Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Dave Rees

September 25, 2007

For someone as dedicated to protecting my tech-toys as I am, I carry them around in a VERY antiquated leather bag. Which provides little to no protection for my Macbook. When I went from a 15" to 17" laptop, I had to abandon my old Waterfield sleeve for something that was sized to fit my new laptop. I considered buying another sleeve from Waterfield, but decided to try something new in form and construction. So, I decided to try the Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve.

The exterior of the Proporta sleeve is constructed of a smooth leather-like material. The interior is lined with a ballistic nylon material. There is a stiff layer between the exterior and the interior lining, making the case very rigid.

The sleeve comes in a single color scheme, black and orange with white stitching. It is definitely distinctive. The flap is held firmly in place by several embedded magnets, Proporta did a good job engineering this magnetic closure.

The sleeve comes in three sizes:

• Small: 27.5mm (1.08in) x 325mm (12.78in) x 227mm (8.92in)
• Medium: 29.5mm (1.00in) x 357mm (14.10in) x 243mm (9.6in)
• Large: 29.5mm (1.00in) x 392mm (15.40in) x 265mm (10.4in)

The large sleeve fits my 17" Macbook Pro very well. Initially it was, to say the least, snug. However, the elastic sides stretched a little with time. Although, it still takes a bit of pushing and pulling to get my Macbook in and out of the sleeve. But this does not seem to affect or mar my laptop at all. According to the Proporta website, the elastic sides are designed to accommodate a wide range of widths and thicknesses, and I would agree.

The top, bottom, front and back of the laptop is covered but a majority of the sides are exposed. I definitely would not allow my car keys to rattle around the same compartment as my Macbook, in or out of the sleeve. I would classify the Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve as minimalistic; it adds a decent amount of protection without a great deal of weigh or bulk. I do not believe the case would provide much protection from a drop.

The Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve provides some protection but not a lot. Whether or not this is this laptop sleeve for you is truly dependent on your needs. The Proporta sleeve costs a bit more than the average sleeve but makes up for it in quality materials and construction.