Recommend a Sleeve

*Yes I have seen sleeve thread, yes it is way too long for me to read entire thing, yes I have spent a lot of time in it though*

I am looking for a basic sleeve for my Sony Vaio Z. Here is what I am envisioning, I will hopefully be getting this sweet laptop backpack for Christmas, which is made for 15-16" laptops, I was not worried about it with the 15.6" DV6, but now with the much smaller Vaio Z, I am... I worry it may bounce around a lot in there, so figure a sleeve will not hurt.

But I want something that will open from the top, so that I can potentially just leave the sleeve in the backpack (really just want something to hold it in place better).

Only thing that looks real promising I have found so far is the BauBau Checkpoint Friendly Sleeve for $20. I have no idea what makes it checkpoint friendly, and I am not necessarily keen on the zipper (would rather a velcro flap or even nothing, seems if it is staying in the bag (likely) the zipper will just increase chance of scratches.

Any recommendations?

I may wait until I have the Vaio and the bag, but I leave on the 9th and not sure that will give me much time to order my sleeve.

 

Waterfield / SF bags are fully customisable & checkpoint friendly. I have one although not something opening from the top. They are a perfect fit and well made. Suggest the shoulder strap option in case you like it so much you want to use it on it's own with a strap messenger style!

SFBags - WaterField Designs - Laptop Bags - Laptop Sleeves - MacBook Air Cases - iPhone 4 Case - iPhone 4 Sleeve - Kindle Case - Droid 2 Case - Magic Trackpad - iPad Case - iPad Sleeve - iPad Bag - Checkpoint Friendly - Travel Cases - Made in USA

 

I saw that, and they look nice. I like the customizing options. But $40 seems a bit steep when others can do it for $20.

Any idea what makes these sleeves "checkpoint friendly". As far as I can tell it is going to have to come out of the sleeve regardless, unless it has a mesh side or something... My understanding anyway.

 

Here's a thing about "checkpoint friendly" and "non-checkpoint friendly" it depends on the security agent who's scanning/searching you. If they feel the need for you to remove the laptop from the "checkpoint friendly" bag, well, then you're going to need to. I mean there are gazillions of bags out there and there's really no way for them to know which is "checkpoint friendly" or not.

In response to your original question, the Zeroshock III bags have gotten a few good reviews from users here, I personally use it where i stick my Z into the sleeve, then place it into my backpack before heading off to class or wherever. The only place you can get it is to import it, however one guy in Texas, i believe, sells them on Ebay, me and a fellow Z owner bought it off him, I think his user is yapXXXX (x represents #'s).

If you want, you can also consider the ZeroShock IV which came out a few months ago with supposedly more protection for the Z, i'm sure you're going to have to find that off ebay too.

edit: you can find pictures of the ZeroShock III bag by searching for it on the ultralong sleeves thread.

 

I got a BauBau sleeve once. I sent it back. It's not poorly constructed, just not up to STM or ZeroShock standards.

Get a STM if you can. Easily a match for ZeroShock for protection, it even has a flap of memory foam that covers the zipper. Thus it's perfect for leaving in another bag and just unzipping the end to slid a laptop in and out. I did that with my Thinkpad but my STM doesn't fit my Z.

So.... I'm using a ZeroShock. It's alright. Not as much side protection as the STM and I really miss being able to slid my laptop in and out. With a ZeroShock you really have to unzip the whole thing to your laptop in and out.

 

What do you mean unzip the whole thing? I never even take out my Zeroshock out of my backpack. I just leave it in there and i slide it in and out (although you have a point about watching for the zipper)

I wonder if anyone has the Zeroshock IV sleeve... is it any better in regards to the side/zipper protection? (the Zeroshock III has adequate zipper protection once the Z is zipped inside, but is it better while slipping it out?)

 

I just got man crafted Wrappers Alcantara after waiting more than 2 months because the material was not available. Now everything seems to be available. It's bit pricey but it does worth the price and waiting time.

iPad case Kindle cover MacBook sleeve iPhone slip case: 11 inch Sony Vaio TZ Sleeves

 

How is it? it actually looks pretty nice... although i really dont want to know the cost to ship to the US

 

It's practical and looks nice n cool, protects my lappy from getting scratched while carrying. It doesn't protect that much when dropping.

Shipping costs around 4GBP.

 

Does it add much to the weight of the laptop?

 

it's about 0.2 LBS

 

The ZeroShock III is a sleeve I purchased but never used as it was designed for standard sized 13" notebooks. As such, there is a gap and I did not find the fit to be optimal although many others live with it.

The sleeve is also relatively bulky.

The Zeroshock IV is significantly thicker and after some research and discussion with the eBay seller offering them, decided that it was not a superior product to the Zeroshock III.

For the record, I have the Zeroshock III, Sony CK2 (leather), SFbags sleeve + strap & the carbon fibre Mach3 case.

 

Thanks everyone. I am looking at the Zeroshock and more likely the STM right now. I like the STM Sleeve but they also have the STM Jacket which I prefer I think, just trying to figure out if it is the same bag with an attachable strap, or if the protection qualities are different.

I do really like this one, but the flap is too large : Spire Boot Laptop Sleeve - 13in, 15in and 17in Laptops - MacBook Pro - RadTech Products.

Which is your favorite?

 

So I have it narrowed down...

1) STM Jacket ($27)
2) STM Glove ($27)
3) Zero Shock III ($28)
4) Brenthaven Hardshell ($39)
5) Brenthaven Trek ($27)

I really like the jacket (#1) because of the removable carry strap, only concern is my #1 goal here is heavy protection. The backpack I am getting is made for larger notebooks, plus it will be a carry on for flying, books and whatnot, so there may be a decent amount of weight pushing on the delicate Z. Which is why I like the Brenthaven (#4) being hardshell [edit: looks like this one will not open vertical].

Though the basic glove has such good reviews, I think I will e-mail STM and ask if the jacket has the same protection. Biggest fear with the brenthaven is that it will not fit .

Want something that will never even leave my backpack (though the option with the jacket having the strap is nice), with the ability to open it vertically (on top) so that I do not have to remove it to slide the laptop out.

 

STM got back to me and said the Jacket provides superior protection (6mm vs 3mm) so I am going to give that a try.

I wish someone made just a simple hard-shell sleeve, no flap nothing fancy, just rest in the backpack, almost like a neoprene case with a hard shell on the outside!

Really like that Brenthaven Trek but they push it for the mac so hard (as opposed to 13.3" notebooks) I was not sure enough it would fit.

 

I went with the STM Jacket, it just arrived today. So far I love it and it fits the Z very nicely. It is not exactly what I was hoping for, it does not open on a top side fully, you have to go around the corner to be able to pull out your notebook (there is a good half-inch or inch on the top side the zipper does not go to). Not a big deal, I think it will pull out of the jacket inside the backpack without much problem.

I will post a full review once I get a little more time with it.

By the way, it looks very sturdy, I am very happy with the cushioning and protection it is going to provide.

 

Yes, you can see that in the photos at the link you provided but, like you, I wouldn't have noticed it unless my attention was drawn to it.

Is it well padded?

 

Yes you can kinda see that, though just because that is where the zippers are does not necessarily mean that is where it ends . But, yes, it ends there!

I think the padding is excellent. I will post a review, though I may wait until I take it overseas in the move with me in a couple weeks.