2018 MacBook Pro in a Co-Pilot

[lawrenceporter]

I am a longstanding one-bag traveller thinking of expanding to two bags. A while ago I got a DLBC to use as a second bag for business travel - one that could fit easily into the centre compartment of the Tristar should I wish to compress back down to one bag during my journey.

More recently I acquired my first Co-Pilot in ballistic Black/Island. The thinking behind this is that I never use my laptop during a flight. It could happily remain in my main bag in the overhead while I have the Co-Pilot with my 11” iPad Pro (or Kindle) in the with me at my seat. The Co-Pilot arguably has a better look than the DLBC as a day bag for leisure travel.

The TB info says, correctly, that the Co-Pilot won’t fit a cached 13” laptop. For those who wish to live dangerously, a naked 13” macBook Pro will just fit. I got to wondering if my 2018 13” MacBook Pro would fit if it was in the simple protective case I bought for it at the Apple store. It did! The pictures below prove it.

The 2018 13” MacBook Pro and the Apple "cache".


No way!


But wait. It’s like a snake swallowing an animal wider than itself.


All tucked safely inside.


The 11” iPad Pro would fit in the main compartment alongside the MacBook, but why not put it in the open sleeve at the rear for easy access?


The benefit is that I can keep the laptop, iPad and liquids in the Co-Pilot and don’t have to open the Tristar (or Aeronaut 45) at security.

[AVService]

I find that when I stick a 13" Mac in a Co Pilot that while it will go in I would hardly consider it Safe Inside myself.

The machine is so tight in there that the corners are pretty vulnerable to me and I will not carry mine like that at all.
Sure it won't get dirty or scraped in there but it sure can get tweaked and banged with the edges so close to the edge of the Co Pilot.

Much better fir in the Pilot for my money.

[lawrenceporter]

I find that when I stick a 13" Mac in a Co Pilot that while it will go in I would hardly consider it Safe Inside myself.

The machine is so tight in there that the corners are pretty vulnerable to me and I will not carry mine like that at all.
Sure it won't get dirty or scraped in there but it sure can get tweaked and banged with the edges so close to the edge of the Co Pilot.

Much better fir in the Pilot for my money.

I agree with you @AVService. The Apple protective case does provide some protection for the corners as it has quite a substantial, externally-projecting seam along three sides. However it's not ideal. Also, the stretched rear compartment is not much use for anything else (although an iPad can be slipped in beside the MacBook).

However, for someone with no other option it is doable.