While waiting for my silvery and shivery cold MacBook Air to come up to room temperature, I decided to let it try on its new Waterfield sleeve!
I purchased Waterfield's horizontal 13-2 sleeve for MacBook Air with the flap, D-rings, strap and piggyback setup. It fits like a well made glove, i.e. not so tight you feel like you'll never get the thing out if you manage to get it in. My experience with the WF sleeves is they ease just a little and will not get all stretched out. This one doesn't seem different on that score.
The little loop at the bottom of the sleeve is great. You can use one finger in the loop to hold the case still, and then slide the book easily out of the sleeve. Because the book is so light you don't feel like you're going to end up dropping it while unsleeving it. The Waterfield logo on the flap closure is stylish but discreet, and the little tab at the bottom of that flap is a very thoughtful touch: you can grab that tab and then will not feel the velcro bite back as you lift or secure the flap.
I like that I got this horizontal sleeve with the flap. I didn't get that for the 12"g4 PB's vertical sleeve because for that I almost always transport the sleeved book in the Vertigo case. So I would zipper that case over top of the exposed edge of the pb in the sleeve. It works well for the vertical carry. But, with the Air book's flapped horizontal case I will end up with fewer cat hairs making their way into the sleeve! That's because I will not usually be taking the Air in anything BUT the sleeve. I don't have much to cart around with the MacBook Air compared to what I usually drag along with the Powerbooks, be that out of habit or real necessity.
Carrying the sleeved MacBook Air on my shoulder feels great, very secure and the strap length is adjustable. I am so happy I got this -- thank you guys in SF!!!
-- and especially that I got the piggyback too. That lets me cart the little bit of extra gear I bought for the machine in its own space, but right along with the book. Running around the house I won't sleeve the book, but having that gear with the sleeve means I know where it is and also that I'm ready to grab and go when I want to go somewhere else.
When I put the Air into its sleeve, set it down, leave the flap open and look down at the edge of the sleeved machine, I really connect to how very thin and yet sturdy the MacBook Air is at that front edge. Seriously, the closed MacBook Air's edge is skinner than my iPhone is. No wonder the machine feels as light as a couple of legal pads when I pick it up!
Now I also bought the Waterfield Cosmo bag (medium) when I bought the Air's sleeve. That's going to be borrowed sometimes by the 15" Powerbook which has a different sleeve of its own. Anyway, the Air's sleeve strap can be detached, then the sleeved Air book fits fine in the Cosmo with room for other gear. The Cosmo has its own shoulder strap as well as carry handles, and the strap ends are offset to D-rings on opposite sides of the bag for a very comfortable carry.
The Cosmo and the medium size Cableguy pouch that rounded out my Waterfield purchase this time are made with the same attention to detail that I have learned to expect after getting the Vertigo bag and sleeve setup for the 12" powerbook. I'm a happy camper again with my new Waterfield stuff!
