Expert's Rating
Pros
- Well-crafted, quality build, water-repellent coating and lining, attractive, business friendly, comes with Terralinq serial number for reuniting lost luggage.
Cons
- Expensive, no ability to lock down valuables, MacBook sleeve isn’t the most protective.
Our Verdict
The Cobra courier M from Booq is a serious and stylish, business-like laptop bag with room for iPad, accessories and valuables. At a penny under £160 it isn’t cheap but should payback your investment over the years of good service. If your budget permits this is a great companion to your MacBook on your travels.
Booq offers a premium range of cases and bags for Apple’s iPad and MacBook, along with laptops and cameras. Available in a selection of snake inspired collections – including Cobra, Python, Mamba, Taipan and Vyper – Booq covers just about all bases from heavy-duty, multi-storage protection to lighter, more manageable sleeves.
The Cobra range, in business friendly black, is typical, with slimline briefs and more roomy backpacks and messenger bags available for frequent and not so frequent travellers. The Cobra courier M, reviewed here, sits somewhere in the middle of the range in terms of price and size. Natively compatible with the 15-inch MacBook, it can also be used with the 17-inch version simply by removing the supplied laptop sleeve. The quality, quilted sleeve certainly looks the part, with an equally lush lining, but lacks the added rigidity and protection of some sleeves available to laptop owners.
The same can’t be said of the actual courier bag itself, which feels solid and protective without too much bulk, or at 3.4 lb (1.55 kg) weight. Made from durable 1680 denier ballistic nylon the bag may not withstand a bullet but is water-repellent and liable to survive everyday wear and tear with ease. Finished with Nappa leather trims and a nylon twill main-bag lining, it’s well made, which you would hope at this price, with a nice tactile feel and noticeable attention to detail.
Along with a carry handle, the Cobra courier M comes with a fully adjustable shoulder strap and removable pad with silicone-grip for extra comfort and support should your load get heavy. The bag includes pockets built into the lining for valuables such as keys and phone, while an open side pocket is useful for light paperwork. A more secure iPad compatible zipper pocket is also included, which is a bonus as the main storage space relies on Velcro only to secure your laptop and accessories.