The Facts
Specifications according to the manufacturer:

- Neoprene case, rotating belt clip and workout ready armband in one complete package.
- Padded, soft case fully protects iPod during any activity
- Belt clip securely attaches the shuffle anywhere and rotates a full 180 degrees for perfect hipside fit
- Comfortable, workout-ready armband fits any arm size from toothpick to python
- Clear vinyl screen completely covers and protects iPod controls from dirt and sweat
- Price: US $24.95

Construction and Materials
There are two components to the Action Jacket, a neoprene case for the iPod and an elastic armband. The two components are designed to work together, but they are easily separated and the iPod case works quite well independently.

The case portion is made of a thin neoprene that sports a very attractive matte black finish and has a great smooth texture to it. There is a small grey DLO logo printed on the front and matching black nylon trim around the opening. It features a hole for the headphone jack, a flap that secures with Velcro, and a clear vinyl window positioned over the iPod's control pad.

The armband is made from 1.5" wide black elastic with a smooth, almost terry cloth towel-like knit on the inside where it touches your arm. The armband wraps around a plastic loop and secures with a strong piece of Velcro. A small vinyl pull tab give your fingers a place to pull it to secure.

To insert the iPod, you slide it into the open bottom of the case, which you then close by wrapping the flap around to fasten with the Velcro closure. The iPod fits snugly, and when inserted all the way in with the flap closed, only a tiny bit of the bottom of the corners of the iPod are visible.

The case fits the iPod very well, but I found that aligning the iPod and inserting it so that the headphone hole and the control pad window were positioned properly was a little tricky at first. It takes a bit of practice and some concentration, but I was soon enough inserting the iPod like an Action Jacket pro.

The soft tab of the Velcro (the loop side) used for the closure started to become more and more fluffy as I used the Action Jacket. It still secured the flap satisfactorily, but over time I wonder if this would loosen to the degree where it didn't hold the flap closed sufficiently and would require a trimming with some scissors or something to give it a tune-up.

This belt clip is large, has strong clamping force, and it has a molded hook at the end of it. It is permanently secured to the case by means of an excellent rotating mount that can be turned 90 degrees, with detents along the way so that your iPod won't spin or move around when you mount it sideways or on an angle. It works really well and is a great feature.

My only complaint about the neoprene material used for the case is that is has a love/hate relationship with lint. Let me explain; the case picks up lint on the outside, and it sheds its own lint from inside the case onto the iPod. Soon after I started using it, it had picked up so much lint that I couldn't ever quite get it clean again. The lint from inside the case that clings to the iPod when it's removed is only a small amount and easily wiped off.

The second component to the Action Jacket is the armband. It is a simple and very effective design; one end of the armband is sewn to a plastic loop and the free end wraps around this loop and fastens back onto itself with a strong Velcro rectangle. You mount the iPod to the armband by clipping the belt clip of the case into a small elastic loop that holds it tight.

Usage
One side effect of the design of the Action Jacket is that it's not possible to access the slider control on the back of the iPod while it is in the case. You have to remove the iPod in order to turn it on or off. Depending on how you use this case and your iPod, this may be a benefit (the added protection) or a detriment (the inconvenience of having to remove the iPod in order to turn it on/off) to you. I found it to be only a minor annoyance, and one that was easily offset by the benefit of having the stout belt clip on the back, which is responsible for blocking slider access.

Access to the control pad on the front of the iPod is easy and the clear vinyl window that covers it allowed me to easily and accurately press the control buttons.

I found the armband to be comfortable and very easy to use. It's wide enough so it didn't constrict my arm, and it's a soft material so it didn't itch or chafe. The Velcro closure fastens it securely and it gave me confidence that it wouldn't loosen or fall off.

The case portion of the Action Jacket works really well on its own too. The belt clip is one of the best I've seen and the case is thin, light, and protective for the iPod. It's really nice looking too, and if you can overlook the lint stuck to it, it's very stylish and looks good clipped to my black messenger bag.

The Bottom Line
I was impressed with the Action Jacket and found it a pleasure to use. It benefits from a thoughtful and functional design, which is further enhanced by the high quality and aesthetic appeal of the materials that it's made from. A big benefit to the Action Jacket is that you actually get two iPod cases in one - you get a comfortable and strong workout armband system, but you also get a stylish, protective case with a great belt clip to use on its own too. So if you're looking for some action from a night on the town, you might be disappointed. But if you're looking for a great iPod case that'll stand up to a good workout and look good at the same time, I would definitely recommend the Action Jacket.
4/5 stars.

The good: Good quality materials, well designed and constructed, stylish, light, comfortable to wear, can be used as a separate iPod case.
The not so good: Picks up lint, sheds its own lint, will the Velcro on the case wear out too fast?

For more information: EverythingiPod.com

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