What's a good female-specific purse/laptop bag for a 13" Macbook?

February 23, 2009 4:58 AM

I bought my wife a unibody aluminum 13" Macbook for Christmas. She loves the laptop a lot but only has an old fashioned clamshell briefcase style carrying case for laptops, which was designed for 8 pound, 15.4" screen lap monsters. Can anyone recommend a female specific purse/laptop bag that is stylish and designed specifically for the 13" Macbook, or a vendor of an assortment of different styles of such bags?
posted by thewalrus to Computers & Internet (18 answers total)

I've seen things like this at the OfficeMax kinds of stores. You could almost use any kind of small notebook sort of case. I know someone who has one of these kinds of things- it's just a padded case that's really no larger than the computer, but has a carrying handle. That works for day-to-day lugging around, and she just slips that case into a larger bag if she's carrying one.
posted by gjc at 5:05 AM on February 23, 2009

incase. Have one in black for my MacBook Pro. Its a little light on storage, but I love it otherwise. You should be able to find it at an Apple store near you.
posted by taubman at 5:41 AM on February 23, 2009

Go with a sleeve over a bag. There are numerous kinds from completely hard to completely soft. But they all can be fitted into an ordinary bag, which makes them much both more versatile and fashionable than any laptop bag I've seen. Plus, not everybody can tell at first glance you're carrying a laptop.
posted by uncle harold at 5:41 AM on February 23, 2009

They're a bit pricey, but the folks at Knomo make some lovely bags. 13" specific ones are here.

MacRumors also has a pretty thorough laptop case buyer's guide.
posted by dickyvibe at 5:55 AM on February 23, 2009

I suggest you check out etsy.com. Not because I know there's a fantastic bag that perfectly suits you there, but because I found a really excellent, and excellent-looking, laptop bag there when I was looking for one for my SO. It was just streets ahead of anything from a computer store or overpriced-funky-bag company.

My SO's bag was from the apparently-slightly-famous Janine King Designs:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=78675
...who may or may not have something to suit you.

There's a ton of random Fimo/knitted/blah stuff on Etsy that's of little use to anyone, but there are also some quite serious small businesspeople who specialise in things like this.
posted by dansdata at 6:01 AM on February 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

I gave my wife a Marware Sportfolio for her laptop. I got it at the Apple store where I bought the MacBook. hey might be available for less on Amazon. She loves the snappy color. The outer casing is made of neoprene rubber, like the scuba diver suits. T
posted by birdwatcher at 6:22 AM on February 23, 2009

I love Acme Made bags; the "Kate" and "Trixy" are a bit more feminine-looking. However, as a 13" (non-aluminum) Macbook owner, I've preferred having a Crumpler "Gimp" sleeve, so I can carry my laptop in any of my larger purses and am not limited to one laptop-specific bag -- however, I've wondered if the Acme Made "Slim" might work well as both a bag and as a sleeve.
posted by transporter accident amy at 6:30 AM on February 23, 2009

I have always coveted this Timbuk2 bag. I've never had a laptop small enough to fit. It's perfect for 13" macbooks, and soooo cute! You should look around the site, as there are some messenger bags that can be made feminine by choice of color as well.
posted by bluefly at 6:43 AM on February 23, 2009

Seconding Acme Made. Whenever I carry mine, at least one person asks me where I got it. I have the Slim and it's lasted for over six years with very little wear, despite lots of use.

That said, if I were buying a case today, I'd get the Cargo Slim. It's a bit of pain to have to pack the cord, etc., in another bag.
posted by dogrose at 6:45 AM on February 23, 2009

Nthing the Acme Made suggestion, especially the "Trixy". I don't personally own one but I spend a lot of time lusting after them.

Kolobags has a gigantic selection of stylish laptop totes by many brands, and it appears that a lot of their selection is on sale.
posted by thisjax at 7:02 AM on February 23, 2009

My wife has this black Kensington bag and really likes it. It has a feminine, purse-like stylish appearance, but the inside is all business with plenty of pockets and pouches.
posted by Fleebnork at 7:37 AM on February 23, 2009

I have several bags for my new 13" macbook, but my favorite is my funky-looking green Built cargo laptop sleeve -- the neoprene makes for excellent padding, and it has 3 pockets - a big one for the power brick, a medium one for your ipod, and a little one for your headphones or USB stick. Even loaded up with peripherals it's very slim, which makes transporting it in my hand luggage or backpack very easy.
posted by lizbunny at 8:02 AM on February 23, 2009

I have this Mobile Edge bag and I love it! It has a removable padded insert for the laptop (it fits a 15 inch laptop but would probably be ok for a smaller laptop as well) as well as support at the bottom of the bag so that it can stand upright. It's roomy enough to carry all the cords and accessories you need as well as books or papers. And it has a little pouch inside that I use for makeup and a pen or two. It looks great and I've gotten several compliments.
posted by peacheater at 8:06 AM on February 23, 2009

You could peruse the laptop bags at eBags.com. They've got a ton of different styles and you can sort/narrow by anything: size, color, material, price, etc.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:13 AM on February 23, 2009

I can't say enough good things about the laptop accessories I have bought from WaterField. I have a Cosmo and a sleevecase and they're great. I bring the Cosmo to work everyday and it has withstood my abuse. For two years at grad school I used the sleevecase in a backpack and my laptop held up great.
posted by radioamy at 8:33 AM on February 23, 2009

This is more of a business-y suggestion, but perhaps try: Cross (the fancy pen people)

somethng more casual (not necc female specific) which i also looked at was the Sling by Booq Bags
posted by NikitaNikita at 10:08 AM on February 23, 2009

Golla makes some pretty great, and greatly pretty, bags.
posted by arcticwoman at 12:07 PM on February 23, 2009

I got my bag from Pinder and I love it. It's a bowling bag style - looks feminine and is very hard wearing.
posted by poissonrouge at 12:27 PM on February 23, 2009 [1 favorite]