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Ivy Liscomb is a writer for the PC and networking team. She has spent dozens of hours over several weeks testing USB drives. Laptop Carrying Cases
We’ve revamped this guide with new picks.
Laptops are expensive, and if you’re worried about drops, scuffs, and spills, a laptop sleeve can give you an extra layer of protection between your $1,000 machine and the cold, hard ground. We’ve researched and tested dozens of laptop sleeves to find a variety of styles that will suit you whether you’re looking for fun, function, or both.
Before you buy a laptop sleeve, consider if you actually need one. Most backpacks, messenger bags, tote bags, and briefcases already have a protective slot for your laptop. If you carry your laptop outside of a bag, a laptop sleeve might be what you need—but if you’re carrying a backpack anyway, it might not.
This sleeve has a snug fit, a thick protective lining, and a pocket for smaller chargers and cords.
The Tomtoc Defender A13 Laptop Sleeve is an affordable sleeve that fits laptops better and offers more protection than most other similarly priced options. It closes snugly around a variety of 13-inch laptops, keeping them locked firmly in place, and it might even be on the tighter side if you have a thicker laptop. Due to its thick, cushioned corners and plushly protective interior, the Defender A13 takes up a little more space than sleeker sleeves, but we felt confident our laptops were safe from most drops, spills, and scratches.
It’s budget-friendly and tough. The Defender A13 is a great option for people looking for a simple sleeve that doesn’t break the bank. It includes a small pocket for carrying a few extras, and it’s available in a variety of colors and sizes. The stiff, marled texture of the exterior gives enough grip that you’re unlikely to drop it, but it shouldn’t feel rough or uncomfortable if you’re walking around campus with it in your hands all afternoon. It also features a zipper from YKK, a brand well-known for its durability and reliability.
You don’t need to worry about your laptop getting wet. The Defender A13’s stiff fabric is more water-resistant than that of some of our other picks. When we sprayed it with a few blasts from a spray bottle, the water beaded on the surface and rolled right off, and the interior even stayed dry when we dropped it briefly in a simulated puddle. This should be plenty of protection if you have to run from your car and into a coffee shop during a rain shower.
The front pocket on the Defender A13 can fit a MacBook charger, but this sleeve is too thin to carry more than one or two small items. If you’re using the Defender A13 within a backpack, you’d probably find it easier to pack your accessories in other pockets. We also came across a few Acer laptops in our testing that were either a tight squeeze or prevented the sleeve from properly zipping shut; if your laptop is on the thicker side, or you have a big bulky charger to pack, we’d recommend sizing up.
This bag has all the features of the sleeve above, plus a strap and bigger external pockets for accessories.
The Tomtoc Defender A42 Laptop Briefcase is perfect for people who want to bring some basic accessories along with their laptop. It’s much more accommodating than its sleeve counterpart. The two protruding front pockets include handy storage organizers for pens, ID, cords, and even a short strap for an AirTag or keys to keep them from getting lost in the bottoms of the pockets. It also has an open rear compartment for thinner items, like documents or a portable keyboard. It has a simple, easy-to-use strap and a handle, giving you options for carrying, and the corners are thickly reinforced.
It can easily fit a few basic work essentials. We were able to fit a Logitech K380 keyboard, a Bluetooth mouse, a bulky charger, and some smaller items like pens or styluses into the pockets of the Defender A42 with no problem. You could probably fit a small notebook in the rear pocket as well.
It’s water-resistant. The Defender A42 also stood up to our water test with flying colors. Pretend rain beaded right off the front and didn’t soak through the thinner front pockets. When we dropped it into a shallow puddle, no dampness whatsoever was found on the interior—it didn’t even soak into the faux fur lining the laptop compartment.
This is definitely a bulkier sleeve and would not fit in many shoulder bags and purses. The Defender A42 is meant to be used on its own rather than slipped into another bag. It can also run a little tight, so if your laptop is on the thicker side or on the edge of a larger size, we suggest sizing up to make sure your device fits into the armored corners.
Water-resistant and slim, this sleeve is ideal for people who want to avoid scratches and dents but don’t need high-grade protection.
The Bagsmart Laptop Sleeve is budget-friendly, but it delivers several premium features. The fabric on the outside has a nice quilted effect that is soft and easy to hold on to (though our testers said the black version was slightly lint-prone), and the zippers felt sturdy and smooth.
It’s weather and puddle-resistant. Our simulated rain rolled right off the outside of the case and the zippers—not the industry-standard YKK brand—didn’t let any water inside the laptop compartment when dunked directly into a test puddle. The faux fur inside also stayed fuzzy and dry throughout testing.
It’s a slightly looser fit. The Bagsmart sleeve was a little roomy for the laptops we were testing with, but it wasn’t loose enough that we were worried the laptop would shift around inside, and that extra room actually gives you some leeway to put things in the tight front pocket without straining the case. We were able to pack a bulky Lenovo charger into the front pocket of the Bagsmart sleeve and still close the laptop inside the main compartment, all without straining the zipper. A tip from our testers: If your sleeve has a shallow front pocket, it is much easier to put your charger or accessories into the pocket first and then load the laptop in second.
It’s easy to fit in a bag. The Bagsmart sleeve’s profile is very slim, which makes it ideal for tote bags and backpacks.
But its thinness comes at the price of lower protection. The corners of the Bagsmart sleeve are not nearly as padded as our top picks, and we would not recommend carrying it around outside of a bag for extended periods due to the lack of drop protection. We’re confident it would stand up to everyday bumps however, including being jostled around in a bag with water bottles and other items.
Featuring the designs of countless artists, laptop sleeves sold by Society6 have a sturdy construction that should protect your laptop from bumps, though at a premium price.
If you’re looking for a simple, soft sleeve that comes in an almost limitless number of designs, we like the Society6 Laptop Sleeve. It’s constructed with stiff canvas-style polyester, which protects against dust, scratches, and bumps. The material is thick and padded and seemed able to withstand a good smack and maybe even a light drop. The Society6 sleeves also include an industry-standard YKK zipper.
It comes in nearly every design you can think of. Artists can use the site as a platform to have their work printed on dozens of items, including these sleeves, which means you can choose from literally thousands of possible prints. And if you like an artist who already sells on Society6, it’s a good way to support them and show off their work. As a challenge, we chose a painting from the 1700s by Canaletto, and it looked pretty good; due to the thicker canvas-like weave the picture came out a little low-res, but this may be due to the digital image the seller chose, and this probably isn’t a problem with less complicated designs.
It’s not very splash-friendly. The Society6 sleeve was able to stand up against the rain test, though water did not bead off the front. Instead, it soaked into the front layer of the case, not reaching the main compartment. It failed the puddle dunk test, however, letting a good amount of water through the zipper.
It doesn’t have extra storage space. The sleeve’s design is printed on both sides, so it doesn’t have pockets. You have to pack chargers and accessories separately, since packing accoutrements in the main compartment with the laptop risks pressure damage to the laptop screen, along with dents and scratches to the shell. The Society6 sleeve has a slightly loose fit, but the substantial microfiber lining should keep your laptop from moving too much.
If you want a MacBook-specific case: The Incase Compact Sleeve with Flight Nylon for 13″ MacBook & 13″ MacBook Air lives up to its name—it doesn’t really fit any laptop other than a MacBook. We liked the construction and fit for our Apple models but also found that the nylon material was scratchy, staticky, and noisy.
If you’re looking for a sleek, chic sleeve (and budget isn’t a consideration): The Bellroy Laptop Sleeve was the best-looking sleeve we tested this round, but its price and sacrifices on protection kept it from being a pick. The magnetic closure mechanism is very slick, but we weren’t confident it would stay closed under a solid shake. The Bellroy sleeve’s material is not very thick, and since the bottom corners are entirely open, it’s not waterproof in any meaningful way. If you’re a professional who’s very careful with their electronics though, it’s a great-looking option.
Our research turned up countless laptop sleeves made by dozens of manufacturers. We used the following criteria to narrow down that list to a few promising candidates to bring in and test:
We couldn’t try every size of every sleeve or every sleeve with every computer model, but our main tester models were a 15-inch MacBook Air, a 15.6-inch Lenovo IdeaPad 1, a 13.6-inch MacBook Air, and a 13-inch Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5. We ordered all our potential picks in corresponding sizes, either roughly 13 or 15 inches.
Our favorite sleeves were then tested on a panel of 13-inch ultrabooks from various companies. We inserted each computer into each sleeve (one at a time, of course), checking for fit. We also evaluated features such as how the zippers glided, and we sprayed down the sleeves that promised some degree of water protection to see how well they kept moisture out. We subjected them to more challenging water tests as well, like dropping them in puddles of water and spilling a drink on them. Once we identified some favorites, we tested those picks in real-world scenarios, traveling to coffee shops and on planes to see just how well the sleeves fit into our everyday routines.
Apple sells the Osprey Arcane Laptop Sleeve, the STM Goods Myth Laptop Sleeve, and the Herschel Anchor Sleeve for 14- and 16-inch MacBooks that we’re interested in testing for the next round. We’re also looking at the Moft Laptop Carry Sleeve, which turns into a laptop stand with two height settings.
We’ve tested several dozen sleeves over the years for consideration in this guide. Here are some of the models we’ve tested since 2018.
Though Baggu is one of our favorite bag makers, their Puffy Laptop Sleeve fell a little short of what we were looking for. The fashionable puffy look wasn’t as protective as we needed, and it was very tight on our 13-inch tester models, despite the size being listed as compatible with 13- to 14-inch laptops. It also had no edge protection or outer pockets. It comes in several bright, cute colors and patterns and would serve best as more of an accessory than a protective sleeve.
Because the Vera Bradley Cotton Laptop Organizer is a fabric case, it offers little to no protection from drops and bumps but decent protection from scratches. It only comes in one 15.25-inch size, which isn’t very practical for the many people who carry a smaller laptop, and it is not water-resistant at all. It’s also one of the more expensive cases we tested. It has a roomy front pocket, is machine-washable, and comes in many patterns. If you see it on sale, it could be a serviceable case for around-the-house use, but we’d recommend spending the money on a more protective case.
The Mokuyobi Laptop Case was the most expensive case we tested, and though we liked the design, it didn’t offer nearly enough protection for the price. It was made of a strong, canvas-like material that's waterproof and seemed high quality, but it doesn’t have any padding on the corners or otherwise. The color-blocked look is fun, and it’s a good sheath if you need lots of storage, with two expanding pockets in the front and a flat rear pocket with no zipper for papers or notebooks. The little tag on the back that says “Color powers of the king of fun by your side all day long” is charming, but this case could use some padding.
Though the Mosiso Polyester Vertical Case with Pocket is likely one of the cases you’ll encounter soonest on Amazon (with over 55,000 reviews), better budget options are available. The case lacked meaningful corner protection, the branding was unattractive, the material was scratchy, and the light yellow color we ordered came slightly stained already and collected pet hair and debris at an alarming rate.
The Domiso Laptop Sleeve is marketed as a highly protective option, and though this case does seem like it could hold up to slightly rougher treatment than many other options, the shell is still flexible enough that we wouldn’t feel comfortable putting anything heavy on top of it. We also definitely wouldn’t use it in situations that involve a lot of jostling and knocking around (like checking baggage).
The Tomtoc FancyCase-A25 Laptop Shoulder Bag is also advertised as being more protective than most, and though that was true during testing, it had a few fatal flaws. The neoprene pockets on the bottom of the case were too shallow to fit any bulky chargers, and even if you did put something in them, they then impede your ability to use the computer while it is in the case, which is heavily advertised as a feature. If you have a charger in the back pockets, the case won’t lay flat on your working surface, so you would have to take the charger out every time to set the case flat enough to work out of. The included strap is convenient to have, but the clips for attaching it to the case are unnecessarily frustrating to use; people with larger hands or hand strength issues might find it difficult or impossible to attach the strap to the case, and it’s even harder to detach. It has handles to make up for this, but that is a frustration that many reviews mentioned and we also observed in testing.
The fit of the Herschel Spokane Sleeve was extremely tight on our laptop, and the magnet holding the sleeve closed felt a little weak. Because its rough external fabric is so thin, it offers little to no protection from bumps and nicks.
The Mosiso Neoprene Laptop Sleeve with Small Case came with favorable editorial write-ups and a relatively high Amazon rating. It also came with a smaller bag to carry your laptop charger or other miscellaneous accessories. Unfortunately, it didn’t offer a very good fit. Our laptop was practically swimming inside of its scratchy neoprene exterior. Its gaudy logo also makes it look much worse than our other picks.
The Killspencer Classic Sleeve has an extremely tight fit that makes it difficult to get your laptop in and out of. Considering that this sleeve has no closure, this feels necessary, but it’s also pretty annoying when you actually want to use it. Plus, because the sleeve is so tight, the outline of your computer gets molded into the grain of the leather. If that’s something you’d want, you might be okay with the usability compromises. But, after some time, this leather will probably look more distressed than worn-in and loved.
We liked the look of the premium Leatherology Laptop Sleeve more in photos than in person. Because it lacks a solid structure, even with the laptop inside, the sides of the sleeve sag and look baggy. That said, the leather is really nice, and the zipper has a very smooth action, and if you’re looking for something with a more worn-in luxury aesthetic, you might prefer the Leatherology sleeve over our other picks.
The Twelve South Journal offers a secure, if a little too tight, fit—especially if you put anything in its small, hard-to-load internal document pocket. But despite its soft-leather appearance, the Journal’s exterior feels rigid and thin.
This article was edited by Arthur Gies and Signe Brewster.
Ivy Liscomb is an updates writer for the PC team at Wirecutter. She has a great weakness for chili crisp, the smell of old books, and defunct technologies like VHS and reel-to-reel audio. You can usually find her reading, sewing, or extolling the virtues of ’80s movies with the utmost sincerity.
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