[CSV1026]

Okay - here's my problem. I am a klutz. I need an uber-strong protective case or sleeve for my iPad. Preferably military-grade - I don't care that the thing shrieks "hey, look at who drops her device constantly." I just want to know that small bumps and drops won't cost me hundreds. BUT - I also need a "naked screen" - for my sketching, for my book research (I write picture books, so I need to have the highest quality image when I check out the competition via e-book.) I'd initially narrowed my choices down to Lifeproof and Griffin Survivor cases.

My Nuud experience wasn't great. Whether it was me or the case, three different cases failed the water test no less than two dozen times. Granted, sometimes the water intake was truly minimal - but if I am paying $100 for a case, darnitall, I want it to perform as advertised. (No, I'm not planning on dunking my device - but if it's supposed to be waterproof, I want it waterproof.) I figured that even if it WAS me, if it was so hard to install properly, I didn't want to risk it. Also, I wasn't crazy about the snap-on front cover.

On to the Survivor. It's great - love the feel, love the heft to it - except for that awful plastic screen protector. I know I could hack it by removing that part - but again, I am not keen on spending $80 on a case and then voiding the warantee by chopping it up.

No other case seems to meet my needs - I haven't heard good stuff about Otterbox lately, and don't know diddly about Gumdrop, but was ready to give one of those a go when I found the G-Form sleeve. THAT, I thought, would be ideal. I'm not so worried about damage when I'm holding my device - it's when I'm NOT using it that I want the protection. BUT... the iPad sleeve is a truly tight fit, even with just a SmartCover on it. I have a light folio case I love, and don't want to do without it if I'm not getting a protective case. So I wrote to the G-Form company, and they said, "Put it in one of our 11" laptop cases - that should work fine."

So now, I toss it out to you all. Is this a wise idea? I know that the size difference is tiny, given that I've got a case on my Pad - but will that extra wiggle room put my device at risk if it drops in the case? I already smashed one screen accidentally - left the dang thing on the car roof because I was in a hurry to get my son to scouts. I don't want to kill another.

Ideas? I'm wishing Griffen made a Survivor without the screen protector - because given my druthers, that's what I'd get.

Thanks in advance for not screaming and moaning about another bloody "what case should I buy" thread.

[smax013]

CSV1026, on 10 January 2013 - 02:19 PM, said:

Okay - here's my problem. I am a klutz. I need an uber-strong protective case or sleeve for my iPad. Preferably military-grade - I don't care that the thing shrieks "hey, look at who drops her device constantly." I just want to know that small bumps and drops won't cost me hundreds. BUT - I also need a "naked screen" - for my sketching, for my book research (I write picture books, so I need to have the highest quality image when I check out the competition via e-book.) I'd initially narrowed my choices down to Lifeproof and Griffin Survivor cases.

My Nuud experience wasn't great. Whether it was me or the case, three different cases failed the water test no less than two dozen times. Granted, sometimes the water intake was truly minimal - but if I am paying $100 for a case, darnitall, I want it to perform as advertised. (No, I'm not planning on dunking my device - but if it's supposed to be waterproof, I want it waterproof.) I figured that even if it WAS me, if it was so hard to install properly, I didn't want to risk it. Also, I wasn't crazy about the snap-on front cover.

On to the Survivor. It's great - love the feel, love the heft to it - except for that awful plastic screen protector. I know I could hack it by removing that part - but again, I am not keen on spending $80 on a case and then voiding the warantee by chopping it up.

No other case seems to meet my needs - I haven't heard good stuff about Otterbox lately, and don't know diddly about Gumdrop, but was ready to give one of those a go when I found the G-Form sleeve. THAT, I thought, would be ideal. I'm not so worried about damage when I'm holding my device - it's when I'm NOT using it that I want the protection. BUT... the iPad sleeve is a truly tight fit, even with just a SmartCover on it. I have a light folio case I love, and don't want to do without it if I'm not getting a protective case. So I wrote to the G-Form company, and they said, "Put it in one of our 11" laptop cases - that should work fine."

So now, I toss it out to you all. Is this a wise idea? I know that the size difference is tiny, given that I've got a case on my Pad - but will that extra wiggle room put my device at risk if it drops in the case? I already smashed one screen accidentally - left the dang thing on the car roof because I was in a hurry to get my son to scouts. I don't want to kill another.

Ideas? I'm wishing Griffen made a Survivor without the screen protector - because given my druthers, that's what I'd get.

Thanks in advance for not screaming and moaning about another bloody "what case should I buy" thread.

The short dimension of an iPad is almost exactly the same as the short dimension of an 11" MacBook Air (tested by comparing my Air to my 2nd Gen iPad). In the long direction, the iPad is an inch or so shorter than Air. Thickness-wise, the iPad (without a case) is definitely much thinner than an Air. The end result is that an iPad without a case will likely slide around in a 11" laptop case even if that case is designed to snuggly fit an Air (such as the 11" InCase case that I have for my Air). This changes, of course, with a case of some sort on the iPad...but it will depend on the case. My iPad with a ZooGue case fits very snuggly in my 11" InCase case/bag for my Air. I don't see it sliding around much.

In the end, you might have to experiment...which might be tough. You potentially could try taking your iPad in its case into an Apple Store and trying it with the various 11" Air cases they have there. The only problem is that they tend to have a smaller selection in the physical Apple Stores...at least in the one near me. Not sure if you will have any issues taking your iPad into other stores like Best Buy, etc (Apple Stores don't seem to have a problem with it...after all people are bringing their computers, etc in for Genius appointments all the time).