A laptop is destructible in ways that are expensive out of proportion to the machine. Dropped the wrong way the drive fails or the screen cracks — both costly repairs, and sometimes the machine is not worth saving. The data on it is usually worth more than the hardware.
Impact is only half the risk
Water is the other half, and it does not require a marine environment. An unexpected downpour between the car and the building is enough, and water in the electronics means permanent data loss as often as it means a repair bill. Heavy Duty Watertight cases are sealed to MIL-C-4150J against water and dust, though no case should be deliberately submerged with a computer inside it.
Temperature is the quiet third factor. A laptop left in a vehicle through a summer afternoon or a winter night is being cycled well outside what it was designed for. A closed case with foam around the machine slows that swing considerably.
Why a sleeve is not enough
At a desk we protect laptops instinctively — away from traffic, away from drinks, up on a stand. In transit that discipline disappears. Sleeves and padded bags are light and convenient, but the padding sits around a compartment rather than around the machine, so the laptop can still move, and whatever it hits it hits at full speed.
The gap matters most when you are moving several machines at once. A bag with three laptops in it is three machines colliding with each other every time it is set down.
Fit matters more than size
No two laptops are the same. Two 13-inch machines from different manufacturers differ in thickness, footprint, port position and where the feet sit, so a nominal “13-inch” case does not mean a snug fit. A computer that can move inside its case is a computer that can be damaged by its case.
A Blow Molded case with a die-cut foam interior cut to your exact model removes that movement entirely. Polyurethane (ester) foam is usually the right choice here — it cushions well and handles the shape of a machine with a lid, feet and ports better than a denser foam.
Do not forget everything else
The case size is almost never set by the laptop. It is set by the charger, the dock, the mouse, the presentation remote, the adapters, the spare battery and the documents that travel with it. Lay the whole kit out before choosing a size, and give each item its own cavity so the pile that used to rattle around the bag becomes an organized layout.
Our guide to measuring your equipment for a carrying case covers how to do that properly, including how to allow for the foam wall.
When you are equipping a team
For a fleet of identical machines, a standard shell with one foam layout is the straightforward answer, and there is no mold charge if the size already exists. Where you have two or three machine types, one shell with two or three interiors keeps the outside consistent for storage, branding and training. Ordering in bulk covers what changes at volume.
Moving computers regularly?
Tell us the model, how many machines travel together and what else needs to go in the case. We will spec a case and foam interior around it.