OtterBox Rugged Medium Laptop Case (7030)
www.OtterBox.com
Price: $124.99 (Approx., still not released)

OtterBox has long been one of my favorite companies for bringing not only high quality, but also very unique and extremely usable products to the market. Aiming at the active lifestyle, OtterBox has always made products that are made to withstand the toughest environment and still leave your valuables in great condition, no matter the condition around them. In the past we have taken a look at some of their products like the iPod Rugged Case, Gear Case, and PDA Cases. Today we get to look at an even bigger, even more unique case aimed at carrying your laptop in complete protection, the Rugged Medium Laptop Case (7030).

In typical OtterBox style, there is not a ton of retail packaging that the case comes in. It comes in a white box with a simple, small OtterBox sticker on the outside. Once you open the box you will find the case itself in a plastic bag. Most of the accessories and pieces are located inside the case during shipping, so you will first want to take everything out and have a look at everything that you get along with the case. Opening the case is a simple operation thanks to the spring loaded clasps that hold the case securely shut. The first step in opening the case is to flip both the clasps out on their top (where the finger groves are), then you let them flip back down and they come out at the bottom a bit to allow you to open the case. It is a bit complicated to explain, but they work very well and are easy to open and close, plus they hold the case very securely shut.

(first you pull the clips out towards you at the top)

(then they spring down and out at the bottom to let you open the case)

Now to look at what's included for accessories, included is:

• Case Itself
• 4x Regular Corner Bumpers
• 4x Slim Corner Bumpers
• 4x Side Bumpers
• Shoulder Strap
• 2x Keys (Not Pictured)
• Instructions (Not Pictured)

The case is a simple yet effective design. Inside, the top and bottom are lined in a soft velcro surface that the bumpers can stick to. You can place the bumpers wherever you like inside the case to work with your laptop. My 15"(Screen) Laptop just fit inside the case using the Slim Corner Bumpers, but if you have a smaller laptop (maybe even 15" Screen, just smaller overall) you may find the Regular Corner Bumpers to work better. You can also use the Side Bumpers to put other things inside the case (it does not HAVE to be used with laptops). This system works very well and makes the case have a perfect fit with any laptop. To get the bumpers lined up in the case, I found it easiest to hold the bumpers on the corner of the laptop, then place the whole thing in the case (so the corners are spaced properly).

After the bumpers are in place, there is a velcro strap that secures the laptop even further. The strap is very soft which means it will not scratch up your laptop like many cheap straps can/will.

(laptop secured with velcro strap)

(bumpers in place without laptop)

Also included is a shoulder strap that is covered in a soft neoprene like material and clips onto the two side mounts on the case. The mounts can swivel 360 degrees and are screwed right into the case.

(shoulder strap mount)

Looking at the rest of the outside you will also noticed the handle at the top of the case. This handle is a very rugged yet soft handle that is easy to hold onto and makes carrying the case like a briefcase very easy. I personally preferred to carry the case by the handle than the shoulder strap. I also was glad that they used a softer/more ergonomic handle instead of a hard plastic or other handle that could be much less comfortable to hold onto. On the back of the case discreetly built in are four rubber feet. These feet do not come out very far from the case, so they do not get in the way, but when laying the case down flat they help to keep the case from sliding around and protect the surface you are setting the case on.

My favorite way to use the Laptop case with my laptop was to set it on a table/flat surface, flip open the top, unvelcro the strap covering the laptop, flip up the laptop screen, and work on the laptop without even having to remove the laptop from the case. The case provided a very stable work area, plus the case hinge only opens just past a right angle, so the lid stays up with the screen of the laptop (as pictured in the second picture in this review). The lid seems to go back far enough to allow you to position the laptop screen however you like, but not so far back that the case takes up a ton of table space.

OtterBox even gave the case a through port that can be used to run power or other cables outside of the case while keeping the rest of the case shut. Opening the through port will make it so the elements can get in (as it is just an open hole), but maybe in the future OtterBox will come out with a sealed port add-on like they did for their PDA cases. The port is closed by a simple rubber plug that is attached on the inside so you will not loose it.

Now say you are on the worksite and would like to lay the case down for a second but do not feel quite secure enough with the case sitting there with your valuables inside ready for the taking, OtterBox has you covered with the lock built right into the top of the case. Included are two keys that operate the lock under the small handle at the top. This lock is a swing type that swings down from the top half of the case and latches onto a pin on the bottom half of the case. The locking components of the case are actually on the outside of the sealed zone (where the laptop is), so water and such can come up into this area (and there are two drain holes to let this area drain when water does get up in there). This however should not be much of a concern as the lock would get water into the key hole anyways.

(lock behind handle on top of case)

(bottom pin that lock grabs onto)

While using the OtterBox Laptop Case I felt it did a very good job of protecting my laptop and keeping it secure from the elements. It also was not extremely heavy for a rugged case and I felt the build quality was very good. The biggest problem I found with the Laptop case is that there was no place to put the power cord and other accessories for my laptop. With smaller laptops this would not be a big issue as you could have some more space inside the case along side the laptop to put some of these items, but with my 15" laptop, the whole case was taken up by the laptop with no room to spare for accessories. This is not really a design flaw, but more of a size flaw, I probably would have been better off with the Large version of the case even though the Medium is stated to be for 15" laptops.

Overall I feel this is the best ruggedized laptop case I have used. It has good looks, great build quality, and enough adjustability to let even the pickiest people get their laptop positioned just right. My only problem with the case was the lack of space to put my power adapter and other accessories that I usually carry along with my laptop, maybe the larger version would solve this problem for me though!

Pros:

• Great Looks
• Awesome Build Quality
• Multiple Bumper types INCLUDED (you do not have to buy the other types separately)
• Lockable

Cons:

• No place for power cord/accessories when using 15" laptop
• Heavier than your standard leather briefcase (duh!)

Thanks to OtterBox for the Review Sample!