Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I don't have a sleeve as of yet, but I will be buying the bookbook I think... I'm pretty sure I will also be getting the suede sleeve from SFbags for when I want to just put it in my bag, and not have much bulk and when I only need scratch protection.

As for bags, I have 2 the first is for a Hard Graft 2Unfold bag used for every day to and from work/meetings. It is a beautiful bag!

2Unfold bag

Then the second is for short trips, and when I need to carry more then just my laptop and power cords. It is a Qwestion backpack. Again, it is a beautiful bag, and perfect for my needs.

Backpack


I love the 2unfold == 673$ :(:eek::eek::rolleyes::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
I have similar thought process as plastic - incase or any other speck or whatever company cases makes Mac look like a piece of ****

I will only go for a high quality premium leather sleeve or case

"High quality premium leather"? Someone's been drinking the kool-aid, haha
 
Wow, those look outstanding. Going to have to bookmark this to come back when I get the 6th gen iPhone (whatever it's going to be named). I've never been one for a case on my iPhone, but a sleeve like that would be a very nice accessory. Really liking this one without the flap or any other closure. Perfection.

Edit: And from Ireland?!? Could this get any more perfect? I guess no huh...that's kind of what perfect is.

I am totally sold on it and most probably ordering the case for 11' air :)

----------

My friends has this exact sleeve for his MBP. I'm loving the looks of it. Nice to hear that the MBA model works good too. I think I will order this one as well.

Site is screwed up...the cart continues to say 0$

----------

that sounds a little bit like the tuff-luv slimline case, but not quite. I am not sure what that would be.

----------

i apologize in advance if this one has already been posted, but i didn't click every external link on every page to check.

This copper river bag has kind of caught my eye.

image


can somebody tell me where to buy this ?
 
Not so sure on this some bad reviews saying in a month or two time looks tatty and old, one even mentions holes in the corner after a month.
Can you let me know you thoughts after arrival and after a few days of use please?

I think those reviews were mostly about the brown faux leather one. I searched through for all of the reviews on the grey felt ones and the only questionable one I found said that it's a pretty tight fit.
 
item17-large.jpg

Just purchased a custom made Rickshaw iPad 2 bag and it's amazing! Fits my iPad gen 3 in the front pocket and is capable of fitting an 11inch Air in the main pocket with an organizer pouch and an additional notebook. They also offer 4 sizes in their other messenger bag if you have a 13inch or a retina. You can customize the exterior and lining and they offer waterproof material to keep your Apple gear dry. Mine is the grey performance tweed exterior with a waterproof lining and I've gotten tons of compliments from friends and co-workers.

I've had mine for a little over 2 weeks now and absolutely love it.
Flawless craftsmanship and an awesome site for apple product bags and custom sleeves as well!

Cheers!
 
Last edited:
I really want an envelop-style sleeve/case mainly because of that magical moment when Steve Jobs introduces the original MBA back in the days.

Any good recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Can't really recommend any since i haven't tried one.. But looking at the simplicity of that kind of sleeve, i suppose any will do, like these or these ? Those on Amazon seems to also have some reviews...
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I agree with the notes on byrd & belle. I found them on 'Put this On' last year and I have this one and my brother has one of their iPad sleeves.

MacBook-Air-sleeve-patch-ss-grey-felt-brown-leather-3.jpg


Really good price too considering the materials and that it's made in the US. www.byrdandbelle.com
 
I've just ordered this one from Etsy - I just really love the 'soft' quality of fabric sleeves (Berties Closet is nice too, so is PochetteGavotte in London) but the leather strap really does it on this one.

il_570xN.372954597_l84z.jpg
 
Just an update to tell you the sleeve looks better now than it did a year ago. The fit is still perfect and I couldn't imagine not having it.

I bought the 11" version of this leather sleeve from Alex on Etsy and it is pure sex. It is readily apparent that this sleeve is crafted with love by an artisan and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I would recommend it wholeheartedly.
 
Image
Just purchased a custom made Rickshaw iPad 2 bag and it's amazing! Fits my iPad gen 3 in the front pocket and is capable of fitting an 11inch Air in the main pocket with an organizer pouch and an additional notebook. They also offer 4 sizes in their other messenger bag if you have a 13inch or a retina. You can customize the exterior and lining and they offer waterproof material to keep your Apple gear dry. Mine is the grey performance tweed exterior with a waterproof lining and I've gotten tons of compliments from friends and co-workers.

I've had mine for a little over 2 weeks now and absolutely love it.
Flawless craftsmanship and an awesome site for apple product bags and custom sleeves as well!

Cheers!

That's one of the nicest bags I've seen yet. How certain are you about it being able to accommodate an 11" MBA? Would you be able to post a photo with an MBA fitted inside?

Thank you for posting, I'm checking out the Rickshaw website now. :)
 
That's one of the nicest bags I've seen yet. How certain are you about it being able to accommodate an 11" MBA? Would you be able to post a photo with an MBA fitted inside?

Thank you for posting, I'm checking out the Rickshaw website now. :)

I've got the iPad messenger bag which is, to my knowledge, the smallest messenger bag they offer but it's rather quite roomy for my needs. Just because I don't own a MBA, I stuck my clunky MBP 13" in it. I want to note that I don't travel with my MBP really anymore and rely on my iPad. It's a tight fit for the MBP but the MBA 11 will fit in there nicely with additional space. I even went to Bestbuy and asked an associate if it was okay to test putting the demo MBA 11 in because I'll be picking one up later this month and really want to use this bag to carry it around. Even with the security cable still on, it fit in perfectly! (I also had my work shirt folded up at the bottom though I don't think this is possible doing for a regular MBP 13) Theres enough space to add a notebook or folder for classes if you wanted to once you've got the MBA and an iPad stored in it. I got the nice little organizer that velcros inside to hold my pens, business cards, charging cables and whatnot.

As far as if you wanted even more space, you can pick up their medium or large sized Zero Messenger bag which essentially is the same thing as the iPad Messenger bag, just bigger and has the option to have a dedicated laptop sleeve.

Here's a pic off Rickshaw's site. The bag they've selectively colored is the Zero Small which is the same size as the iPad Messenger. The two next to it are the Medium and Large!
smallzerosize_9.png


The thing I liked most about the bag was the option for waterproofing since I bike everywhere to get around and keeping my iPad and notepad/lunch/etc dry is always a great thing to have. The drawstrap on the shoulder is helpful too because I often find myself loosening it up to hang lower when I'm just walking around and then tightening it up so it won't move when I'm on my bike.

Here's a few pics I took if you wanted to see. I apologize about the orientation of the images. Posted these on the go. Hope it helps!

I'm looking at picking up a custom Rickshaw MBA 11 sleeve when I pick mine up this month!

P.S. If I can get a hold of my buddy who owns a MBA 11 and has it in a Twelvesouth BookBook case to try it's fit out in this bag, I'll definitely post pictures.

P.S.S I totally forgot to mention they have a 30 day guarantee and lifetime warranty which is kind of what made buying this bag on a whim a lot easier. They say if you don't absolutely love the bag for any reason (be it the colors you chose, size or whatnot) then you can return it and get a refund. In my order, they already supplied a return sticker if I wanted so shipping back is already paid for by them. As for the lifetime warranty, if there's wear on your bag over time and you find stitching coming loose, you can send it to them to get repaired for free.

image-2.jpeg

image-1.jpeg

image.jpeg

image-3.jpeg

image-4.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Tom Bihn Ristretto 13

I originally thought I just wanted a small sling or sleeve and picked up the Incase Sing Sleeve, but found it smaller than I expected or wanted. I decided to go with a familiar friend, the Tom Bihn Ristretto 13.

I originally found Tom Bihn when I was searching for bags for the original iPad. The original Ristretto for iPad quickly became one of my favorite bags of all time. I liked the bag so much that even after I got rid of it (when I sold my iPad), I turned to Tom Bihn for my every day bag (Medium Cafe Bag). I have found their bags to be well made, sturdy, and extremely versatile. After the Incase sleeve did not work out, I went with something I was pretty sure would.

The "new" Ristretto has an updated design and appears to use sturdier/stiffer version of their ballistic nylon (in comparison to their Cafe bags).
rgxe.jpg


Part of the redesign or at least in comparison to my original iPad Ristretto, is the use of the Dyneema "ultralight" nylon for the interior. This sturdy material helps keep the bag light, but does not sacrifice anything in terms of strength or quality.
pqgx.jpg


Another update in the redesign is the zippered compartment. The previous Ristretto had this section opened and was only covered by the flap. The problem with the old design is that items in that compartment could easily fall out in cases where the bag was upside down or tilted. The new design solves that problem, but keeps same organizational features.
b9ks.jpg


Inside the main compartment we have two sections. The rear compartment is the padded section for a 13" MBA. The front compartment is equally as deep and useful for notebooks, books, and other things. It also has three "O" rings that can been used to to clip keys or any of the Tom Bihn pouches.
64hs.jpg

0yfa.jpg


The rear of the bag includes a slash pocket that can be used for magazines or documents. There are also rings here to attach the waist strap (included, but I removed it). I should also mention that the Tom Bihn "Absolute" strap is one of the most comfortable straps I have ever used. It really makes larger loads much easier to bear. If you buy any Tom Bihn messenger and have an option to get the "Absolute" strap, I highly recommend it.
8ei7.jpg
 
I just went ahead and bought a Knomo Envelope Case (Brown) for my 13" MBA. I bought it from Knomo's eBay outlet store for £21.00 (incl. postage).

The reviews seem good. The only negative seems to be the back of the poppers on the inside of the case may potentially scratch the MBA. I thought I would stick some felt to the back of them to prevent this.

It does say it will have some cosmetic defects, but since it's meant to be genuine leather, this should add to the "character" of it. Since I'm paying less than half price of what it should retail for, I can live with that. I they're excessive I can return it per their guarantee.

There are a few more left here.
 
Anyone know of any matte snap-on cases for the 13" that cover the apple logo? Like this one, but less fragile (that Incipio case is getting some pretty bad reviews).
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Anyone know of any matte snap-on cases for the 13" that cover the apple logo? Like this one, but less fragile (that Incipio case is getting some pretty bad reviews).

You are looking for a case where the Apple logo does not shine through, correct? Not exactly matte plastic, but the STM Grip is solid and does not allow the logo to shine through and also has microfiber lining to protect the mac.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
So I bought a MacBook Air 11 inch on Saturday, and I want to know how I should protect it. I bought the Speck Hardshell case for it, but I'm not so sure about it. I am wanting to resell it next year, and my concern with the speck case is I've had a hardshell on two other MacBooks, and even though I cleaned out the case a lot, it damaged both of them over time because stuff still got inside and put little marks on the inside. Does the Speck hardshell protect against dents, especially because the 11 inch hardshell feels a lot thinner and more flimsy then the one I have for my 15 inch with retina display? If I were to use something else besides the speck, what do you recommend? I'm also thinking about getting the best skins ever, especially if the speck doesn't actually protect against dents, but I am still a little worried about dents.
 
So I bought a MacBook Air 11 inch on Saturday, and I want to know how I should protect it. I bought the Speck Hardshell case for it, but I'm not so sure about it. I am wanting to resell it next year, and my concern with the speck case is I've had a hardshell on two other MacBooks, and even though I cleaned out the case a lot, it damaged both of them over time because stuff still got inside and put little marks on the inside. Does the Speck hardshell protect against dents, especially because the 11 inch hardshell feels a lot thinner and more flimsy then the one I have for my 15 inch with retina display? If I were to use something else besides the speck, what do you recommend? I'm also thinking about getting the best skins ever, especially if the speck doesn't actually protect against dents, but I am still a little worried about dents.

I believe Speck has two types of shells (SmartShell and SeeThru). The SmartShell is 30% lighter so you may have gotten that version for the MBA and the SeeThru for the rMBP. As for the protection they provide, it all depends on the user. I consider shells for scratch and light bump protection.

I would like to also add that I have never had a MacBook scratched due to a shell case installed. If you are still skeptical try a skin or maybe the STM Grip I linked above (shell case with microfiber lining).
 
From apple store.

Brenthaven Collins Sleeve Plus for MacBook $49.95

Thank you to all the pix and links in this thread. Very daunting task trying to find the perfect carry bag.
 

Attachments

  • HA677.jpg
    HA677.jpg
    6.6 KB · Views: 3,041
You are looking for a case where the Apple logo does not shine through, correct? Not exactly matte plastic, but the STM Grip is solid and does not allow the logo to shine through and also has microfiber lining to protect the mac.

That is exactly what I was looking for, however the price is way too high. Just looking for something to cover up the lid - maybe I'll go for a vinyl sticker instead, because honestly those plastic shells are not adding much protection at all anyways.
 
I see next to no-one mentioning packed lunches and water bottles here. Those of you who do not carry a separate bag for those, what's your bag of choice (and for which Air)? I would need about 12x12x15cm for the food and my Klear Canteen takes up another 7x25cm.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.