Cache for 13" MacBook Pro and MacBook Air?

[greyhundr]

I am going to order a Pilot and I have a quandary about the cache to order with it. Depending on work or personal situation, I either carry a 13" MacBook Pro with Retina or a 13" MacBook Air. I was hoping to just order a single cache and avoid needing to order 2 separate caches since since the 2 laptops are similar in size. On the sizing guide, it looks like the Air cache is only slightly larger than the retina one. Has anyone tried a retina macbook in the air cache?

[Tizi]

Why not get the larger one, then either will fit?

[moriond]

I am going to order a Pilot and I have a quandary about the cache to order with it. Depending on work or personal situation, I either carry a 13" MacBook Pro with Retina or a 13" MacBook Air. I was hoping to just order a single cache and avoid needing to order 2 separate caches since since the 2 laptops are similar in size. On the sizing guide, it looks like the Air cache is only slightly larger than the retina one. Has anyone tried a retina macbook in the air cache?

@greyhundr As @Tizi suggested, it's possible to use the Horizontal Cache with Rails for the 13" MacBook Air for both the 13" Retinal MacBook Pro and the 13" MacBook Air. Please read my post in the MacBook Pro 15" Retina sleeve so darn tight- something slightly larger? for detailed comments about the size options for the 13", 15" and 11" model caches.

I'll summarize by saying that if you are ordering the current generation caches with rails, the fit is tighter than with the caches they made a couple of years ago out of denser foam. (I think production changed over to the current cache materials about the time or slightly before the first generation iPad Minis came out, but it was still possible to buy the older style caches for a while after. All the new caches with rails fit more tightly than these older caches.) So this is a consideration if you want to use a thin case or shell around your laptop inside the cache.

Also, while you may find using the horizontal cache with rails for both the 13" MacBook Air with both that laptop and the 13" Retinal MacBook Pro, you'll find the vertical versions of the these caches with rail harder to use interchangeably -- by that I meant that you'll notice the extra tightness of the fit more in the vertical versions of these caches with rails, since the most constraining side will be along the long dimension.

People with 13" MacBook models also have the option of using the 6z caches designed for earlier (non-Retinal) MacBook Pros if they want a looser fit, or more room to accommodate a protective shell or case.

I think you should be fine using the horizontal cache for the 13" MacBook Air with your 13" Retinal MacBook Pro. (Note that when I asked about this during the Pilot pre-orders, the Tom Bihn staff were hesitant that the fit for both laptops would be adequate, so you could wait for other responses.)

HTH. moriond

[greyhundr]

I went ahead with the 13" Air horizontal cache based on the dimensions. I'll make sure to post an update about how the Air and MBRr fit inside it when it arrives.

[greyhundr]

As I previously mentioned, I ended up getting a horizontal cache in the 13" air size so that I could try to use it with either my personal or work computers (13" Macbook Air & 13" Macbook Pro w Retina). Here are some pictures showing each of the laptops in the cache and the MBPwR stacked on the Air to show the size difference. The fit of the 13" retina in the Air cache isn't as snug and form-fitting, but I think that I will be a passable solution.

My Navy/Solar Pilot:


Pilot with Cache on Rails:


13" Macbook Pro with Retina in a 13" Air Cache:


13" Macbook Air in a 13" Air Cache:

[greyhundr]

And here are the 13" Macbook Pro with Retina stacked on top of the 13" Macbook Air for size comparison:

[GoStanford]

Does your laptop in Cache on rails fit along with the bag in a single gray bin at the security check? Am trying to visualize how much space it takes.

I haven't gotten the clips yet to make the Cache do this but it looks useful.

[jlchau]

When I use my 13" rMBP cache with Synapse 19 at the check points, I don't place either of them in a gray bin (they wouldn't fit unless i put the cache on top of the bag pulled out). I just place them both on the conveyor how greyhundr has them shown in his photos and it works out great (they are vertical orientation though).

[greyhundr]

I haven't flown with this bag yet, but my intention was to try and put it directly on the conveyor as jlchau mentioned. I think that is the way Tom Bihn designed it to work. Still, I can imagine that occasionally I'll still run into a TSA agent that will require me to put the laptop and bag in separate gray bins.

[ssiciliano]

Old forum but I had a MBA 13 with the corresponding cache and just got a MBP 13 Retina and the air cache seems to work just fine.