Show off your personality while giving your laptop some protection.
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Some MacBooks are so slight that you run the risk of throwing them out with the trash. But just because Apple’s laptop is thin, light, and covered in goes-with-everything aluminum doesn’t mean it doesn’t take some knocks in life. After all, it’s designed to travel.
How you protect your MacBook depends on where you’re taking it. A case or a sleeve can offer plenty of protection if you’re constantly jamming your computer into overhead bins on airplanes, but it’s also a convenient way to tote your laptop back and forth from writing sessions at the coffee shop.
Whatever kind of case you choose, you probably want it to show off your personal style or personality while it’s doing its job. There’s also price point to consider since the range of MacBook cases and sleeves goes from less than the taxes you paid on the laptop to more than the price of it once you hit the designer stratosphere.
We’ve put together some of our top choices in MacBook cases and sleeves, many of which should work for your brand-new 13-inch MacBook Air. There are no-nonsense hard cases, bright sleeves with an artistic bent, distinguished-looking leather pouches, cheerful bags, and some futuristic fun among them. So browse through the gallery and if you come across any great finds of your own in your shopping travels, we’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
If you want a leatherbound look, it’s a closed book; you have to get the Twelve South Journal. It gives the MacBook a look that’s reminiscent of a tome in a luxe library.
The BookBook helps the MacBook live up to its name. It’s made of real leather and aged to look like an old tome. There are models for MacBooks of all sizes.
If your 13-inch MacBook Pro goes through the wringer, put it in the Thule Gauntlet. A padded interior keeps your computer cushioned in case of falls.
This bag from SANTIbagsandcases is super handsome and made in Spain. There’s plenty of room for cords and books and papers as well as your 13-inch MacBook Air or Pro.
You personally do not want to look like you’re hammered, but it suits your MacBook. The Incase Hammered Hardshell Case jazzes up the outside of your 11-inch MacBook Air while also keeping it from actually getting dinged.
This TopCase cover gives the 13-inch MacBook Air a dreamy look, but is super practical since it keeps it safe from drops and scratches.
The cheery Speck PixelSleeve has a neoprene exterior and micro-fleece interior for the 11-inch MacBook Air.
The Skinny Sleeve is not only as slim as advertised so that it easily packs into other bags, it has a zipperless closure so it doesn’t nick your 13-inch MacBook (Pro or Air) or anything with which it’s packed.
All that aluminum can be so cold. Warm up your 11-inch MacBook Air with a Blackbox Bamboo Case.
Acme Made bags are perfect for an urban environment in that they’re sleek and stand up to city streets. The brand’s Montgomery Street Sleeve, pays homage to San Francisco and fits 13-inch and 15-inch MacBooks.
Don’t call it a bookbag. This Pop Quiz Backpack is mostly about carrying your MacBook (and your books) in a padded, fleece-lined compartment. It comes in nearly two dozen color and pattern combinations.
A gray exterior with a pop of color inside makes for one put-together Herschel laptop sleeve. The interior is padded and lined in fleece.
You’ve probably noticed that Herschel backpack carriers have a new bag of choice lately. That would be the Fjallraven Kanken Laptop Backpack. Like Herschel’s products, it’s made of rugged canvas and has a padded laptop pocket that holds a 15-inch MacBook Pro.
This canvas sleeve is a cozy home for your 15-inch MacBook Pro. It’s fleece-lined and closes with magnetic fasteners.
Surround your 13-inch MacBook Air with the STM Dux Rugged Case and forget about bumps or scratches. A bumper fully protects the sides and corners and a see-through top and bottom protect the rest from scratches. Textured rubber feet keep it from sliding on slippery surfaces.
The synthetic leather Omoton case doubles as a stand for your 13-inch MacBook Air or Pro to disperse heat for better performance.
Stay golden, fanboy, with this champagne tone 13-inch Versatility case for the MacBook Air.
This Tumi backpack is packed with organizer pockets, including one for jewelry, and has a key leash so you don’t get locked out.
If you’re on the go with your 13-inch MacBook Air or Pro, pack it in the Tumi Rivas Backpack, which offers a spacious interior.
Whether you’re writing a letter to your future self or Googling Michelangelo’s masterpieces, making your 13-inch MacBook look like a slab of marble is a worthy homage. If that’s not your style, there are plenty of other design options.
For the outdoorsy type who still has office work to do, there’s the Filson 24-Hour Briefcase. It has a padded laptop compartment that holds all sizes of MacBooks.
This single-layer faux leather Walnew case doesn’t offer much in the way of protection, but it does feature a slide-out mousepad and work surface. It’s available for all MacBook sizes and in nine colors.
Did you spend so much on your MacBook that you want to save on what you use to carry it in? Amazon Basics has you covered with this laptop sleeve for 13.3-inch MacBooks.
For the days when you want to leave the briefcase behind, the Shinola Full-Grain Leather Portfolio is still an impressive and professional way to carry your 13-inch MacBook. There’s a patch pocket inside for small necessities.
If it’s possible for a laptop case to look cushy, that’s what the Lacdo does. It fits MacBooks of all sizes and comes in five colors, so it’s accomodating, too. And best of all, it’s water-repellent so even if you’re running through the rain, your MacBook stays dry.
The Tomtoc 360° Protective Sleeve has reinforced edges and corners, as well as a cushiony padding bar at the bottom.
Prints, stripes, solids, metallics—the LeSportsac Functional Backpack has them all along with two zipped exterior pockets, one exterior phone pocket that closes with velcro, two exterior side open-top pockets, and of course a padded compartment inside that fits all MacBook sizes.
The Rebecca Minkoff Double Zip Laptop Sleeve is a pebbled carryall that holds a 13-inch MacBook with two exterior pockets to spare.
Keep your 13-inch MacBook cozy and protected with this felt sleeve from Inateck. There’s room for company, too, with an interior pocket that can hold a tablet or magazine and two back pockets for a phone or earbuds.
On the Manhattan Portage case, the city skyline stretches across a neoprene sleeve.
