Hello folks, I’ve added a new category to the blog. It’s called ‘Gear’ and the aim is to provide you with some quick-and-dirty blogposts about (photography-related) stuff I use and that I deem interesting enough for others to know.

The first blogpost in this category will be of specific interest to all you MacBook users: I have recently switched to a 13 inch MacBook Pro (could somebody please explain why they call it a ‘Pro’ and then put in an SD-card slot instead of a CompactFlash one?) and I have taken it with me on my PortraitsOfAsia.be project.

As you might know, the preferred means of transportation on PortraitsOfAsia.be is a bicycle, which means, in conjunction with South East Asia’s bumpy roads and the design of my otherwise fantastic Ortlieb bicycle bags (the have slightly protruding bolts inside that don’t go together well with flat, fragile objects like laptop screens), I needed something really strong to protect the laptop.

I had searched a while for protective sleeves, but a lot of them looked like they had been primarily designed with fashion in mind (instead of rigidity). A simple nyoprene laptop sleeve might protect from scratches, put not from damage from acute pressure on one specific point of the laptop.

Somebody told me to have a look at Crumpler (I knew they made photo bags because I have a pretty good messenger bag from them) but did not know they also made laptop sleeves. Like this 13 inch Hard Suit, which says it all: it’s very rigid on the outside yet has softer foam on the inside, and after months of cycling my laptop still looks like new. It’s also quite fashionable. In spite of some downsides (it’s a little bulkier than a normal sleeve, but of course, that’s the price you pay for the extra protection and the price itself is a little high but still only a fraction of the price of the laptop itself) I would highly recommend it.

You can get it through any of the Crumpler Stores or the Crumpler website itself. Crumpler originally being a German brand, you can also order through the Crumpler.de website. I haven’t checked if there are differences, but non-UK Europeans might be better of ordering there).

There’s also a ‘Special Edition’ that features a carrying handle, so you can carry your laptop like a briefcase. The standard version is more meant to be held under your arm, or inside another bag, like an Ortlieb Pannier…

So, highly recommended for any MacBook user and almost a must for those that want to their MacBooks on a cycling trip.