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Bike Crash case for MBP?

B

bumski5325

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 1, 2008
3
0
So I ride my bike 4 mi to school everyday, and have crashed quite a few times, mainly due to black ice. I just ordered a MBP and now I'm looking for a rugged case to protect it with. I'm looking for a sleeve or hardshell that might be able to withstand a solid bike crash and keep my MBP alive. I don't need any pockets or handles since I'll just be tossing it in my backpack.

from reading previous posts etc. it looks like there are several options, but the zero shock seems to be the most rugged, but its not available right now. If anyone can give me some advise , it would be greatly appreciated!

Zero shock
Isis
Moshi Codex
Booq viper
Max protect
Case-Mate
BookCase Pro
 
I have the Booq Vyper for my 17" MBP, I have it paired with the Booq Folee bag. Together they make a great combo. However I don't think the Vyper by itself would protect the MBP from a drop or a bike crash. It's designed to prevent scratches and dust. I'd have to say that if I dropped the Vyper with the MBP in it, and it landed on a corner, the MBP would end up dented.
 
thanks for the replies, I looked for the zeroshock on ebay, and the MBP specific one isn't available, but there is a 15.4" one that seems to be too big. Right now, I'm heavily leaning towards the axio hardsleeve, but it looks like I might have to wait until april to get one. I've only been able to find one person say bad things about them.

here's a good macworld article talking about hard cases: article

other options:
ABS hardcase
Tom Bihn brain cell
Radtech Rebound/ zeroshock like case
 
I vote pelican case:
http://www.peli.com

– all the ones you link to aren't really crush proof, or even look the part, imo. Peli-cases are proven and used world wide for transporting all sorts of fragile stuff in (very) hostile environments.
 
I found this in the article about the Radtech-case:

I was able to put a 30-pound weight on the middle of the top of the case—the weakest point—without undue pressure on the screen of a MacBook Pro inside.
Click to expand...

Thirty pounds? That may sound impressive. But the guy didn't drop thirty pound on it, let alone ran with it, deciding to do a flying jump, landing his bum on the thing, as you will be doing the next time you fall on the black ice.

You have to be aware, that all the cases you have linked to are fashion accessories more than anything. They will take the odd bumb, and certainly protect against some sharp corner, as long as there are little kinetic energy involved. They are not meant to be crush proof, nor are they marketed as such. Send all of the manufacturers an email, asking them if they would recommend it for your intended purpose. They will ask you to buy something else.
 
if this is from a motorcycle, forget looking at the sleeves. Thats not going to support your body weight should you land on it. Look at something hard.
 
So I'm debating between the pelican briefcase or the mac truck case. since the mac truck will fit very snuggly, I'm thinking that's the way to go. they don't explicitly say that its crush proof, but it does say you can drive a truck over it.

radtech mac truck

I like the mac truck because its smaller and seems more functional for my purposes, but its not waterproof or "crush proof." I think the MBP would bounce around in that pelican briefcase, but I suppose I could line it with foam. does anyone have experiences with either or these?

also, I use a road bike, not a motorcycle. it I was laying down a motorcycle often, on black ice etc, that would be rediculous...

thanks!
 
bumski5325 said:
So I'm debating between the pelican briefcase or the mac truck case. since the mac truck will fit very snuggly, I'm thinking that's the way to go. they don't explicitly say that its crush proof, but it does say you can drive a truck over it.

radtech mac truck

I like the mac truck because its smaller and seems more functional for my purposes, but its not waterproof or "crush proof." I think the MBP would bounce around in that pelican briefcase, but I suppose I could line it with foam. does anyone have experiences with either or these?

also, I use a road bike, not a motorcycle. it I was laying down a motorcycle often, on black ice etc, that would be rediculous...

thanks!
Click to expand...

The pelican cases comes with foam inserts. That's one of the reasons it's used for fragile items.
 
I'm definitely on the side voting for the pelican cases. For our Mac Users Group meeting we had our campus rep request a few iMacs from apple. They shipped them all out in the large pelican cases and they were amazing. Those things could take anything.
 
bumski5325 said:
So I'm debating between the pelican briefcase or the mac truck case. since the mac truck will fit very snuggly, I'm thinking that's the way to go. they don't explicitly say that its crush proof, but it does say you can drive a truck over it.

radtech mac truck

I like the mac truck because its smaller and seems more functional for my purposes, but its not waterproof or "crush proof." I think the MBP would bounce around in that pelican briefcase, but I suppose I could line it with foam. does anyone have experiences with either or these?

also, I use a road bike, not a motorcycle. it I was laying down a motorcycle often, on black ice etc, that would be rediculous...

thanks!
Click to expand...

Great thread bumski! I've found a lot of helpful info here. I'm wondering the same thing as I was going to put my MBP in my bicycle panier bag. I'm afraid it may bounce around in there too much though so I've also thought of going with this sleeve and throwing it in my backpack:
http://www.amazon.com/Be-ez-LArobe-...6?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1202204700&sr=1-6
Luckily I don't ever run into any black ice.
Heh heh, funny about that motorcycle comment. I wouldn't think you'd still be around if you'd taken more than a couple falls from black ice on a motorcycle.
The pelicans seem good and rugged, not sure how well they'd fit in a backpack though.
Of course there's also the ridiculous:
http://www.zerohalliburton.com/computer/aluminum.jsp
 
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e12a said:
if this is from a motorcycle, forget looking at the sleeves. Thats not going to support your body weight should you land on it. Look at something hard.
Click to expand...

Ehm, having any kind backpack on a motorcycle is so dangerous, especially the hard casing type.
If you land on your back, you have very big chance of breaking your back.
Get a nice bag for your bike instead.
 
bumski (and anyone else who is interested), I'm not sure if you already got your case, but I was searching at Ortlieb's site and they make a Pelican type case that attaches to a rack for your bike. Ortlieb is one of the best known bike bag (panier) makers around. Their stuff is real high quality and waterproof. A lot of the bags they make can be attached to almost any rack that you can put on your bike. The nice thing about these types of bags is not having any weight on your shoulders to deal with. This particular case I found is a hard case and looks like it could be almost as good as a Pelican. Check it out:
http://www.ortliebusa.com/cartgenie/prodInfo.asp?pid=140&cid=2
 
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