Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC® review: MacBook sleeve made from recycled plastic

Incase Compact Sleeve With Bionic Hero
(Image: © Karen S. Freeman / iMore)

iMore Verdict

Bottom line: Protect your MacBook, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air with this environmentally-conscious sleeve.

Pros

  • +

    Protective sleeve

  • +

    Lightweight and compact

  • +

    Made from recycled materials

Cons

  • -

    Pricey

  • -

    Not especially soft or fluffy

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After spending a good deal of money on my 13-inch MacBook Pro, I certainly want to keep it safe and protected while on the go. A great MacBook Pro sleeve allows me to carry it safely to my local coffee shop or stow it in a carry-on bag while traveling.

I've found the Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC® fits the bill beautifully. Its construction is solid, the fit and finish are excellent, and it's nicely padded. This slim sleeve even has a generously sized front pocket to store a charger or other accessories.

The "BIONIC®" in the title refers to the materials used to make this laptop sleeve. BIONIC® yarn is a high-grade, recovered continuous filament yarn. It is durable and abrasion-resistant with micro ripstop qualities to protect your MacBook. BIONIC® yarn is created from plastic pollution recovered from marine and coastal environments. Each sleeve contains the equivalent of seven plastic bottles. So, you can feel good about doing your part to help cut down on the amount of plastic invading our water environment while protecting your MacBook Pro.

Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC®: Price and availability

Incase Compact Sleeve With Bionic Lifestyle With Macbook And Accessory

Incase Compact Sleeve With Bionic Lifestyle With Macbook And Accessory (Image credit: Karen S. Freeman / iMore)

The Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC® comes in two sizes: 13-inch and 16-inch, each of which will work for just about any laptop up to those sizes. There are four colorways: Steel Gray, Ocean Green, Sand, and Baltic Blue (which you see in my photos). Amazon carries certain sizes and colors — you can find the complete lineup on Incase's own website.

Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC®: What's good

Incase Compact Sleeve With Bionic Lifestyle Front

Incase Compact Sleeve With Bionic Lifestyle Front (Image credit: Karen S. Freeman / iMore)

Protection is first and foremost when it comes to laptop sleeves. The Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC® is protective. It also feels nicely padded while maintaining a slim form factor. The durable and streamlined design makes it easy to carry alone or pop into a larger bag for transport.

The main compartment's opening is wide enough to let you slip your MacBook or any laptop of a similar size in and out easily. There is a single zipper that goes all the from one end to the other. If you leave it slightly open, you could even charge your MacBook without removing it from the sleeve.

Get streamlined protection for your laptop made from recycled plastic waste fished from the sea.

In addition to the roomy main compartment, there is a zippered quick-access front compartment that is large enough to hold a charger or other accessories. There's plenty of room for both your wall charger and charging cable in there.

What makes this laptop sleeve stand out from the crowd is the fact that it's made from recycled materials. The BIONIC® yarn makes for a durable, anti-abrasion, ripstop fabric. While it's made out of plastic trash that's been fished out of the sea, it doesn't feel scratchy or cheap. It just feels like high quality. Each colorway is reminiscent of the ocean, and I love the Baltic Blue shade I picked.

Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC®: What's not good

Incase Compact Sleeve With Bionic Lifestyle Backside

Incase Compact Sleeve With Bionic Lifestyle Backside (Image credit: Karen S. Freeman / iMore)

If you like particularly soft or luxurious-feeling sleeves for your tech, this probably isn't the way to go. While the fabric is high in quality and doesn't look or feel like plastic, it is made from plastic after all. Aesthetically it is very much like nylon, which may or may not be your cup of tea.

Some may object to the price point, as there are certainly laptop sleeves that are just as protective for a lot less money. While I think cleaning up our oceans is a worthwhile cause, there are other ways you could go about doing it.

Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC®: Competition

LAUT POP Protective Sleeve for MacBook Hero

LAUT POP Protective Sleeve for MacBook Hero (Image credit: Karen S. Freeman / iMore)

If you're looking for something super soft, check out the LAUT POP Protective Sleeve for MacBook. This neoprene sleeve comes in some fun colors. The interior is lined with fluffy faux fur.

Harber London Slim Leather Folio Laptop Case Hero

Harber London Slim Leather Folio Laptop Case Hero (Image credit: Karen S. Freeman / iMore)

However, if you want something a bit more upscale and elegant, check out the Harber London Slim Leather Folio Laptop Case No. 7. It's handcrafted in Spain from luxurious leather and lined with non-scratch wool.

Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC®: Should you buy it?

Incase Compact Sleeve With Bionic Lifestyle Inside Main Pocket

Incase Compact Sleeve With Bionic Lifestyle Inside Main Pocket (Image credit: Karen S. Freeman / iMore)

You should buy this if ...

  • You want a protective laptop sleeve
  • You want a streamlined look
  • You want to contribute to cleaning up our oceans

You shouldn't buy this if...

  • It's not to your taste
  • You prefer natural materials like leather
  • It's out of your budget

The Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC® is a great pick for the laptop user on the go who needs a slim, compact, and protective sleeve. It's also a good choice for the environmentally conscious. However, the nylon-type fabric won't be to everyone's taste, and the price point may be out of range for some.

The laptop sleeve's durable rip-stop nylon-like fabric is woven from BIONIC® yarn, which is made out of plastic trash that's been fished out of the ocean. In fact, each sleeve is made from the equivalent of seven plastic water bottles. The available colorways are great (I happen to love this Baltic Blue) and properly oceanic. The Incase Compact Sleeve w/BIONIC® is protectively padded and yet slim and compact. While it's not to everyone's taste and it's not cheap, it certainly doesn't disappoint.

Karen S Freeman
Contributor

Karen is a contributor to iMore.com as a writer and co-host of the iMore Show. She’s been writing about Apple since 2010 with a year-long break to work at an Apple Store as a product specialist. She's also a contributor at TechRadar and Tom's Guide. Before joining iMore in 2018, Karen wrote for Macworld, CNET, AppAdvice, and WatchAware. She’s an early adopter who used to wait in long lines on release days before pre-ordering made things much easier. Karen is also a part-time teacher and occasional movie extra. She loves to spend time with her family, travel the world, and is always looking for portable tech and accessories so she can work from anywhere.