There are plenty of ways to keep the best laptops safe when you travel with them, from hard shell cases to soft sleeves. But whichever route you choose, you'll probably end up putting your laptop in a bag anyway. With the Incase Go Sleeve, there may be another option. The Go Sleeve is a quality laptop sleeve that pairs a soft and secure main compartment with a front pouch that can expand to hold accessories. Depending on what you need on a daily basis, you might be able to carry all the necessities with just the Go Sleeve.

For those who plan to put the Go Sleeve inside a bag anyway, this use case doesn't make the sleeve any less excellent. In fact, I primarily used it inside a backpack throughout my review period. The mix of high-quality materials, good looks, and protective elements makes the Go Sleeve one of the best sleeves you can buy for $40.

About this review: Incase sent me the Go Sleeve 14 for review. It did not have input in this article, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Pricing and availability

The Incase Go Sleeve can hold laptops up to 14 inches in size and retails for $40. You can only buy it directly from Incase currently, but it might pop up at other retailers in the future. There are two colors available: Conte Gray and Navy. Some have said that Conte Gray has a purple undertone, and you'll definitely notice that in my product shots. However, for the most part, the colors look like your average gray and navy.

What I like

The sleeve has a sleek, premium feel with protective elements

Before we get into the spacious front pocket, let's talk about how the Go Sleeve performs — as just a sleeve. It's well-made, featuring a polyester material that is textured on the outside, making for a heather look. On the inside, there is a soft material that will protect your device. It's not quite as soft as felt (it's probably made of a different polyester blend), but it has similar properties. Most importantly, the Go Sleeve retains its shape without your laptop inside, which is an easy way to tell how protective a sleeve is.

If you try to bend the Incase Go Sleeve without anything inside, you'll feel a good amount of resistance fighting you back. Cheaper laptop sleeves made out of more flexible materials will just fold over like a piece of paper, for comparison. What this means is that the Go Sleeve actually is giving your laptop extra protection.

The zippers feel nice as well, and the plastic casing around the zipper pulls will last longer than fabric ones. I also appreciate how when there isn't anything in the front pocket, it compresses a lot to keep thickness to a minimum. When reviewing laptop bags and sleeves, I often try to point out a single point of failure. If I had to pick one on the Go Sleeve, it would be the stitching where the zipper connects to the polyester sleeve. It just looks a bit too thin for how integral the connection point is. But I didn't notice any durability issues during my review period, and everything indicates the Go Sleeve will hold up well over time.

The front pocket will hold more than you think

The front pocket is one of this sleeve's best features, though, because it expands much more than you'd expect. Initially, I didn't think it would fit enough accessories to make the front pouch worth the added bulk. However, the bottom of the pocket stretches out like an accordion to fit far more than it otherwise could. I was able to fit a Ugreen 145W Power Bank, multi-port wall adapter, and a USB-C cable inside the front pouch without problems. In addition, I probably could've even added a tiny travel mouse to round out the setup.

This extra space makes it possible to take your laptop with you, without also bringing along a bag. I like to travel with more, but the bare minimum for me is a laptop, a power bank, a wall adapter, and a USB-C cable. That can all fit in the Go Sleeve easily, and I could see it being a great option for students who want to carry only this sleeve between classes. It also might make sense for work commutes, depending on where you're going. Throwing the Go Sleeve in your car and driving somewhere seems fine to me, but I'd want a bigger bag — and one with a handle or strap — for anything that involves public transit.

What I don't like

The only downside is that it won't be perfect for everyone

There's not much to fault the Go Sleeve for, but there are some people that wouldn't push this sleeve to its limits. For example, my ideal loadout is two laptops, a mouse and keyboard, camera, chargers, and cables. Carrying all of this wouldn't be possible with just the Go Sleeve, and I'd need to carry a bag with me as well.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but people who don't plan to utilize the front pocket at all might be better off with something else. Even if you use the front pocket on the Go Sleeve only occasionally, it's probably worth it. However, if it is just redundant, you should probably pick up a sleeve without the front pocket for maximum thinness.

Should you buy the Incase Go Sleeve?

You should buy the Incase Go Sleeve if:

• You want a quality sleeve for your 14-inch or smaller laptop
• You prioritize accessory storage
• You want an affordable laptop sleeve

You should NOT buy the Incase Go Sleeve if:

• You don't need the front pocket for accessories
• You have a bigger laptop

As far as laptop sleeves are concerned, the Incase Go Sleeve is one of the best. It has good build quality, provides an ample amount of protection, and will surprise you with how many accessories it can store. People who can travel lightly enough to just take the Go Sleeve with them will get the most out of it, but it'll work as an everyday sleeve as well. For $40, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better quality sleeve.