I may have found the perfect carrying case for my 13-inch MacBook Pro and it turns out that it's a lot smaller and thinner than I thought I'd need. The Superslim by Booq is almost as thin as a laptop sleeve, but it's got pockets, pockets, pockets, which give me that little bit of added room for the few additional peripherals that I always need to bring with me. It's the best of both — ultra slim and useful.
Look like a business person with a secret
On the outside, the Superslim looks like a briefcase bag. The gray canvas exterior looks good with a suit or blue jeans. It's versatile. You can carry the case like a briefcase with the handles on top, or you can attach the included shoulder strap and throw it over your shoulder like a messenger bag. The few exterior accents are tan leather zipper pulls, which gives the fancy-schmancy look a little levity, so you can dress down and not feel like your MacBook case is too haughty. Plus, if you don't want the leather zipper pulls showing, you can actually remove them without having to cut them off. So you can be all fancy-schmancy when you want to be.
The shoulder strap is made from nylon mesh and has a detachable pad that wraps around it, giving you extra comfort while your walking from one meeting to the next.
The interior of the Superslim gives the entire case a casual Friday vibe. It's also made from canvas, but has a fun plaid theme. It's sort of like the guy in the office that wears a tie to work everyday, but also has novelty socks hidden under his dress pants — business on the outside, fun underneath.
More than just a sleeve, it's got pockets
I love pockets. I love having a separate compartment for everything I own. I believe one can never have enough pockets. Though the Superslim does not have all the pockets, it does have just enough to house your peripherals and essentials. Considering the case is so thin and minimalist in design, it's hard to believe it has so many useful compartments.
In addition to the main zipper section, which houses my MacBook Pro, there are two exterior pockets, one with a zipper and one that doesn't close, as well as a third exterior zipper pocket that is on the outmost layer of the case.
The exterior zipper pocket has four small compartments sewn in — two are big enough to fit an iPhone 7 Plus and two are pen sleeves.
The third and outermost exterior zipper pocket, which is big enough to fit a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, also has a removable keychain attached to it, so you can keep your keys within reach and detach them when you need to actually use them.
Yes, but can it handle my extreme sports commute?
Sure, you can pretty much tell exactly what the Superslim looks like from pictures, but how does it feel? Is it comfortable, lightweight, sturdy?
Yes, yes, and yes. The Superslim is designed for comfort. I've been taking it with me everywhere I go and loading it up with as little as just a MacBook Pro to as much as a MBP, an iPad, an iPhone, all the cables, a magazine, and some pens. When it gets bogged down with gadgets, it's difficult to carry as just a briefcase, though the padded handles make it more comfortable than if it were, say, made out of plastic. When things start to weigh you down, however, the shoulder strap is the key. It gives you the extra muscle power you need. Since the shoulder strap also has a comfortable pad, you're less likely to feel carrier fatigue.
It is ultra lightweight, which might be due to the fact that it isn't overly padded. The layers are thick and the edges are all reinforced with additional piping, which give protection in the most important places, but it is still thin because the layers aren't padded out like a down jacket or anything. It's just thick, supportive layers.
I haven't put the Superslim through any super rigorous testing. I haven't carried it around with all my gadgets more than a few times for more than about half-hour walks at a time, though I did carry the full load for about an hour one hot afternoon. But, I can tell from inspecting the stitching and design that this case is not going to fall apart anytime soon. I'll likely replace my MacBook Pro before I replace the case.
A little something for everyone
I love the look of the Superslim. It's classy without being pretentious. It's sturdy without looking rugged. It's useful without looking too complicated. It has a great balance between being nearly as slim as a sleeve and having the right amount of features to make it something you can take all your on-the-go gadget accessories in. It's small enough to pack into your larger backpack, but worthy of its own shoulder space when you don't need to pack your lunch and a pillow on your road trip.
I honestly can't think of a reason why someone wouldn't like the Superslim case. I'm a fan of big bags with lots of compartments and still think this case wins for looks and usefulness. I especially like that I can throw it into my larger backpack on trips when I really need to bring everything with me.
The Superslim comes in dark gray with tan accents (leather zipper pulls) and is specially designed for the 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro, though it can comfortably fit other laptops with similar dimensions.
