About two months ago I dropped some of my hard earned cash on brand new (now the old body) 15-inch Macbook Pro.  On occasion I hit up my local coffee shop, which requires me to pack up my stuff, laptop included, and go mobile.  You’re gonna cringe when you read this, but for about a few months I was wrapping my computer in some left over bubble wrap and tossing it in my bike bag.  Awful, I know.  So after many precarious to and fro carries to the coffee shop I decided it was time I protect my investment.  What I ended up with is by far the best and most sturdy laptop sleeve I’ve ever crossed paths with: The Vyper M2 from Booq bags.

I looked at all the other cases on the market and they all seemed to be rebranded versions of the same Neoprene sleeve.  Not so with the Vyper M2.  It’s crafted of Ballistic Nylon, which is more or less marketing speak for a semi hard case made of tightly wound Nylon.  The outer casing is rigid enough that you can achieve a ‘knock’, but flexible in that its not like carrying a college book in your bag.  On the inside is a soft and somewhat thin layer of padding, but matched with the hard outer shell it is suffice to say that the Vyper M2 might just protect a laptop down a short flight of stair, or at the very least narrow coffee shop doorway.

My only complaint about the Vyper M2 is that there isn’t much padding surrounding the circumference of the actually laptop.  So in the event of a bump in the correct spot one might incur some damage, but it is worth noting that the Nylon material is much thicker in this area adding an extra layer of protection not found on the large sides of the case.

Aesthetically speaking the Vyper M2 is dead match for Apple snobs.  It doesn’t scream ‘look at me’ with any frilly designs and incorporates a small and subtle orange tag that actually adds a certain refinement not found on most sleeves.  Since it’s a zipper based sleeve you won’t have to cope with any glaring views that are often associated with velcro sleeves (think tearing noise).

Pros:

• Sturdy semi-hard case that fits 15-inch Macbook Pro like a glove
• Aesthetically beautiful; a perfect match for an Apple snob
• Zipper, not Velcro

Cons:

• Slightly heavier than an average sleeve
• Doesn’t fold up for storage purposes
• Padding a little thin

Available here for $30