Pro 13" for travelling??

[nashville man]

So for all you real world travelers out there, just how heavy and inconvenient is the 13" entry level MBP in real life? When you're shelping to and fro, airports, hotels, planes, trains and automobiles, etc...are you ok with a 4.5 lbs laptop, or do you secretly wish you had chosen a 11" or 13" Air instead...does the light weight make that much difference?

And if your MBP was gone today, what would you choose in relaxing it tomorrow?? Be honest either way...and why...

 

[emac82]

When I travel, I often bring a backpack, and put my laptop in there, and I don't notice the weight and it is no trouble.....When I'm carrying it over my shoulder in a messenger style bag, I do notice the weight more but it's not a big deal, but I don't travel that often so I don't really think about it much......

Sorry, forgot to mention that I have a MBP....if it died tomorrow and I needed another computer, it would be a MBP..

 

[Spink10]

So for all you real world travelers out there, just how heavy and inconvenient is the 13" entry level MBP in real life? When you're shelping to and fro, airports, hotels, planes, trains and automobiles, etc...are you ok with a 4.5 lbs laptop, or do you secretly wish you had chosen a 11" or 13" Air instead...does the light weight make that much difference?

And if your MBP was gone today, what would you choose in relaxing it tomorrow?? Be honest either way...and why...

I love my 13 MBP for travel.

 

[diggy33]

I never had a problem taking my 17" MBP with me when I travelled. Even put it in a backpack when I rode my motorcycle to work. The 13" is easier when you're on an airplane and want to use the machine, but the weight doesnt bother me at all.

 

[bill-p]

I had both a 13" Air and a 13" Pro, and from my experience, it makes no difference...

Unless the Macbook is the only thing you are toting around (highly unlikely from my assessment), the lighter weight of the Air is pretty much canceled out by all of the other stuffs you lug around.

It'll make a difference if there exists one of those weeks where you have to leave the house early and come back late at night every day... carrying your Macbook with you, and taking it out multiple times a day (more than 10).

If you're going across the Pacific Ocean (20-hour flight) neither machine is a good companion, at least not until the plane lands. A portable entertainment system like an iPod Touch or iPhone would be far more friendly and useful.

 

[wrinkster22]

So for all you real world travelers out there, just how heavy and inconvenient is the 13" entry level MBP in real life? When you're shelping to and fro, airports, hotels, planes, trains and automobiles, etc...are you ok with a 4.5 lbs laptop, or do you secretly wish you had chosen a 11" or 13" Air instead...does the light weight make that much difference?

And if your MBP was gone today, what would you choose in relaxing it tomorrow?? Be honest either way...and why...

I have a macbook air and I just got back from vacation.
I wish I had the pro honestly.
Why?
because we drove down to florida and trying to find a position with both the superdrive and air on your lap was difficult. (I ended up getting a piece of foam board, put the air on top and the drive beneath)

 

[NZed]

I had both a 13" Air and a 13" Pro, and from my experience, it makes no difference...

Unless the Macbook is the only thing you are toting around (highly unlikely from my assessment), the lighter weight of the Air is pretty much canceled out by all of the other stuffs you lug around.

It'll make a difference if there exists one of those weeks where you have to leave the house early and come back late at night every day... carrying your Macbook with you, and taking it out multiple times a day (more than 10).

If you're going across the Pacific Ocean (20-hour flight) neither machine is a good companion, at least not until the plane lands. A portable entertainment system like an iPod Touch or iPhone would be far more friendly and useful.

True. Doesnt even have to be a 20 hour flight. Portable entertainment are better on planes. iPad

But for my 13" MBP, I love it. Its not too big. It is a bit small and i sometimes wish i had something bigger, but I know that i made the right choice because i travel a lot. And when you travel a lot, you dont want to be lugging around a big 17".

 

[malman89]

I travel somewhat regularly with my 13" MacBook which is thicker and probably heavier than the current MBPs. Fits fine in my Swiss Gear backpack and feels fine.

I never really use it often on planes/trains/busses though. There's either a better entertainment option provided, I sleep, or just listen to music on my trusty iPod classic.

 

[maflynn]

I have a backpack and a case that I has a shoulder strap. Both work well and depending on my traveling needs. I travelled with both the 13" and 15" MBP and found both to be excellent. I think the 13" is a bit more mobile but the 15" is fine as well.

My point is you shouldn't have any concerns regarding the portability of the 13"

 

[robvas]

The 13" is way better than your average cheap 14-15" laptop, but the 11" Air is even better.

 

[daunting]

I travel about 50% of the month and bring my 13" MacBook Pro with me. I find that it is absolutely great to travel with and I much rather bring this device than my Lenovo issued by my organization.

 

[chilady1]

I originally thought my iPad2 might replace an actual laptop for traveling, but it did not. Needed a lot of processing power especially during meetings. So I am back to taking my MMP 13 with me.

When I got the MBP a few weeks ago, I thought about getting the 15 inch, but so glad I got the 13. It is the perfect size for traveling. I have a sleeve that I put the laptop in and then it goes into my bag along with my Kindle. For me, the 13 is not to small and not to big, it's just right!

Good luck!

 

[wordoflife]

No issues with traveling and the MBP. Not enough to make me want anything smaller. It's a good size. I don't think I'd be comfortable using, say, a 11" MBA.

It's certainly manageable. And the size is great. Sometimes it feels too small. But when it doesn't, it's just right.

 

[pscraig]

We have a 2010 MBP 13" we use for travel, and with a SSD the battery life is in excess of 10 hours. It's not really that big or heavy, and it's nice to have the optical drive and ethernet ports when we need them. Some hotels still have ethernet only connections, particularly overseas.

I really wanted the 11" Air until i used one for a day, then my eyes told me no. Just too small. Plus add in the optical drive and an ethernet adapter and you wonder why you spent $500 to save a few ounces.