For those that are transporting their keyboards around, what are you using? In the documentation, a 13" keyboard sleeve is recommended. Any specific type working well for you? Any specific brand recommendations or features you’ve found to be important?
My use case would be to carry the keyboard inside another bag. So I’m looking for protection, but it doesn’t need to be “armored.”
I just got a generic 13" zippered laptop sleeve; it is a bit of a tight fit, but seems to work well enough. It’s much more compact than using the box it shipped it, which is what I’d been doing before.
I’ve been considering this case: https://www.amazon.com/Pavilion-Stream-Spectre-Durable-Shoulder/dp/B01M28AI4F Like you, I want a “hard” case to add some protection, but agree that it doesn’t need to be “armored”. This one looks promising in being all that without being overly thick. It has a shoulder strap and a strap for securing it to a pull bag handle. My primary laptop bad is a pulled bag, so this would work well in that regard. Still doing some looking before I order it though.
@Javaru That looks good for your use case, especially since you’re using a pulled bag.
To clarify, I’d be putting the keyboard in a sleeve before putting it in my main carry bag. So the level of protection would not need to be tremendous; I mostly just need to protect it from the rest of my stuff in the bag.
@james.nvc So something like this then? https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-13-3-Inch-Laptop-Sleeve-Black/dp/B00CD8AF48/
Based on my crude measurements, the sleeve would need to be about 14-15 inches wide to accommodate the two halves side-by-side. The 13" sleeve looks like it would be a little too small.
Yup, just like that. It looked a little small, but with the two halves attached with the centre bar, it stretched just enough around the corners to fit.
How are you fitting it into a 13" sleeve? I’ve got a 15" sleeve, and the board won’t fit side-by-side. I’ve ended up putting the two halves back-to-back, keys facing out, but I don’t like the bulk.
I guess the sleeve I have is stretchy enough that it fits? The connected assemblage slides right in, just needs some force to zip it all the way around the protruding corners.
This was my concern as well. It looks like a 15.7" sleeve would fit the two halves side-by-side based on the internal measurements on Amazon.
I’ve used what I believe to be this: https://www.amazon.com/Cocoon-CPG38BK-NA-GRID-13-Inch-MacBook/dp/B073WPMGV8/
The keyboard goes where the grid of straps is and the neoprene cover wraps over it.
We started the process of looking at having a run of custom cases done, but shipping has derailed all our plans other than ‘ship’ and ‘solve customer issues’
We do hope to get back to that at some point.
FWIW, I bought the case @jesse linked to, above, and it arrived today. It was bigger than I was expecting. It does fit the two halves of the M01 (without bases attached) and seems like it would provide sufficient protection if being carried within another bag. It is a tight fit in my usual 13" laptop shoulder bag but it does fit in there.
Given that I don’t expect to be carrying my M01 around all that often, it seems like it’ll meet my needs.
I have that exact sleeve, in blue. I’m using to take the M01 to/from work three days a week in my backpack on the train. it is definitely a tight fit, but with the flat center bar inserted the keyboard fits in and the sleeve zips closed snugly.
Read through the recommendations here, took a look at Amazon and ended up getting this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CD8AFFW
It’s designed for 14" laptops so it has a little more space than the 13.3". Still have to stretch it a little but it isn’t a struggle.
I ended up going with this sleeve: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0196AJI98/
It’s a bulkier 15.6" sleeve, not sleek like some of the others posted, but that’s kind of what I wanted. I liked how it looked, and I didn’t want it to be a stretch to close it up.
It fits in there without any trouble. The only concern I had was that it might be too easy for the halves to bump into each other, so I connect them using the flat center bar to keep them from doing that. It fits in my large messenger bag just fine, so the risk of it moving around or breaking isn’t especially high anyway.
Also it has an inside pocket that I can put the cables in, so that’s nice.
I was thinking of getting an old suitcase that was near enough to the dimensions of the box and simply replacing the inner lining with the foam lining that came with the Model 01. After all, this thing is an heirloom-grade keyboard!
One thing to keep in mind with wood: foam is excellent packing/shipping material, but really poor for daily use unless it is covered in something less abrasive (like silk or velvet). This is why violin and guitar cases use velvet on any part that will come in contact with the wood of the instrument (because foam in direct contact with the varnish on the instrument will eventually scratch and mark the surface).
You are right! I never thought of that before. Looks like a more thorough DIY project is in store.
I tried out an old laptop sleeve, but I didn’t like the stress it placed on the middle joint or the way it took up space in my bag. I prefer to carry my keyboard “folded” — with the two halves stacked rather than connected.
I measured out the dimensions and got a hard case meant for a VR headset. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N6N3J8D
The fit is near perfect. There’s a little extra vertical space, but the foam inserts take up that space as if they were designed for it. The small elastic strap holds everything in place. Per @cal’s suggestion about foam being abrasive, I’m looking to get some small pieces of velvet to wrap the foam inserts and ensure that they don’t wear down the finish over time.
It’s still not exactly a svelte solution. But I don’t think I could find a more compact way to transport it. I only carry my keyboard to and from the office at the beginning and end of the week, so this works really well for me.
I’m looking getting my case from an entirely different angle, a wargame transport bag.
Companies like Battlefoam allow you to create custom cut foam inserts (designed to transport figurines, that are far more fragile than a keyboard). So I’m going to have a look which bag would be optimal. Starting with the transport bags that I already own.
@jesse is there a chance to get the template files used for the cut-out of the shipping boxes?
No. As I understand it, the packaging factory drew the die-cut lines by hand.
But I can get you outlines of the enclosures. Email us at help@keyboard.io so I don’t lose the request.
