13" Retina MacBook Pro Sleeves

[mohsy90]

I’m still searching for a sleeve for my 13” retina and thought I’d post a few of the ones I’ve come across to help others out. The ones listed below are all specifically tailored for the 13” retina. Other brands like Booq, Incipio and Incase are marketing their Air and Pro sleeves for the retina, which wont be a perfect fit.

So far these are best I’ve found. Please feel free to add to this.


Pack & Smooch laptop sleeve Hampshire: €57.98 - $83.36/shipped to US
This is probably the best sleeve out there for the 13” retina along with the Mujjp. Definitely a high quality sleeve and comes in color variations as well.

Mujjo 13” Retina Sleeve – Brown -€60 Euro $ 87/shipped to US
Starts shipping November 30th. Another high quality sleeve made from wool felt and a high quality leather flap.
Use coupon code : #ilovemujjo and save 10%.

Colasac 13” Retina Zagora Sleeve - $40
Definitely one of the more affordable sleeves out there. They have other colors and styles as well.

SleeWay 13" Retina Sleeve - $37/shipped on eBay as well



WaterField Designs unveiled 12 different designs. Not really fond of any of them, but worth a look.

 

[markus843]

Bought this one without even thinking, I really like it though. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/rooCASE-Bubb...ags&hash=item2eb920cc3b&_uhb=1#ht_1894wt_1189

 

[mcdj]

Love my Defy iPad sleeve. They just introduced one for the retina 13. Pricey but very sweet.

 

[mohsy90]

Love my Defy iPad sleeve. They just introduced one for the retina 13. Pricey but very sweet.

Ouch, $190. Yeah thats definitely pricey. How's the quality of the leather, is it worth the price in your opinion?

 

[mcdj]

Ouch, $190. Yeah thats definitely pricey. How's the quality of the leather, is it worth the price in your opinion?

It's Horween leather, one of the more durable you can find, but very pliable. It's totally luxurious and tough. I paid $80 for my iPad case and its worth every penny.

 

[0x000000]

hardgraft.com has some nice ones.

Pretty expensive, though.

 

[Barna Biro]

I use this: http://tiny.cc/knarnw

Yeah, it's not a sleeve ( nor do I use one separately ), but the notebook compartment is nicely cushioned, keeping the notebook really safe. It has enough room for the iPad, the chargers ( notebook, iPad and iPhone ), a few additional cables and some random stuff ( wallet, passports, etc. ).

It's durable, nice looking ( IMHO ), easy to carry around and fits nicely in airplanes / trains / etc.

PS: As for iPad and iPhone cases, I always get my stuff from: http://www.noreve.com

 

[dehory]

See also this thread and this one.

I've spent more time than I'd care to admit trawling Google/Etsy/Amazon/forums for elegant, well-made, reasonably-priced and zipperless (pet peeve!) 13" rMBP sleeves (see the first linked thread for my MBA benchmark sleeve) and there's still nothing out there that looks amazing. If nothing more appealing emerges in the next month, I'll probably go with the Tom Bihn Cache.



If I felt like spending the money for a fancy felt sleeve (I'd rather put the $ towards another nice bag), I'd personally go for Hard Graft for the simple reason that it doesn't have a tacky phrase emblazoned on it ("the originals" -- really?) like its two main rivals do.

 

[Donka]

Found these that are tailored exactly for the retina:

http://www.cushcase.com/collections/macbook-pro-13-15-and-17-cases

 

[bogatyr]

Just a note on the Colasac case: It doesn't offer much protection for dents as it is a very soft case with no hard liner inside the material. I have one for my 15" retina and while I like it, I certainly need to be more careful with the laptop even while in the case.

 

[dehory]

Just noticed that Freiwild is making felt sleeves specifically for rMBPs in both a 13" (€45) and 15" (€50) size. I like that they're less fashion-y and ostentatious than Hard Graft/Mujjo/Pack&Smooch's felt offerings, but look more solidly constructed than what you see on Etsy. If I were in Germany, I'd get one of these (although my ideal sleeve would be horizontal-loading).

I'm surprised that so few companies to date have produced sleeves designed specifically for the 13" rMBP. Most manufacturers are just lazily re-labeling 13" MBA sleeves as being 13" MBA/rMBP sleeves*. I can only imagine that it's proven to be even more of a niche product than the 15" rMBP, and there's just not enough demand.

Since I first started looking for sleeves, I've only come across Rickshaw ($60-70, plush padding/customizable exterior), PicasoLab ($84, leather), Defy Bags ($190!, leather), Laptop Tailors (€45, felt), Fabrix ($50, faux suede padding/canvas exterior), and ColcaSac ($50, fleece padding/fabric exterior). (There are a few more somewhat ugly options.)

For people in the US, IMO it still seems the Tom Bihn Cache ($30, foam padding) and Waterfield Outback ($50, neoprene padding) are the best value/quality/style/no-crazy-shipping-fee options.

* For what it's worth, reviewers on Amazon and MR report that the Thule Gauntlet 13" MBA sleeve ($27, rubberized padding/exterior) fits the 13" rMBP perfectly, but to my eyes, it rides an uncomfortably thin line between butt-ugly and rubbery cool.

 

[KPOM]

For people in the US, IMO it still seems the Tom Bihn Cache ($30, foam padding) and Waterfield Outback ($50, neoprene padding) are the best value/quality/style/no-crazy-shipping-fee options.

I went with the Tom Bihn Cache. It's nice, though it's almost a little too tight-fitting and needs some breaking in before the rMBP slides out relatively easily. I had the Tucano Second Skin sleeve for my MacBook Air, and a design like that would be perfect for the rMBP but I haven't seen one.

 

[robvas]

I'm using the Spec PixelSleeve from my 13" Air - fits fine

 

[dehory]

I went with the Tom Bihn Cache. It's nice, though it's almost a little too tight-fitting and needs some breaking in before the rMBP slides out relatively easily.

Are you happy with the amount of protection that it provides? It's hard to tell how thick the padding is from the photos.

I'm using the Spec PixelSleeve from my 13" Air - fits fine

For ~$23 including shipping on Amazon, that's not a bad solution at all. It certainly seems a step up from the generic 13" neoprene alternatives on Amazon (TopCase, CaseCrown, etc.). Does the rMBP slide around at all inside the sleeve, or is it form-fitting enough to be tight?

EDIT: I ended up buying the horizontal Tom Bihn Cache. It is tastefully designed, well-padded and well-made. The flap design is a simple and nicely implemented alternative to the standard velcro/strap/zipper. Contrary to KPOM's experience, mine arrived somewhat loose-fitting. My 13" rMBP slides out almost too easily -- if I held the sleeve upside down and shook hard, the computer might fall out even with the flap tucked in. Not a huge deal for me because the sleeve mostly lives inside a bag. Overall, a very good, if slightly unexciting, purchase.

 

[KPOM]

Are you happy with the amount of protection that it provides? It's hard to tell how thick the padding is from the photos.

Yes. It's actually a bit thicker than it looks. It should provide decent protection inside a suitcase or messenger bag. I was initially worried about the lack of a zipper, but the top flap fits pretty snugly when it is tucked inside. I have the vertical design (which I see is now on back order).

 

[Donka]

I picked up a Pofoko sleeve and it fits perfectly and offers very good protection. Great value for money...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POFOKO-La...lePhonesCasesPouches&var=&hash=item484dfa3e94

 

[NN2910]

Well, I'm quite surprised that until the day of today there still aren't much more sleeves specifically made for the size of a MacBook Pro Retina 13" (or ultrabooks 13" with the same size).

I've already been looking and searching around online and offline, but I just cannot find one which I really like and which fits perfectly.

Also I've considered to buy a MacBook Air sleeve, but I didn't because I found out that the Air is 1cm longer and 1cm wider than the Retina. And yes, the Retina is 0.3cm thicker than the Air, so that might compensate - depends on the sleeve. Unfortunately I'm searching for a sleeve with a zipper and in that case it won't compensate.

 

[shenan1982]

Anyone try any of the Case Logic or Tucano or Incase Neoprene cases? They've always been my fav but don't seem to have one specific to the MBPr 13 yet.

 

[mikem01]

Surprise!

hey probably the billionth thread about sleeves but, I just bought my first Mac which is a macbook pro retina 13" and was looking for solid sleeves that will be able to support itself from crushing my mac while in my backpack at school.

Thanks!!