easily down the isles on planes and trains. I'm down to just one rolling bag. 2 were torture last tour on the trains.

I rarely bring much for clothes, as it's so easy to pick up new ones when I get there. This keeps the the travel bag down to a carry on - over head stored size on wheels. But has too be in baggage because of it's contents.

The one key feature to have on your carry on roller is expandable full size zipper section to add the laptop bag with out forcing it in. I bring secure tie down straps if I have to secure it to the outside.

Make sure no loose clothing, or items can fall out upon opening the suitcase.
I also make space to pack my camera gear in, but carry
it on board along with laptop and pack in suit case when I arrive at terminal.

I used to work for the airlines, and you don't ever want to pack anything worth much going into cargo bay. It's like throwing bag out the window in rush hour traffic.

One area of these roller bags that can really make it easier to store odd items is along the interior retractable handle section under the zippered liner.
You have up to an inch of depth here to make use of this area to fasten in place, a long 25 foot ethernet cable and adaptors. Extra batteries, any gadget items that are not needed during the flight.
These smaller items are then placed into custom zippered bags and secured in place along these rails.

Security always leave their notice inside my case. They must think I'm a secrete agent the way it's packed.

When I've packed and secured this area for gadgets in the suitcase. I then photograph this section before I close up this inner liner. Then add my bundle of clothes, and photo it again.

With camera with on board, review the image to recall where things are placed. Let alone a perfect record if something does go wrong.

HAppy Trails

[grafikat]

FWIW, I found a squidoo page that has several ladies laptop bags:

http://www.squidoo.com/laptopbag/

Also, not so restrained: http://applesac.com

[Sesshi]

Thanks. At this time I'm inclined to go for Applespider's links. If I was a woman though, it would have to be the tan Zaum on the squidoo page :D

[Sesshi]

Odd, knomo doesn't resolve. Are they still in business?

[mkrishnan]

Odd, knomo doesn't resolve. Are they still in business?

This Knomo (http://www.knomobags.com/)? Some of those totes are fairly chic. :)

[Sesshi]

Ah. It resolves now. Odd. Perhaps they were updating DNS records or something.

[cyberddot]

The Vyper XS2 (http://booqbags.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b791f43353b44f508624cdcbea6d9925a213d83.e3eTaxeKbh0Te3mSbNuQbx8Tc41ynknvrkLOlQz Np65In0?it=A&id=65) sounds edgy but looks pretty conservative. I'd say Booq makes a nice sleeve.

[debrey]

Brenthaven Bags are quite good and understated:

http://www.brenthaven.com/catalog-sleeves.html

-- David

[HowEver]

Since the question/thread is about a "sleeve" and not a bag, I'll share my unresolved quest also.

I've been trying to find reviews for the Case-Mate sig suit, as here:
http://www.case-mate.net/sigsuit.html

I've never seen anything more stylish. It's expensive, it's not for vegans (being made partly of leather) but it seems like the most protective thing you can get that's still thin. There were more colours when the prototypes were being developed (I've followed the site for a while).

BUT I can't find a review from anyone who has actually used it. At $150 US, that may be part of the reason for this absence.

I'd like to put my Black MacBook in a leave-in sleeve and forget about it. Never have to worry about it getting a scratch. But what if it overheats/covers the wrong ports, etc.? Nobody seems to know.

http://static.flickr.com/80/229485592_b4445dbf78_o.png

There is also the Speck SeeThur clear case, looks good although why they would charge $20 more than for the MacBook Pro case eludes me.

[Sesshi]

That's pretty cool. I've decided on the Knomo Odessa. I've also found a nice extra bag (how many bag do I need? I'm worse than a woman) for myself in the form of the Frinton. I also got a Carmila for the assistant as an adjunct to the eye-blasting pink bag that she has already. That was effortless shopping. Thank you all.

[southbark]

you could try http://bbpbags.com/ they were at macworld and are very nice

[HowEver]

Nice to see you found what you needed!

That's pretty cool. I've decided on the Knomo Odessa. I've also found a nice extra bag (how many bag do I need? I'm worse than a woman) for myself in the form of the Frinton. I also got a Carmila for the assistant as an adjunct to the eye-blasting pink bag that she has already. That was effortless shopping. Thank you all.

[mkrishnan]

That's pretty cool. I've decided on the Knomo Odessa. I've also found a nice extra bag (how many bag do I need? I'm worse than a woman) for myself in the form of the Frinton. I also got a Carmila for the assistant as an adjunct to the eye-blasting pink bag that she has already. That was effortless shopping. Thank you all.

The Odessa is gorgeous! :) What color did you decide on?

The red seems really nice even though they seem to be making the "cinder" out to be their big thing for the year (and they seem to not be the only ones obsessed with greys right now).

[Sesshi]

The Odessa is gorgeous! :) What color did you decide on?

The red seems really nice even though they seem to be making the "cinder" out to be their big thing for the year (and they seem to not be the only ones obsessed with greys right now).

Both Odessa and Carmila in cinder.

Frinton in tan. Tan may not suit me but what the heck, I'm getting a bit tired of nylon bags, it's time I upped my bag image a bit. The only thing that worries me is that I'll probably be leaning at a 45-degree angle if I stick the XPS M1710 in there...

[mkrishnan]

Tan may not suit me but what the heck

I think the tan is really cute! I almost bought a tan briefcase, but ultimately went with black just because it was more versatile. But if/when I get to a second "nice" bag, it's definitely going to be more colorful. :)

[ITASOR]

The Vyper XS2 (http://booqbags.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b791f43353b44f508624cdcbea6d9925a213d83.e3eTaxeKbh0Te3mSbNuQbx8Tc41ynknvrkLOlQz Np65In0?it=A&id=65) sounds edgy but looks pretty conservative. I'd say Booq makes a nice sleeve.

I have it, it's pretty good.

[California]

The most protective yet functionally stylish sleeve is the Zeroshock with an internal frame. I dropped my aluminum powerbook TWICE in this and it had no problems dents scratches anything at all. Function dictates style in the case of a laptop sleeve. I also find I can drop the Zeroshock into whatever purse or bag I'm carrying.

[Applespider]

Both Odessa and Carmila in cinder.


V glad that you got what you're looking for and that my suggestion set you looking at the Knomo bags ;) The ones that I've seen in person are fabulous - the leather feels great and it just looks stylish. Will be interesting to hear how good they are in real-world use though before I spring for one.

[emotion]

For a subtle looking sleeve. STM Glove. I just got one for my new black macbook. The sleeve is all black too. Subtle as you like.

I'll leave whatever bag you put that in up to you :)