After deciding to start working from home again at the start of the year, I sold my trusty iMac and acquired a 15″ Retina Macbook Pro. Being mobile again is brilliant but having to carry around a really valuable piece of kit made me want to invest in a reliable form of protection for my laptop. Rather than purchase a solid case I figured I would prefer a more natural looking sleeve. Having looked at various styles I eventually found a great company called ColcaSac.
I love their website, branding & of course their products so decided to buy a Uintah Macbook Sleeve which I have reviewed below.
The main selling point for me was that each sleeve is made by hand from eco-friendly materials. I had to wait a relatively short amount of time for a product that came from outside of the UK and as an added bonus there were no extra customs charges. Upon opening the plain outer packaging I was greeted with the surprise of just how well the product is packaged. You can really tell that ColcaSac is a company that has really put a lot of thought into the identity of their product, and their approach reminds me of the way Apple is perceived. To me, ColcaSac are like an eco-friendly Apple (in terms of branding), except on a much smaller scale. This is reflected in the simple yet elegant packaging that is also friendly to our environment. No plastic here!
Removing the product from the packaging was a doodle, and brought with it another welcome surprise. Each sleeve comes with a cute little manual that explains how to use it. It’s really simple to use since all you have to do is put your laptop inside, but I thought this was a nice extra touch (it’s all in the brand!). The manual is illustrated with simple diagrams and easy steps to ram home the message that this is a hand made piece of kit.
The sleeve itself is really lightweight yet extremely thick. The Uintah model, which I purchased, is made from a material that feels like an industrial sack that you would expect to see used in an old flour mill. Its lining is really soft and really makes you assured that it will not scratch your precious equipment.
The hand front pocket makes it easy to carry accessories and the Velcro flap gives you extra security. Unlike most other sleeves, the ColcaSac allows you just enough room to charge your laptop even when the flap is fastened. This was a really important factor for me when making a decision.
When it comes to the fit, this is the most snuggest that you can buy. There is no chance at all of your laptop falling out. At first it can feel a little tight, but don’t be alarmed as this is fully intended. After a while the material stretches slightly to create the perfect fit. Think of this sleeve as like a pair of denim jeans, you have to wear them in a little to make them truly your own.
In summary, I am 100% happy with my ColcaSac. The materials are brilliant, the price is competitive and it does exactly what I want. The only downside is that I am not sure it would offer much protection if you were to drop it on the floor but I intend to be extremely careful since my new laptop is now incredibly important to my career and now my ColcaSac is too! So much so that I’m tempted to buy another one or maybe even a sleeve for my phone.
You can check out the full ColcaSac range at www.colcasac.com. I’d just like to point out that this review was purely off my own back as I wanted to give thanks in some way to a truly revolutionary product design. The video below, which explains how each sleeve is made, is definitely worth watching too!
