Does the travel cover provide enough rigidity in X301?

[domi]

I would like to remove the optical drive from my new X301, because I don't need such a thing. I thought the travel cover (42X5137) would have been included with the unit, but unfortunately it was not the case. Does it provide enough rigidity to the bottom of the X301? Or would I be better off putting the 2nd three-cell battery (42T4642), although I don't really need one? The travel cover would result in a marginal weight saving and be of course much cheaper. The 2nd battery would be more expensive, but also provide extra battery and perhaps "rigidify" the X301, right? Are these replacements a tighter fit than the optical drive (there's a clear gap between the bottom of the drive and the bottom of the X301)? Thanks!

[Harryc]

My opinion is that the optical drive provides no rigidity to the X301. Honestly I can't see the optical drive in an X301 weighing that much either, so why remove it?. You just never know when you might need it. A battery would totally defeat the weight loss proposition because it would weigh much more than an optical drive. If you need the extra battery capacity then that's another story.

[erik]

having owned multiple X300 and X301 systems i can say that the travel cover doesn't add or remove anything structurally.   the optical drive is flimsy by itself and all protection for it is provided by the chassis.

the ODD doesn't weigh a whole lot but does make noise every time it's accessed and draws power.   you will also gain a bit of battery life by removing it.   the weight savings may only be 0.2 lbs but it's noticeable.   the travel bezel and 3-cell main battery puts the overall weight under 3 lbs.

in my experience, removing the ODD is a benefit to those who don't need them all the time.   it's easy enough to switch them back if necessary.