Everything iPad

Apple’s official iPad case is great if you want a multifunctional folio and stand, but if all you’re concerned with is protecting your tablet from scrapes and scratches while it travels in your bag, a sleeve-style case might be an easier, cheaper alternative. Griffin sent over their Jumper sleeve, a low-cost neoprene case, so we could see if that fit the bill.

It’s a reasonably discrete slip-case, made predominantly of black neoprene though the white piping on the edges should make it easier to spot in the depths of your bag. The inside is lined with a soft, fleece-style fabric to suitably coddle your iPad, and though there’s no physical closure – such as Velcro or a press-stud – the top flap stretches tightly over the tablet. We felt safe enough holding the case upside-down and giving it a shake, without worrying that our iPad would slide out.

If anything it’s perhaps a little too tight. It’s a close fit around the iPad, and stretching the top flap into place can be a little tricky. After a few attempts either we’d gotten used to the motion or the case had loosened slightly, and the alternative – that the iPad slips about inside a loose pocket – is less preferable, certainly.

Quality feels high and the stitching – including the discrete Griffin logo on the rear lower part of the sleeve – is all nicely finished. With the iPad safely ensconced it’s not hugely thin, about an inch thick though the flag section is a little wider, but still more compact than most netbooks. The neoprene is good for stopping scratches, fingerprints and scuffs, but direct impacts will still likely leave you with a smashed display, so we wouldn’t take it as carte blanche to throw your bag around.

If we had to make one change, we’d quite like to see a cut-out or hole for a set of headphones to be plugged in while the iPad is inside the case.  That way you could listen to music while the tablet is safe in your bag.  While that’s absent, it is possible to pull up the top flap and check the battery status without having to take the whole iPad out, handy if you’re about to leave and suddenly wonder how much juice is left.

At £19.99/$29.99 the Griffin Jumper sleeve is reasonably priced for an iPad case, though we imagine that within a month or two there’ll be no shortage of alternatives on the market. We can’t find fault with the quality of construction, however, and the design is a reasonable balance of minimising bulk versus maximising protection. Those looking for complete security should probably look to a hard-sided case, but if you’re primarily concerned with avoiding scratches then the Griffin Jumper ticks the right boxes.