By Mary Webb
We reviewed two new Pelican Micro Cases, the new 1015 and a predecessor, the i1010. Both cases are designed to protect your electronic instruments from dust, moisture, and the devastating results of potential blunt-force trauma that can kill your iPhone or iPod.
So, where would we be without Mr. Jimi and Elton bolting from our iPods on a long hike? Even if your musical preference happens to be Shania Twain, Lady Ga Ga, or early Frank Zappa, you’ll want to protect your archive of music. The new Pelican i1015 and i1010 are crush-proof armor cases for your phone or music library while you enjoy your lifestyle under the clear blue sky.
We tested Pelican’s, made in America, water-resistant cases during one of our excursions through rugged, dusty, rocky terrain back in Holcomb Valley, an area on the north side of Big Bear Lake, California. While the Pelican cases were jumbled and rocked about, our iPhone and iPod were not — with exception to the rock music of course.
The iPhone is nicely nested in safety thanks to the soft, yet reliable custom rubber liner. The rubber liner also
serves as the O-ring around the perimeter of the case which protects against dust and water intrusion. With a two finger, durable plastic latch, we found the case easy to open. While the latch could be a bit easier to shut, it does provide a tight and secure closure.
Once in the Pelican’s nest, we hooked up our iPhone to the five-inch wire adapter that connects to a swiveling headset connector outside the case. The exterior on/off switch to our headphones allowed us to tune in to the peace and quiet of the walk as we deemed desirable without having to constantly open and close the case.
While some backpacks offer a soft-zippered storage area for iPhones, they cannot provide a crush-proof protection like the Pelican i1015 case. The polycarbonate body and stainless steel hardware work together to keep your tunes cranking. In addition, the entire case is backed by a lifetime warranty! The water-resistant components also kept the iPhone free from sweaty pant pockets and early morning precipitation.
A pressure equalization valve assures your electronic devices are protected in high elevations such as top-of-mountain ski lifts, mountaineering ventures, and most any activity where you will find changes from high to low air pressure.
There’s also no worries about crowded backpacks cracking the glass of your phone, the Pelican cover comes with a built-in easy open hook for attaching to the outside of your pack. We fastened ours onto the strap of our backpack and our iPhone was Pelican protected!
Pelican’s i1010 Micro Case iPod case has all the same characteristics as the i1015 series, yet it is more compact to accommodate the smaller iPod size. A dual-purpose rubber liner protects your electronic gadget and also serves as an O-ring to seal out dust and moisture.
There is an added feature in this series which allows you to store your headphones or USB cable in a removable nylon pocket that is attached by Velcro opposite the pod. This added feature would have been an asset in the iPhone case.
Heading down the mountain, our black on black CX 90 Volvo trail horse was dusted white as we made our way back to the trail head, but our iPhone was in pristine condition as we took it out of the case. All of this, plus an unconditional guarantee of excellence puts these two electronic protection cases on the map.
These Pelican cases are built using the same innovations, design, and engineering Pelican is known the world over for protecting valuable gear. Pelican is a top-of-mind product people go to when they have to protect uber-expensive camera gear, delicate electronic instruments, firearms, and medical equipment. It’s great to see that they are branching out to other product lines that are relevant to people who tend to spend time outdoors. We’ll be getting to some of these other Pelican products going forward, but these new iPhone and pod cases are a cool solution for so many people who look to protect their Apple products during their extreme adventures.
Specifications:
1015 ($36.95)
Interior Dimensions:
5.14″ x 2.64″ x 1.37″ (13.1 x 6.7 x 3.5 cm)
Design use: Rugged sport – not for surfing or diving
- Fits: iPhone™, iPhone™ 4 & iPod touch®
- Also Fits several Smart Phones including Blackberry®: Bold/Curve/Storm/Pearl, T-Mobile® MyTouch 3G, T-Mobile® G1 Nokia®: 5800/5530/E63/E71/E71x/E75/N97 Mini/N79/N78, Motorola: Droid/Cliq
- Carabiner secures 1015 to backpack or belt loop
- Easy open latch
- Rubber liner for extra protection doubles as o-ring seal
- Stainless steel hardware
- Lifetime Guarantee of Excellence
- Water resistant, crushproof, and dust proof
- Also available with a clear lid and colored liner: Black, Red, Blue and Yellow liners available
1010 Micro Case ($34.95)
Interior Dimensions:
4.37″ x 2.87″ x 1.68″ (11.1 x 7.3 x 4.3 cm)
Design use: Rugged sport – not for surfing or diving
- Available in clear with color liner or solid
- Easy open latch
- Rubber liner for extra protection doubles as o-ring seal
- Stainless steel hardware
- Carabiner
- Lifetime Guarantee of Excellence
- Water resistant, crushproof, and dust proof