Sleeves and bags for the biggest laptops
Seventeen-inch laptops are the largest made, mostly with a 17.3-inch screen in the wide 16:9 shape, about 38.3 by 21.5cm. Fewer laptops are made at this size, and many carriers stop at 16 inches, so this range brings together the sleeves made up to 17.3 inches and the bags and briefcases with a compartment for a 17-inch laptop. A laptop this size is often heavy, so how you will carry it matters as much as the fit. Many 17-inch laptops are also thicker than smaller ones, so the inside thickness of a sleeve or compartment is worth checking too.
What is in this range
- Sleeves: padded and soft sleeves made in a run of sizes up to 17 or 17.3 inch, a neoprene sleeve, a fluffy padded sleeve, a cartoon print, and stand sleeves that fold to tilt the laptop on a desk.
- Handle sleeves with room for the laptop, its charger and a few accessories.
- Shoulder bags and briefcases with a padded 17-inch compartment, several pockets and a strap, for a laptop that goes to work or on business trips.
- Large-capacity bags with multiple compartments, for the laptop and the rest of the day's things.
Most sleeves are made in several sizes, so the same sleeve appears in more than one size range. Choose your size on the product page, and where it gives the inside measurements, compare them with your laptop's width, depth and thickness. The guide to laptop sleeve sizes shows how to measure.
Carrying a 17-inch laptop
A sleeve protects a 17-inch laptop well, but carrying one by a handle soon tires the hand, and a large laptop with its charger is a real weight on one shoulder. For daily travel, a laptop backpack made for 17-inch laptops spreads the weight over both shoulders. For the office, a briefcase with a padded strap is easier on a shorter journey. If the charger is a large brick, a tech pouch stops it pressing on the lid.
Questions people ask about 17-inch laptop sleeves
Will a 17-inch sleeve fit a 17.3-inch laptop?
Most sleeves here are made for 17.3-inch laptops, and their size choices say so. Laptops of the same screen size differ in their borders and thickness, so compare your laptop's width, depth and thickness with the inside size where it is given.
What about an 18-inch laptop?
Measure it first. Some briefcases are made in a 17 to 18-inch size: see the laptop briefcases.
Will a 16-inch laptop fit?
It will be loose, and a laptop that slides about is less protected. The 16-inch sleeves suit it better.
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