Looking for a good sleeve (Tom Bihn brain cell vs. Waterfield sleeve case)

[guitargoddsjm]

If I were you, I'd measure the height of my backpack (width is NOT an issue); and compare it with the specs given on the bihn site.

Thanks for the tip! I'll do that when I get home... There should be plenty of room, my backpack is fairly tall. What did you mean by "jansport sort of bag" ?

 

[hzamani]

In meaning, a bag with some sort of dimensions of a two compartment jansport backpack.

In fact this is what I have: http://www.amazon.com/JanSport-Jansport-Big-Student-Backpack/dp/B003T28NIW

If yours is bigger it should fit better than mines!

 

[pjcforpres2020]

Waterfield all the way! Great products! 100% USA made, great customer service, and a great product that is durable, reliable, and does what it is designed to do.

http://www.sfbags.com/products/sleevecases/sleevecases.htm

I have that with the flap option. Has balastic nylon outer shell with neoprene inners.

 

[hzamani]

Just realized that I'm using a 13in and you're using a 15in. The fit might be different.

And also: If not Bihn, definitely go with waterfield; I was also considering them too, but the bihn was more appealing and cost effective for me.

 

[Kahalu'u Bob]

Tucanos are nice. I've had two, both excellent.

 

[Macsavvytech]

Here

This is my thread from a while back
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/921942/
didn't end up getting the brenthaven a live in Australia no America. I got this one it's awesome
http://www.targus.com/au/product_details.asp?sku=TBS019AU

 

[guitargoddsjm]

Yikes! The waterfield sleevecase is starting to grow on me because it's certainly slimmer than the brain cell... it also seems like it'd look better when carried alone. For a similar configuration as the Tom Bihn (vertical, flap, d-rings), it's $69 shipped (vs $68 shipped for the brain cell).

Now for fitting inside my backpack,
North Face Hot Shot SE dimensions: 20.5 in. x 13 in. x 8 in
Tom Bihn Brain Cell dimensions (4Z): 16.6 × 10.4 × 2.3 inches
Waterfield Sleevecase dimensions: 15.35 x 10.8 x 1.95 inches

It seems like it's down to Tom Bihn vs. Waterfield, and both sides have rave reviews. I think the only difference is the amount of padding/protection I'm looking for. I've always been worried about the Macbook Pro's aluminum getting dented up.. Would the sleevecase be adequate considering I'm a college student who bikes to class? I'm not really rough with my stuff, but I do load up my backpack w/ textbooks and I toss around my bags sometimes...

 

[pjcforpres2020]

Waterfield says add about an inch on to your laptops dimensions to come up with the case size.

 

[guitargoddsjm]

Waterfield says add about an inch on to your laptops dimensions to come up with the case size.

I totally missed that earlier, thanks!

Above post is updated to reflect the dimensions...

 

[hzamani]

The choice is on you now. The reason why I choose the Bihn was because like you I would be biking and it just seems like it's better in my situation than the waterfield. But hey, both are great, and if I ever get bored of my bihn, I'll purchase a waterfield in a heartbeat!

 

[guitargoddsjm]

The choice is on you now. The reason why I choose the Bihn was because like you I would be biking and it just seems like it's better in my situation than the waterfield. But hey, both are great, and if I ever get bored of my bihn, I'll purchase a waterfield in a heartbeat!

Yeaaahh haha, it's really a no-lose situation. I just happen to be a very indecisive person . At this point, this thread will be great for anyone going through the same (ridiculous) though process as me.


Btw, I just got the be.ez sleeve... It's good quality, and as I've noticed w/ my girlfriend's sleeve, the memory foam is definitely interesting (low resilience polyurethane). Unfortunately, the laptop has a small amount of wiggle room. It's not a huge deal, especially @ 20 bucks.

The dimensions I measured w/ the laptop inside were ~ 16 x 11.5 x 1.5. It just BARELY fit inside my (North Face) backpack's laptop sleeve, and the corners poked up on top. Outside of the sleeve, the backpack is the full 20" and it fit perfectly fine. The nice thing about the inner sleeve is that it doesn't go to the bottom of the bag (so it doesn't hit the ground when the bag is put down)...

I think the sleevecase would fit better into the inner sleeve of bag, and the brain cell would probably do fine outside of the sleeve w/ its extra padding.

 

[danielveeee]

I just ordered a north face surge, and I would like a sleeve to put in the back laptop pocket. I was thinking of a waterfield vertical that I could just unvelcro and pull my mbp out without even taking the sleeve out of the bag.

Anybody have experience or a situation like mine?

Thanks

 

[guitargoddsjm]

Phew. I finally settled on the vertical brain cell. It won't fit into the laptop pocket of my backpack, but the protection should make up for that. Now it's time to wait until August . Thanks for the help!

I just ordered a north face surge, and I would like a sleeve to put in the back laptop pocket. I was thinking of a waterfield vertical that I could just unvelcro and pull my mbp out without even taking the sleeve out of the bag.

Anybody have experience or a situation like mine?

Thanks

Well maybe if you read the thread...

Basically: If you want to put a sleeve in the laptop pocket, get the vertical waterfield sleevecase (without a flap if you want to slide it in/out). If you want even better protection, get the tom bihn vertical brain cell.