Thinkpad T420 Sleeve, Keyboard Skin, and Hard Cover Case Recommendations?

Hello all,
While I'm eagerly waiting for my T420 to arrive, I've been doing some research on 14" sleeves, keyboard skins, and hard cover casings because this T420 will be my laptop for the next 5-6 years.

The main concerns I have for the sleeve is that it should have GOOD padding for extensive travel and fit the laptop with the extended 9-cell battery and hard cover casing. But sleeve reviews are sparse. For example here are some 14" sleeves. Can anyone recommend the below sleeves or some other product?

• Lenovo Sleeve 14W: Lenovo - United States
• MyGift 14" Sleeve: Amazon.com: 14 inch Brilliant Butterfly Escape White Floral Notebook Laptop Sleeve Bag Carrying Case for Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba: Electronics (reviews say lack of padding might be an issue)

Also, I am wary of food, dirt, and dust getting UNDER the keyboard and INTO the machine. Can anyone recommend a good keyboard skin for the T420? My concern is that a generic keyboard skin, which are quite popular on the web, will trap condensation and not fit the T420 keyboard perfectly.

Lastly, to prevent scratches and preserve resale value down the road, can anyone recommend a good hard cover casing for the T420? I am very unfamiliar with this type of product and my sister has a Speck casing for her Macbook, but I am unaware of a similar product for the T420.

 

personally, i think having a keyboard skin will defeat the pleasure of using your brand new thinkpad's keyboard, as everyone know thinkpad is famous because of their outstanding keyboard.. but that's just my personal preference...

not sure if i ever come across any hard cover casing for t4x0.. but i could be wrong.. i'm sure if you have a good sleeve cover it will preserve your notebook well...

 

The best sleeve IMO (but pricey), is the WaterField SleeveCase which can be bought at SF Bags. I did a quick search for your T420, but you may need to e-mail Gary for your specific sizing as it isn't listed at the moment. There are videos on the page which you can check out.

I bought one about 5 years ago for my T43 and another for my X201s. The design hasn't changed, which says a lot (sorta like ThinkPads).

 

All I can say is I'd stay away from this one. I bought one, assuming it was adapted for the T420's size. It's not. It's designed for the previous generation, and therefore has a too long short edge.

 

Thanks. I am intrigued. I emailed Gary about the T420 fitting. Only T410 models are listed and I know that T420 is sized differently (16x9 aspect unlike T410's 16x10 aspect)

Good point. I have decided to opt out of the hard cover casing and get a good sleeve with dependable padding.

However for the keyboard, my sister suggested that I get a Keyboard Skin and Shaggy Mat instead (protects the LCD from keyboard impressions and dust). If the Skin doesn't work out and I miss the intimate Thinkpad keyboard experience, I'll simply remove the Skin. On a side note, does anyone recommend any good keyboard skins and monitor mats?

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I was wondering why it was cheaper relative to other brands, and this is probably why.

What do you think of this ebay product also? ZeroShock seems to be recommended on Thinkpad forums. ZEROSHOCK IV LAPTOP SLEEVE LENOVO THINKPAD EDGE E420 - eBay (item 220773890039 end time May-22-11 20:41:27 PDT)

And this one comes with a carrying pouch for the adapter: Lenovo Thinkpad T410 T410S 14 Laptop Notebook Case Bag | eBay

 

There is some justification. Notably, it prevents key shine and prevents gunk from getting into the keys. But then, at end of life you can just a new keyboard and sell it.

 

Agreed. I have lots of "gunk" about and "greasy hands" so I'm doing whatever I can to protect my precious keyboard. :O

Plus a new Keyboard costs ~$60 which is considerably more expensive than a Skin, I assumed.