SOE Gear iPad Sleeve

Originally got an iPad 2 but turned out not to be what I had expected so I traded it for a Motorola Xoom. In the process of trading it I also got my hands on the SOE Gear iPad sleeve. I was worried that it would not fit but they were of similar size. Surprisingly even with a slim snap case the Xoom does fit, perfectly.

Since everything I own is tactical I figured it did not stop with the case for my tablet. So when I saw SOE's post on Facebook about the sleeves, I jumped on it. Price is just right at $35, similar "uncool" cases go for about the same at any store.

It's exactly what I was looking for:

-Compact
-Coyote brown
-More velcro real estate than you can imagine
-Internal soft padding
-Something simple that I could slip my tablet in and out of
-Just enough coverage to keep the screen covered while in my EDC pack (beware though it offers no other such protection)
-Made in the USA

http://originalsoegear.com/ipad.html

Got the Coyote Brown model and first impressions is it's exactly what I hoped for. It's light and the Coyote Brown and velcro will make my tablet to most tacticool one on the road.



First thing I do as with many pieces of gear is look closely at the small details. Such as, stitching, quality of materials, hardware, etc. Here are some shots of the stitching close up. Both of the sleeve itself and that of the flap that closes it:





The case itself is built tough enough to last, I mean military grade nylon for a gadget is MORE than plenty. One thing that I noticed was that the flap velcro was cut a bit uneven. The rest of the case was perfect. Strange but not a deal breaker, it's a sleeve...

The inside of the sleeve has a soft mesh material. This case doesn't offer much protection in terms of water and drop but it keeps the screen away from other objects in my pack. It's exactly what I needed. Pictures here is the internal mesh lining and SOE tag, no "Motherfucking" tag this time.





On to the Xoom and fitment. Like I mentioned above I originally wanted this for iPad and was worried that it wouldn't fit the thicker and a bit larger Moto Xoom. To my surprise it fit great even with the modified snap case attached.




The Xoom is a bit thicker than the iPad but no worries, plenty of space in this sleeve!




Sleeve isn't the most complex piece of gear I own but like I told SOE, it's often the simple things that manufactures goof up on. The sleeve is EXACTLY what I wanted and was looking for in a "tactical" case for my Xoom. More than plenty velcro real estate, coyote, and military grade materials is a success. Don't see anything I'd change.

Also before I forget, SOE also includes male velcro strips in case you want to secure this to the inside of your velcro enabled pack.
These 2 images are from SOE's site since I don't use the strip it's buried somewhere or attached to another piece of velcro somewhere heh






*Disclaimer: the above written words are my own personal honest opinions and thoughts.