Shutdown questions

Basically I have questions about shutting down. I have been sleeping my mbp most of the time. I just leave it out sometimes plugged in sometimes not. However I have concerns about sleeping it and then putting it in my sleeve which goes into my bag. I'm worried about it heating up as I have read horror stories about this happening to other people and I don't want it waking up somehow and getting too hot. So how often should I shut down and how often is too often? Is this a personal preference thing or is it bad for it to never shut it down or to shut it down too often? I have been reading what I can find but nothing seems definitive to me. I am mainly worried about over heating.

There is no set rule on how often you should or should not shut down the computer. Doing either will not harm the computer. As for overheating while sleeping, I'd guess that any computer that has been affected by that wasn't properly secured, and the lid opened enough to cause it to wake up.

You'll find that most people with Mac laptops only restart/shut down when there is a software update that requires it.

If the computer is really asleep, it will not get hot.

If something prevents the computer from sleeping (lid popping open, a system crash, SMC problems, InsomniaX) then it might cook itself. Just make sure that the computer is truly sleeping before packing it up. Use an actual, tight-fitting computer case, and don't install InsomniaX (because you will forget about it sooner or later.)

As most of these guys said, it shouldn't get hot as long as it's asleep. I think you would be fine with it traveling, as long as it stays asleep. I used to put mine asleep and throw it in my schoolbag and walk to class when I was in college. Never had a problem with it and I did that for over a year.

I was never worried about my MBP waking up because I know the model I had (July 2006) actually latched shut. I'm not sure but it looks like the newer models just have a magnet that keeps it shut, like the older Macbooks. If your really worried about it, just shut it down, it's not going to hurt anything.

Thanks for the replies. I do have a sleeve I bought from Apple that fits nice and snug so it's hard to imagine it opening accidentally while in there. Your information has helped me out so thanks!