In this article I will have a short look at the Waterfield 7 x 10 gear pouch, as a way to organize my messenger bag when I’m commuting back and forth to the office.  I’m using a Lenovo T61p notebook, a perfect workhorse, in combination with the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter. It is of course a very slim power adapter, but the different peaces are nicely kept together in a pouch.

Waterfield 7×10 gear Pouch – A closer look !

However I take more accessoiries with me in addition to a power adapter, and this is where the Waterfield 7×10 gear pouch becomes really interesting. It is a very simple gear pouch consisting of one large compartment that can be accessed via one large embedded zipper over the complete width of the 7×10 gear pouch. You can quickly stow accessories into the 7 x 10 and keep your bag organized (without creating a cable spagetti).

The Waterfield 7 x 10 gear pouch is build from heavy duty ballistic nylon, that is used fo bulletproof vests as well. The zipper pull makes is very easy to open and close the Waterfield 7 x 10 pouch. The loop on the left side of the 7 x 10 you can is a similar construction like the Waterfield Sleevecase for HP Mini 1000, where it helps to easily remove the laptop from the Waterfield Sleevecase.

The picture above shows the backside of the Waterfield 7 x 10 Gear Pouch, with on the right side the loop. On the left side you can see a small part of the zipper pull. Furthermore you see a vertical piece of balistic nylon on the left side of the Waterfield 7 x 10. It is called the Go Handle, and gives an easy hold of the 7 x 10 gear pouch, for example when you walk towards the next meeting (having the mouse and power adapter in the 7 x 10).

The picture above shows again the front side of the Waterfield 7 x 10 gear pouch, with an open zipper. You can clearly see here that you have easy access to the single main compartment of the pouch. The inside of the Waterfield 7 x 10 gear pouch seems to have a kind of rubberized finish. However I’m not sure if this results in water resistant characteristics.

Overall conclusion and wrap-up

The Waterfield 7 x 10 gear pouch is available in three different sizes (6 x 9, 7 x 10 and 8 x 11). Based on my personal usage scenario and preferences, the Waterfield customer pre-sales advice helped me to select the right size.

You can expect the similar used materials and high build quality of the Waterfield 7 x 10 Gear Pouch compared to the Waterfield Sleevecase. I noted before that I’m using a Waterfield Sleevecase for the Lenovo X60 tablet for over more than two years now, without any sign of wearing out.

The Waterfield 7 x 10 gear pouch is for me a perect organizer, that is avaialble for a fair pricepoint of $13,- given the used high quality and durable materials. If you need a simple pouch to carry accessories or you are looking for a way to organize your bag content a little more, have a look at the Waterfield website for the 7 x 10 gear pouch.

We have covered WaterField products before and we were always very satisfied with their products. The new WaterField iPad Ultimate SleeveCase is no exception here either. Please read and view along about this great ultimate travel sleeve/case/bag for the just released Apple iPad.

The iPad Ultimate SleeveCase is made out of ballistic strong nylon on the outside and cushioned on the inside with high grade neoprene on one side and the other side is lined with ultrasuede to protect your screen against stratching.

The SleeveCase comes in either a horizontal or vertical orientation. The version we received has a horizontal orientation with a leather trim on the bottom.  The SleeveCase is TSA Checkpoint friendly which means you don’t have to take out your iPad out of the sleeve while going through security at the airport.

The SleeveCase has a nice big flap that is secured with velcro. Stitched on the flap is the recognizable clean logo of WaterField. On the back you have an extra sleeve to add some paper work or some skinny charging cables. However this pocket can not be closed securly, it is an open sleeve.

On each side of the flap are two metal rings which will allow you to do two things. In the first place you can add a shoulder strap to make this SleeveCase into a shoulder carrying SleeveCase/ bag. Secondly you can add a Piggyback pouch which is an extra pouch that will allow you easily to bring extra charging cables and your MIFI if you want to bring the internet on the road. The Piggyback pouch comes with your choice of the leather trim like the SleeveCase or with the Indium trim which is the other trim option for the SleeveCase as well.  Combining the strap and the piggyback will give you a real ultimate carrying travel case/bag for you Apple iPad needs.

I have a made a short video below showing you the options of the iPad Ultimate SleeveCase with leather trim, Shoulder strap and the Piggyback with leather trim.

The WaterField iPad Ultimate SleeveCase is available at  sfbags.com with the following options:

iPad Ultimate SleeveCase with lead indium trim: $55 (Horizontal or Vertical orientation)
iPad Ultimate SleeveCase with leather trim: $59 (Horizontal or Vertical orientation)

Simple Shoulder strap: $7  (more info)
Suspension Shoulder strap mini: $15 (more info)

Piggyback pouch with lead indium trim: $25
Piggyback pouch with leather trim: $27

Conclusion

I really do like the fact the the WaterField Ultimate SleeveCase is compact to fit just the Apple iPad and a little extra like a cable and a MIFI. With the great battery life on the Apple iPad you don’t need much more. The added shoulder strap makes it easy to carry with you and the added easy to attach Piggyback pouch gives you that little extra to bring along if you need to.

I have made up my mind if in the future I need some kind of bag or case for our MobilityMinded products. I have to make sure to check out the San Fransico made WaterField products first !

About a month ago I have published a review about the Waterfield Sleevecase for my Lenovo X60 tablet here @ mobilityminded. While in that article I elaborated on the Waterfield Sleevecase itself, I wanted to show a comparison of the Waterfield Sleevecase for HP Mini 1000 with a no-name neoprene sleeve from eBaY and discuss my findings about differences in design, user experience and price.

The comparison

The two pictures above show both the Waterfield Sleevecase for the HP Mini 1000 and the eBaY sleeve for the HP Mini 1000 next to each other.Let me start with a brief description of the eBaY sleeve, and compare the Waterfield Sleevecase for the HP Mini 1000 to it later on.

Noname “eBaY” sleeve for HP Mini 1000

The eBaY sleeve is simple in design and is actually vertically oriented to slide in the HP Mini 1000. The sleeve is made of neoprene and is very simple finished with a red ribbon, but there is no velcro or zipper to fully close the sleeve with the risk for the HP Mini 1000 to fall out. There are no additional flaps or compartments in this sleeve, and the neoprene material is about 2 or 3 mm. think so there is not much thickness to cushion impact. Very sharp is the pricepoint of $12,- including shipment.

Waterfield Sleevecase for HP Mini 1000

When you pick up the Waterfield Sleevecase for the HP Mini 1000 on the contrary you immediately feel the difference in used materials. Remark the material hightlights of the Waterfield Sleevecase:

• “Custom-made, domestically produced ballistic nylon exterior.
• 6 mm high-grade neoprene interior.  (We use the neoprene because it is very dense and has much better shock-absorbing qualities than foam.)
• Lead colored Indium trim at the bottom.
• One-inch nylon webbing loop at bottom for users to hold while removing laptop.” [ref04]

Remarkable is double the thickness of the protective neoprene interior, while on the noname eBaY sleeve there also isn’t a protective exterior. The Waterfield Sleevecase in comparison has a ballistic nylon exterior which protects  the Waterfield Sleevecase for the daily abuse we expose  our notebooks and netbooks to.

But not only the difference in materials is noticeable. Also on the functional design there are huge differences. First let me emphasize that the Waterfield Sleevecase for the HP Mini 1000 has a wide opening for easy sliding the HP Mini 1000 in and out the Sleevecase. The noname eBaY sleeve has a vertical entry, but this is “blocked” since the design is like a fixed flap (while the Waterfield Sleevecase has an easy to open flap, creating the easy entry).

In my journey to find a sleevecase with a good custom fit for the Lenovo X60 tablet I could only conclude that Waterfield does an amazing job on this level. Despite the fact that the eBaY sleeve was also particular for the HP Mini 1000, there is unnecessary free space of 2 cm .in wdth and even 3 cm. in the height of the sleeve. On the contrary the Waterfield Sleevecase has a really good custom fit.

Finally one of the best features of the Waterfield Sleevecases is the additional “compartment” on the back. When I use my netbook on the go, it is simply because I want to travel light. In the back compartment I put my Moleskine notebook and a Caran d’Ache Ecridor-series ballpoint and you are ready for a conference, meeting, visit or technology show.

Thoughts and overall conclusions

I hope this article provides a little insight in the differences in quality and price between the Waterfield Sleevecase for HP Mini 1000 and a no-name case a friend of mine ordered over eBaY somewhere in Asia.

The comparison above really shows huge differences both in used materials, as well in functional design. The conclusion on these points is very easy, since the Waterfield Sleevecase for the Hp Mini 1000 outperforms on every single point.

Personally I don’t think this is surprising given the background and experience of the designers. Certainly if ballistic nylon is good enough to be used in bulletproof vests, than it certainly protects my netbook or notebook.

Critics might want to discuss about the difference in price: $12,- for the no-name eBaY sleeve in comparison to $38,- for the Waterfield Sleevecase and 15$ for additional customizations.I will give you my reasoning below.

The HP Mini 1000 is about a $500,- machine, so why would you reduce costs of $40 on the protection of such a great device. Honestly and from my personal experience the Waterfield Sleevecase is worth every dollar more, simply because of the high quality, the excellent design, the level of possible customizations and the used materials.

Summarizing, getting the Waterfield Sleevecase for the HP Mini 1000 or every other netbook, is a rocksolid investment in the daily protection of the device.

Finally special thanks to Julie Strietelmeier from the-gadgeteer.com for the Watefield Sleevecase tip, and to Heidi Marzke from Waterfield Design for the excellent help and fast communication !! Go ahead and find your personalized Waterfield Sleevecase over here !

Reference list

1. MOBILITYMINDED:  Waterfield Sleevecase for Lenovo X60 Tablet (8-cell battery) Review
2. WATERFIELD:  Netbook Sleevecases

What does a bulletproof vest and a sleevecase for my notebook have in common? This question, I will answer in the following article, where I will review the Waterfield Design Sleevecase for Lenovo X60 tablet with 8-cell battery.

It’s very hard to find a suitable case for the Lenovo X60 tablet due to the 8-cell battery, which stands out of the back of the machine. Waterfield ended my case journey with their “custom made” Sleevecase, build from highly durable and strong materials.

Design and used materials

Without directly rushing into the functional design I want to provide some background information about the development of the Waterfield Sleevecase.  So here is the history:

“Gary Waterfield, originally owner and chief designer, is a long-time cyclist, a former Boston bike messenger, and an admitted bagophile.” [ref01]

“The SleeveCase was developed in response to a request from the director of the MIT media lab. “The members of his lab wanted something they could use separately or in another bag that would provide good protection while remaining light weight and easy to access.  They didn’t want zippers to slow them down or to potentially scratch their laptops. [ref04]

With both the background of the designer as well as some of the design idea’s and history in mind, it’s easier to understand the design of the Waterfield Sleeve case. With a history as bike messenger the choice of durable and strong materials might not be very surprising:

• “Custom-made, domestically produced ballistic nylon exterior.
• 6 mm high-grade neoprene interior.  (We use the neoprene because it is very dense and has much better shock-absorbing qualities than foam.)
• Lead colored Indium trim at the bottom.
• One-inch nylon webbing loop at bottom for users to hold while removing laptop.” [ref04]

After using the Waterfield Sleevecase for quite some weeks now on a daily basis, I think I’m able to share my field experience. At first the used materials make the Waterfield Sleevecase (one of) the best notebook cases avaiable on the market today. The exterior nylon is really strong and durable, while the high grade neoprene interior is at least as twice as thick as the cheap neoprene cases you can get on eBay.

These materials combined with a clever design really make the difference, resulting in a high quality product. One of the things that I like is the easy acces / way of opening the front flap by adding a short webbing loop to it for easy grabbing. Furthermore the webbing loop at the bottom of the case is some you really start to use, and love on the long run. It’s really a simple solution, but it makes a world of a difference of easily removing your notbook from the case.

Finally a really clever feature is the compartiment on the back of the Waterfield Sleevecase, which is shown in the picture below. When you just take your notebook with you to a meeting or on the road, this compartiment is very usefull to put your papers in and clip you pencil on.

While I have highlighted some of the main design features I like, one of the huge advantages of the Waterfield Sleevecase is the possibility to customize it to your personal needs.

Customization options to personalize the Waterfield Sleevecase

“WaterField Designs produces over 40 custom-sized laptop cases for just about every Apple and PC laptop on the market.” [ref04]

So the first main and very important customization option is the size of the Waterfield Sleevecase, which will be perfectly optimized to fit your device of choice. And yes the design is really optimized, because the fit of my Lenovo X60 tablet with 8-cell battery is really great. And believe me it’s really hard to find a “standard” case that would fit the exterior measurements of this machine. But customers can personalize their sleeve in a number of ways:

• “Horizontal or vertical orientation for insertion into briefcases or backpacks.
• Front flap – $15.00 additional.
• Simple Shoulder Strap and added D-rings – $12.00.
• Suspension Shoulder Strap and added D-rings – $18.00.
• “The Piggyback” – an accessories pouch that hooks onto the D-rings – $22.00. ” [ref04]

As you might notice on the pictures of the Waterfield Sleevecase for the Lenovo X60 tablet, the orientation is horizontal, and they have added a frontflap to the Sleevecase. I think that this gives the full protection for the devices, althought it might add a little weight. Furthermore Waterfield was so kind to add just the D-Rings to the Sleevecase. If you need to just take your notebook with you, you can attach a schoulder strap to it. However I must admit that most of the times I put the Lenovo X60 tablet in my Crumpler Beancounter L messenger bag.

Final Conclusions

Remember the opening question: “What does a bulletproof vest and a sleevecase for my notebook have in common?” It is the strong and durable exterioir balistic nylon. And honestly if this material is good enough to protect human lives, it certainly protects the most important piece of equipment in todays business:  A notebook or netbook !

With a background as a mechanical design engineer, I might have a feeling for solid designs. I can only that Gary Waterfield did a great job designing this sleevecase, and with his background as a bike messenger he added some powerfull and clever tweaks. The custom-sized-fit to YOUR device of choice is a very important aspect, since it was the main driver in my Sleevcase quest.

If you have a look at highly durable and strong used materials, combined with a clever design and good fit with your notebook, you simply can’t go wrong with a Waterfield Sleevecase.

Some of you might oppose the question and what does this all cost, I can get a cheaper sleevecase over at eBay for example ?? What you pay for is what your get, and if I simply look at the thickness of the interioir neoprene or the quality and durability of the balistic nylon, or the custom fit, I can only speak up loudly: “The Waterfield Sleevecase is worth every single penny !!”

Your device is well protected and the Waterfield Sleevecase becomes a part of the equipment you use every day to keep you going ! If you are interested in a Waterfield Sleevecase, but you would like to read some additional reviews of other devices have a look over @ the gadgeteer and @ just another mobile monday !!

Finally special thanks to Julie Strietelmeier from the-gadgeteer.com for the Watefield Sleevecase tip, and to Heidi Marzke from Waterfield Design for the exellent help and fast communication !! Go ahead and find your personalized Waterfield Sleevecase over here !

About Waterfield Design

“In a nutshell, WaterField products are ridiculously well-made, fastidiously designed, have more personality than you can shake a stick at, and are so “user-friendly”, that you can actually operate them with one arm tied behind your back. This turns out to be a huge benefit for high-frequency travelers; the busy, laptop-carrying, cell phone-obsessed commuting types; or the dual diaper/carrying bag parents.”

Sound too good to be true? Don’t take our word for it; check out what our customers say. See testimonials.

Reference List

1. HOME: Waterfield Laptop Sleeves
2. HOME: Waterfield Netbook Sleeves
3. NEW: Lenovo X60 tablet as primary “notebook”
4. INFO: The Waterfield Designs Sleevecase