Timbuk2 Zip Laptop Sleeve Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently received the Google Chrome Cr-48 Notebook, which is a 12.1"' notebook, and I wanted to get a very basic protective sleeve for it. After a few misses, I finally settled on the Timbuk2 Zip Laptop Sleeve.
PROS:
- Light weight
- Excellent build
- Protects against scratches
CONS:
- Difficult to determine proper size
I tried two neoprene sleeves before the Timbuk2 because they were advertised as being suitable for 12.1'" notebooks. Not so much. Both the Toshiba and Case Logic sleeves I tried were too small for the Cr-48. The Toshiba wouldn't fit at all and the Case Logic was so tight that the zipper teeth were dangerously close to the casing of the laptop. I remembered that Timbuk2 had a nice selection of sleeves so I decided to give them a try. Apparently, Timbuk2 has decided to offer a variety of sleeves for iPads and Kindles, but they now only sell ONE sleeve for notebooks, albeit in different colors and sizes. I was hoping to avoid zippers for fear of scratching the laptop and I remembered Timbuk2 having envelope-style sleeves. Unfortunately, they no longer make them for notebooks so I went ahead and got the Zip Laptop Sleeve.
BUILD QUALITY & APPEARANCE
As usual, Timbuk2's build quality is top notch. The stitching is perfect and the YKK zippers open and close smoothly. Alleviating my fears, the design of the zipper is such that the laptop is protected via a stitched lip that prevents the teeth of the zipper from ever coming into contact with your precious notebook. The zipper runs down to about two-thirds of the way down the sides. The interior is made of a felt material and prevents the case from scratches. The exterior material is a ballistic nylon. There is also a quilted pattern on both the outside and inside which might appeal to some, but I would have personally preferred it plain. You do get a choice of colors though.
FEATURES
The Zip Laptop Sleeve is bare bones. There are no pockets, handles or straps. There is also very little padding, which is perfect for me since I have padded bags to toss it in, but if you need something more robust, you should look elsewhere. I've read a lot of sleeve reviews where buyers lament about not having enough padding, pockets, and storage. Personally, I don't expect all of those things from a sleeve. I have a full-on laptop bag if I want to use a dedicated bag. I was looking for something light weight that I could throw into my camera bag, backpack, messenger bag, diaper bag or luggage.
SIZING
The only difficulty I would describe with the Zip Laptop Sleeve is figuring out what size to get for your laptop. Here are the sizes and external dimensions (in inches) below:
SizeWidthHeightDepthWeight
XS11.027.871.180.26
S13.5810.241.380.37
M15.1611.221.380.41
L17.3213.391.380.55
For my Cr-48, I ended up with the small size. It's not a perfect fit as I have about an inch of extra room at the top and about an inch total on the sides. I decided to see if my 14.1'" Dell Inspiron laptop would fit inside of it and it did. In fact, it fit so well that you would've thought it was custom made for that particular laptop. Interestingly, the tag that came on the sleeve describes it as being for 13' laptops. I would say that if you have a notebook from 12.1"' to 14.1"', you'll probably want to get the small with the knowledge that for anything under 13.3"', you'll have some extra room. If you have a 15'"-16"' laptop, you'll definitely want to try the medium. 17"' probably warrants the large sleeve. And finally, anything in the 10"' range should try the extra small. I'm not sure about 11"' screens though.
CONCLUSION
The Timbuk2 Zip Laptop Sleeve is pretty much what I wanted in a sleeve. It's a basic sleeve that I can place my notebook inside of and then throw into another bag of my choosing. It's good for scratch protection and a small amount of impact. If you want more out of a laptop sleeve, you'll have to look elsewhere, but at that point, why not just get a full laptop bag?

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A super lightweight laptop sleeve that protects like its heftier counterparts. Lined with super-soft felt and available in vibrant colors, this sleeve will make a statement in or out of your bag.

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