Laptop sleeve suggestions

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hurog · #31 Post by **hurog** » Wed May 18, 2005 12:17 am

Anyone had personal experience with the Vyper? I've read mixed reviews.

I bought a Booq Vyper (sixe large, I think) for my 15" T42p. It's a good looking case, and well made, with nice high density foam. However, it doesn't fit the laptop very well - there a fair bit oof extra space, and I don't like my laptop slapping around in the sleeve. The sleeve is also molded to shape - and would fit a far fatter laptop than the thinkpad. So, when stuffing in a backpack or other secondary bag, you're faced with this large, fat, bulky object, which sort of defeats the point of spending a bunch of money for a svelte thinkpad. I'm giving mine to a friend who got Dell'd!

#32 Post by **aamsel** » Wed May 18, 2005 12:18 am

Another happy Waterfield Sleevecase owner here.
Their customer service is second to none.
At one point, I had ordered and received my Sleevecase with flap, piggyback and strap from them, assuming that I was going with a T Series, but I was still undecided on which notebook I wanted. (I thought I might go with X Series, wasn't sure.)

I emailed them and told them that I had not used the Sleevecase, but I was not decided on my notebook.
Gary replied that I could return it whenever I liked for refund or exchange!
I replied and asked him when the final date would be for that refund or exchange, and he replied "anytime" as long as it was unused!!
Unbelieveable, IMHO, I have NEVER had a merchant tell me that I could get a refund at ANY TIME!!

Anyhow, I have since decided on T Series, so I kept what I originally ordered.

Andrew
Austin, TX

emorphien · #33 Post by **emorphien** » Wed May 18, 2005 12:20 am

hurog wrote:
Anyone had personal experience with the Vyper? I've read mixed reviews.
I bought a Booq Vyper (sixe large, I think) for my 15" T42p. It's a good looking case, and well made, with nice high density foam. However, it doesn't fit the laptop very well - there a fair bit oof extra space, and I don't like my laptop slapping around in the sleeve. The sleeve is also molded to shape - and would fit a far fatter laptop than the thinkpad. So, when stuffing in a backpack or other secondary bag, you're faced with this large, fat, bulky object, which sort of defeats the point of spending a bunch of money for a svelte thinkpad. I'm giving mine to a friend who got Dell'd!

You call the 15" T4xp svelte? That's good! I'm going on faith with it since I've only handled a 14" T40

It doesn't seem that big, with the taper and whatnot. Much thinner and lighter than my 15" Dell. (80% as thick assuming the T is 1.4" thick, 75%ish the weight).

I think I'm gonna have to go with the Waterfield here, although Case Logic has a cheap $20 thing I might use just for padding in some situations in addition to the Waterfield. Gotta accessorize (money hole

).

hurog · #34 Post by **hurog** » Wed May 18, 2005 12:30 am

You call the 15" T4xp svelte?

Yeah, kind of silly of me isn't it? However, the thinkpad feels like a much smaller system. It's very thin, and quite light. One thing that always surprises me is that the flexview screen seems to account for a surprising percentage of the thickness and weight of the whole system. When it's open it feels (subjectively) very thin. I strongly considered buying the 14", but I don't travel all that often, and I LOVE the larger screen for extended work sessions (I'm a full-time nerd). Best of luck with yours!

asiafish · #35 Post by **asiafish** » Wed May 18, 2005 4:04 pm

Get the Waterfield, I have one for my 14" T42p that I liked so much, I bought another for my PowerBook.

EatMorGlue · #36 Post by **EatMorGlue** » Wed May 18, 2005 9:58 pm

Thanks for the input folks. Before posting last night I had already pre-ordered the 14" model of the Vyper, slated for a late-June release. This morning I cancelled it, ordered a WaterField, which shipped this afternoon. Should be here by the end of the week.

#37 Post by **aamsel** » Thu May 19, 2005 12:12 am

Good deal.
You absolutely can not buy a nicer sleeve.

I assume that you bought the horizontal orientation with flap, piggyback and strap?

Andrew
Austin, TX

EatMorGlue · #38 Post by **EatMorGlue** » Thu May 19, 2005 8:06 am

Naw, I got the verticle orientation with just the flap... I tote my TP around in a bookbag.

EatMorGlue · #39 Post by **EatMorGlue** » Sun May 22, 2005 1:02 am

Bumped for the duplicate thread, and also to say that I received my WaterField sleeve Friday.

What can I say? It definitely lives up to the hype. I got a verticle sleeve w/flap for my 14" T42, and the fit is snug. The cushioning is thin and soft but sturdy — on your dominant hand, push the tips of your thumb and pinky together and poke the muscle at the base of your thumb — it feels similar to that. The craftsmanship is superb; I couldn't find a stitch out of place, and yes, I have that much time on my hands.

It fits great in my backpack with plenty of room left for the AC adapter and books. I fit three paperbacks and three hardbacks, average length ~350 pages, and of average (i.e. not textbook) dimensions. I probably wouldn't put much more in there (if not for lack of room, then for the weight of it all), but my backpack isn't one of those ginormous, multi-compartment ones anyways. The magazine pocket on the back of the sleeve worked great for keeping articles I photocopied at the library, and it kept them from getting all mushed or wrinkled like they might have had they been sitting in the bookbag unprotected.

I couldn't recommend a more practical solution for students lugging their laptops around campus, or anyone lugging their laptop anywhere. Overall, it was well worth the money spent. Customer service was great; shipping was speedy.

Add one more to the list of very satisfied WaterField customers.

Asphalt · #40 Post by **Asphalt** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 8:59 pm

Just for reference, I just purchased a Booq PowerSleeve 15 for my 15-inch T43p with 9-cell extended battery. It fits beautifully!
Originally I was worried that the fit might be a little too tight with the extended battery, but it turned out to be perfectly snug.

emorphien · #41 Post by **emorphien** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 9:54 pm

I've ordered the waterfield 17 horizontal with all the fixin's.

anthony · #42 Post by **anthony** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 11:11 pm

Since I'm such a klutz, I think I'd like something hardsided.

kaplanfx · #43 Post by **kaplanfx** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 11:41 pm

aamsel wrote: I assume that you bought the horizontal orientation with flap, piggyback and strap?

Ok so I have put the waterfield at the top of my list. I want the same configuration you spoke of but I have a few q's. For the t42 14.1 inch will the 14 inch be the correct size sleeve. And the other point that i haven't found any info on, is the piggyback detachable? I want the piggy for when im just caying the laptop, but I will put the accessories in my messenger bag when I am toting the laptop on business so its really only an option if its detachable.

-kaplanfx

Blackbox · #44 Post by **Blackbox** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:22 am

can't believe nobody's mentioned zeroshock sleeves. They're touted as being the most resistant to impacts and are only $30. What got me is that not only are they padded, but feature a wired frame to protect the laptop, and aren't bulky. I'll give impressions once I get mine. They have interior & exterior dimensions at the link I posted.

anthony · #45 Post by **anthony** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 5:33 am

kaplanfx · #46 Post by **kaplanfx** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:17 am

Yeah bump, I know tons of you have this case, can no one tell me if the piggy back is detechable, and approximately how much stuff it can hold (can it hold AC adapter, mini mouse, av cables, ultrabay drive (T42) and some cd's/DVD's all at once).

-kaplanfx

ender188 · #47 Post by **ender188** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 12:46 pm

I just ordered a waterfield sleeve for my X32. It hasn't arrived yet, but I spoke with the company - the piggyback is detachable. You can even order it separately from the sleeve (as long as you get the D rings and strap). That's my plan, I did not order it initially - but I may down the road.

I'll try to post pictures of the sleeve to the X series forum next week.

kaplanfx · #48 Post by **kaplanfx** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 1:43 pm

Thanks! sounds like I will be ordering one soon as well.

-kaplanfx

anthony · #49 Post by **anthony** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 9:32 pm

Blackbox wrote:can't believe nobody's mentioned zeroshock sleeves. They're touted as being the most resistant to impacts and are only $30. What got me is that not only are they padded, but feature a wired frame to protect the laptop, and aren't bulky. I'll give impressions once I get mine. They have interior & exterior dimensions at the link I posted.

I really like the design of these and the specs. Sure wish they had a cooler look.... The black would be cool enough if not for the white piping. Can't wait for your report. Maybe they're not as Austin Powers as they look. What size did you get for that size TP?

Yes, I'm that shallow.

anthony · #50 Post by **anthony** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 5:47 am

Hi. I haven't seen any posts about this one from Bitolithic. It got my vote (and my order today). They are made for Apple/Mac products, but should work with the 14.1" Thinkpad. I checked with the company, and measurements for the 14.1" iBook version are 32.3 cm x 25.9cm x 3.42cm. It ships from Australia, so I haven't go my hands on it yet. But at 7.95, the shipping seemed reasonable. Plus they take PayPal.

enjoy!

asiafish · #51 Post by **asiafish** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:54 pm

The Piggyback is fairly large, perhaps 8 inches by 4 inches, and can easily hold the AC adapter, a few CDs and perhaps a mouse. I keep my iPod in there along with a few cables and a voice recorder, and sometimes even cram in an extra battery.

I just wish my sleeve was the newer one with the magazine pocket, otherwise I still love it.

By the way, my case is the horizontal for the 14" T42p, but I also have the verticle 12" for my PowerBook. The horizontal (obviously) is a better all-around case, but for backpack use get the verticle, its worlds better.

Doltan · #52 Post by **Doltan** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:07 pm

http://www.sjdesign.com/laptrap.html

Recently got a laptrap for the 15" thinkpad. Fits just nice even with the extended battery. You can work on it also without taking out your laptop, and it has some (not too big) storage compartment for your accessories. It can function as a bag by itself, so is useful if you just need to bring out your laptop, but it would be quite a bit bulkier compared to a sleeve, if you want to stuff it into a backpack.

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