As a travel editor, I travel quite a lot. It’s a nice perk of the job. But that also means I’m almost always working while traveling, so I always carry my laptop with me. Often, I’ll carry my laptop with me to hotel bars to get in an hour or two of work during happy hour, and I’m used to sitting sideways in airplane seats to use my computer while my fellow travelers are zonked out on a redeye flight. If I have more than half an hour or so available on the road, I’ll usually try to take advantage of it by getting a little work done.
Photo: Suzie Dundas
After a Decade of Trying, I Found the Best Laptop Sleeve for Remote Workers
Because of this, I’ve used lots of laptop cases and laptop sleeves. After all, laptops are expensive, and the last thing I want to do is break or damage my computer in the middle of a lengthy trip. I hadn’t yet found one I liked very much, so for the last year or so, I was using a bulky egg-carton style case off Amazon. It wasn’t anything special, but it offered tons of protection.
But recently, I realized I didn’t need extra protection for my laptop — I needed portability. These days, every travel backpack out there has a padded laptop pocket, so having a laptop case with extra padding was overkill, just adding bulk to my bag.
I have my laptop with me no matter where in the world I am. Photo: Suzie Dundas
Enter the Matador Equipment (no relation) Laptop Base Layer. It’s a lightweight, extremely waterproof laptop sleeve that has eliminated bulk in my bag, made it easier to carry my laptop on the go, and even reduced how many laptop accessories I have to carry. It answers the question of how to carry my laptop on occasions when I don’t want to use my giant carry-on backpack, like when I’m sightseeing, walking around a new city, or hanging out with friends at a hotel pool. I can easily throw it in the tiny packable backpack I carry with me for occasions like those (also from Matador Equipment, incidentally).
After a month of testing through multiple airports, cities, and countries, the Laptop Base Layer has become my favorite laptop sleeve. Here’s why, and why it could be a smart upgrade for any remote workers or digital nomads.
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What is the Laptop Base Layer?
The Laptop Base Layer has a primary laptop compartment and a smaller pocket for accessories and cords. Photo: Suzie Dundas
The Matador Laptop Base Layer is a laptop case (also called laptop sleeve), with a main pocket for your laptop, plus a smaller zippered pocket for laptop accessories. It fits quite a bit, and I used the small pocket for the laptop charging cube and cord (replacing the separate case I used to carry for the cord to prevent it from getting tangled), as well as a USB adapter, backup phone charger, and a few extra random cords. The handle on the case felt extremely secure, even when I pulled and tugged on it. It holds all my laptop stuff, so I can carry just one thing when walking around with laptop, rather than having to shove the charger and cords and other things I may need into my jacket or random backpack pockets.
You probably don’t need a padded laptop case
My bulky and unnecessarily padded old case on top of the slimmer Laptop Base Layer. Photo: Suzie Dundas
The Laptop Base Layer is a thin-ish laptop sleeve, not a bulky foam pad that’s going to fill your backpack. For me, it’s ideal. While traveling with my carry-on backpack, I put my laptop directly into the bag’s padded laptop sleeve, and just toss the Laptop Base Layer somewhere else in my carry-on or checked bag. Once I’ve arrived, I use the Laptop Base Layer to carry my laptop when I don’t feel like using my giant carry-on backpack. It’s easy to carry in a smaller daypack around town, throwing in a beach bag for trips to the the hotel pool, or even carrying to conferences and media events, when I have to attend those. The flap has an adjustable tightness, so it can snuggly fit laptops from 13 to about 15.5 inches with no space to rattle around.
The Laptop Base Layer does have closed-cell PE foam padding to defend against bumps and scratches, which is plenty if you accidentally bump it on an airport terminal chair or it slides off the bed onto the floor. But it’s still not intended to be a crash-proof case. It also weighs next to nothing, making it an extensive upgrade over many of the thicker travel laptop cases I’ve tested in the past.
The pocket is also really helpful. I used to carry a small square-shaped case to hold my laptop charging cube and cord to prevent them from getting tangled loose in my bag. But the Laptop Base Layer pocket holds them securely, and I’ve started using the pocket as my tech pouch, rather than carrying an extra organizer.
It’s the most waterproof laptop case I’ve ever tested
I'm not suggesting you leave your laptop outside in the snow -- but if you do, it'll probably be okay. Photo: Suzie Dundas
Water mostly beads off the outer layer, and the small amount that got absorbed didn't make it inside. After 30 minutes in fairly heavy snow, everything inside was dry as can be. Photo: Suzie Dundas
The laptop case has two methods for closing it, both of which offer waterproof protection. The fabric is nylon with a waterproof coating, which keeps moisture from seeping in. Mostly, it just rolls or beads off the the top. So your laptop and anything in the inner pocket will stay dry if you get caught in a downpour or are carrying it in snowy and wet conditions.
I mostly used the “fast-access mode,” simply sliding my laptop in the sleeve and flapping closed the Velcro top. But there’s a second method I recommend using when outdoors to protect your laptop from rain, dust, or snow: roll the top closed (like a dry bag), then fold the velcro top down over that. That method of closing has an IPX6 waterproof rating, meaning you can spray it with water from a close distance and everything inside will stay bone dry. Keep in mind that only works for the actual laptop, but the pocket on the front for smaller items isn’t waterproof.
You can close it by rolling the waterproof flap (left) or just by folding the Velcro panel (right). (By the way, this is the same product, but drastically different lighting conditions). Photo: Suzie Dundas
That means you can carry this on ski trips, to the beach, in heavy rain and snow, or even on a tiny boat where it’s likely to get heavily splashed, if you were so inclined. I don’t normally test products in a “worst-case scenario” — for example, I wouldn’t intentionally crash my mountain bike to see if a helmet works — but in this case, I did. I put my MacBook in the Laptop Base Layer, rolled the flap, and sprayed the showerhead on it. The outside of the sleeve absorbed a tiny bit of water, but everything on the inside (including my laptop) is totally dry.
The price and warranty
Photo: Suzie Dundas
The Laptop Base Layer is $60. Admittedly, it’s more than my chunky egg carton-style case I was using, but it’s in line with comparable products like the Bellroy Laptop Caddy ($79), the Pelican Adventurer Case ($50), the Thule Subterra MacBook Sleeve ($50), or Native Union laptop sleeves ($50). More luxury products like the Monos Laptop Sleeve are quite a bit pricier, if a bit more stylish. And considering the cost to repair a laptop from water damage (and the income lost from not having a laptop for a week or more), $60 is a pretty good deal, especially for people who regularly travel with their laptops. The Laptop Base Layer comes with a three-year warranty, but seems like it would last a lot longer that.
If you’re at all like me, you’re probably paying more attention every day to the products you buy and how they’re impacting the planet. Matador Equipment is big into sustainability, and has a lifetime repair program, regardless of whether your item is still under warranty. It’s not free, but it means you can get your gear repaired if it breaks even if you’ve had it for years and years (as I hope to).
The downsides
The handle makes it really easy to carry, even with just one finger while my hands are full with things like boarding passes, coffee mugs, or other bags. Photo: Suzie Dundas
I’ve been a big fan of this case and already carried it through more than a few scenarios that allowed for quality testing. I left it outside during a rainy season storm in Kenya (not on purpose), carried it on bumpy game drives on safaris, have thrown it in my gym bag, and used it through six airports and several flights, including a redeye flight in which I left it on the floor under the seat in front of me (again, by accident), and my water bottle slowly dripped onto it for at least an hour or two. It’s performed extremely well.
I’ve noticed only two minor annoyances: the Velcro collects quite a bit of fuzz and dog hair, and it only comes in one color. I personally couldn’t care less about the aesthetics, but it’s definitely designed for functionality above all. Also note that it isn’t hugely padded. As I mentioned, that’s a plus for me, but I wouldn’t want to smack it against rock faces or drop it from any kind of height. It’s a travel-friendly laptop sleeve, not drop-proof case. For that, you’ll need something much bulkier, like this chunky plastic case from Amazon. 