SUMO Camo Laptop/Netbook Sleeve Review

I had been looking for a laptop sleeve for awhile to replace my large, clunky leather briefcase. Between going back and forth to work and weekend trips, I wanted to ditch the extra bag and just toss my computer in my backpack without worrying about it being bumped, scratched, or damaged.  I’ve been using the Sumo Camo sleeve by Mobile Edge for the past two weeks and have definitely found the answer to my needs.

The Camo design case comes in three colors (Black, Red, and Green) and four different sizes, with the larger two sizes designed specifically for the MacBooks:

• 8.9″ (fitting netbooks 10″ x .75″ x 7″)
• 10″  (fitting netbooks 11.75″ x .75″ x 8.75″)
• 13″, designed for 13″ MacBooks, but fitting laptops 13.5″ x 1″ x 10″
• 15″ , designed  for 15″ MacBooks, but fitting laptops 14.65″ x 1″ x 11″

The 15″ sleeve fits my PowerBook G4 Mac (she may be old, but she’s still a classy broad 😉 ) perfectly.  I was expecting a wrestling match when trying to fit the sleeve around my laptop, but it was very easy to slide the laptop in and remove it again.   There is just a little bit of room on the sides of the sleeve, but nothing that would cause the computer to shift around inside.

The first thing that really caught my eye  once I had the case in hand was the camo pattern, which is comprised of the Sumo wrestler logo in overlapping shapes and colors.  You don’t notice that detail from far away, and it is adorable up close.  The picture really doesn’t do it justice.

The case is entirely neoprene, inside and out.  Rather than a zipper the closure device is an overlapping flap.  I had thought the computer would just slide right out with the lack of a more secure closure, but the flap does its job quite well.  I held the case upside down and shook a few times (highly not recommended, btw) but my laptop stayed safely inside the sleeve and protected by the flap.  The neoprene is thick and cushiony and the case feels, and looks, very well made.

Being that the case is neoprene it’s also water resistant.  As a test I ran it under the kitchen faucet, and for the most part it was effective in keeping the inside dry.  The material itself did its job, but water was able to seep in through the seams of some of the side stitching.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with this case.  I like that all sides of my laptop are protected and that the neoprene itself is thick and shock absorbent.  Even the lack of a zipper I’m ok with, as a zipper would have the potential to scratch the laptop casing–and the camo flap is wicked cute.  The case definitely will not protect from a fall, but it will and has protected my laptop from debris, car keys, spiral notebooks, pens, the occasional leaky lunch, and other dangers of the backpack it gets thrown into.

The netbook cases come in at $19.99 and the laptop cases are $24.99 from the manufacturer.