MacBook Air 11" snap-on cases for travel

[myrtlebee]

I'm wondering if anyone has used any snap-on hard cases for travel on their 11" Air and if they have any to recommend. We've got a few Macs here, and use a Speck SeeThru for the MacBook Pro, but this will be my first time trying a case for the Air. I'm not interested in sleeves or films.

Do they add a noticeable amount of weight to the Air? They do to the Pro - at least the Speck does.

So far, I've got:

http://www.speckproducts.com/macbook-cases/macbook-air/satin-macbook-air-case-11-black.html

http://www.myincipio.com/MacBook-Ai...r-11in-feather-Ultralight-Hard-Shell-Case.asp

I'm looking for the lightest one possible (preferably), top quality (no Ebay Asian knockoffs), and I'd like it in either black or satin clear (not the shiny clear). Nothing decorative, no patterns, etc...

I've had a hit-or-miss time with Speck's quality. My last case from them arrived scratched.

I've read the Incipio is lighter than the Speck, but doesn't allow the Apple logo to shine through. Not a huge deal, but would be nice.

I'd love to hear if anyone has any alternatives! Hopefully this can be useful for other people, too. Thanks.

 

[Souloni]

I use the Speck cover, and I really like it. There are some quirks, but I don't think that's specific to the Speck product.

Review:
Everything snaps in great, and functions well. I can barely tell the difference in size since proportionally the case doesn't add much. The feel of the notebook case is also like a high quality soft rubber.

Pros
- Not loose
- Great feel, slightly grippy
- No fingerprints
- Doesn't interfere with ports
- Logo shines through

Cons
- Top and Bottom cover do not have clips on the front end. This means that there are no clips where you would usually lift the lid of the MBA, and there is a slight amount of flex when you catch the cover rather than the actual lid. The reason there isn't a clip is simply for the comfort of your palms, but there's really no reason not to have top screen clips where it matters most.

Not Sure
- Heat seems to be absorbed by the case, but I am unsure if it prevents air cooling as a result. It is much faster to cool a metal plate than a metal plate covered by plastic. While the heat does transfer, it does appear like there's a maximum amount of absorption and afterwards the metal panel will simply just heat up. This could be a problem with ANY case, even if it has holes at the bottom (unless you use that swiss cheese case).

Overall I love it because it allows me to be less careful with plugging in my USBs or placing things near my MBA.

 

[kwajkat]

I have one of those $10 hard shell plastic ones that protects my 11 from dings etc. I then put it in a grid it sleeve from Cocoon when carrying it. Before I had the grid it sleeve, I put it in a ribbonwork bag and it worked real nice in a backback which was my only piece of luggage when I flew to NE last month. The combination of the shell and the bag was very lightweight. I have the same set up for my ipad although it lives in an Oberon case when I take it anywhere.

I had found the plastic case before I saw the incipio one at the Apple store. As I recall, the incipio one has high marks from ilounge or some other site when I was looking at reviews. ONe final note about the "cheap" plastic one I have is that it protected my mac when it fell off the bed onto the floor so it offers some protection however I wouldn't not depend on it alone.

 

[iLucas]

I have the speck case you described for the 11" Air and i really enjoy it.
The case doesnt add much weight and keeps it well protected.
Souloni did a good job of hitting the pros and cons about it.

 

[myrtlebee]

Wow, thanks guys - I appreciate the detailed responses! Definitely looking forward to reading some more insight

 

[myrtlebee]

ONe final note about the "cheap" plastic one I have is that it protected my mac when it fell off the bed onto the floor so it offers some protection however I wouldn't not depend on it alone.

Where did you get your case?

 

[kwajkat]

I got it off of Amazon and I was wrong about the cost, it is closer to $20. There are different colors and for the different models.

http://www.amazon.com/MYCARRYINGCAS...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1311536673&sr=1-33

For the grid it sleeve:

http://www.cocooninnovations.com/product_info.php?cat_id=72&product_id=229

 

[h00ligan]

I wonder why they specify it is not for tb equipped 13 on their 13" model. Tb just replaced mdp exactly didn't it?

 

[kwajkat]

Actually it looks like the TB slot is abit bigger than the one there now. I would think you could modify the plastic shell quite easily with a knife

 

[myrtlebee]

I got it off of Amazon and I was wrong about the cost, it is closer to $20. There are different colors and for the different models.

http://www.amazon.com/MYCARRYINGCAS...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1311536673&sr=1-33

Thanks! Hmm, I quite like that case actually - the way the logo is entirely cut out is appealing. is it a matte finish or glossy? I can't exactly tell through the pictures although it does appear matte.

 

[nagromme]

I have the Incipio Feather on my iPad, and I really like it. It’s very durable and holds on tightly, and looks nice. Haven’t tried the Air one, but I’m a little tempted just to my Mac and iPad match!

Generally, I don’t see much need to protect the Air. Mu current 13" Air has a very well-padded sleeve/box/case, but I won’t get one for my new 11”. I’ll just stuff the Air in my bag with a shirt around or something. The Air is just so durable and scratch-resistant that I’m no longer interested in adding bulk.

(But snap-on cases are very light and not so bad for bulk.)

 

[SPEEDwithJJ]

Incase also made some hardshell cases:

http://www.goincase.com/products/detail/perforated-hardshell-case-cl57888

 

[myrtlebee]

Generally, I don’t see much need to protect the Air. Mu current 13" Air has a very well-padded sleeve/box/case, but I won’t get one for my new 11”. I’ll just stuff the Air in my bag with a shirt around or something. The Air is just so durable and scratch-resistant that I’m no longer interested in adding bulk.

(But snap-on cases are very light and not so bad for bulk.)

I see what you mean. I would rather not take the chance, though, once the Air is out of it's bag to have it scratched while traveling. I once dropped an iPod Touch on my previous Macbook Pro's top lid and it made a deep shiny ding right by the Apple logo. I was so mad. If I had not only relied on it's bag then it would have never happened. Honestly, I have the kind of luck where something like that will probably happen again so I'd like a case for travel.

Hmm, right now it appears as one for no case or Incipio, one for a generic, and two for Speck... I'm still torn! : p

Incase also made some hardshell cases:

http://www.goincase.com/products/detail/perforated-hardshell-case-cl57888

Eh, I find their quality to be good (love their iPhone/ iPod Touch Sliders), but I'm not a fan of that hole pattern. Thanks though