Accessory Review: Plaid Doctrine Sleeve for iPad 2

posted by J. Rossignol on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 4:03 pm.

It may have been designed for the original iPad, but hey, it’ll fit your new iPad 2 just fine!

GO GREEN! Plaid Doctrine brings a green, eco-friendly lineup of accessories to the table. The company believes that the time is now for products to be both stylish and environmentally friendly. Their vintage-inspired bags are built for modern times with a variety of recycled materials. To minimize their carbon footprint, nearly all of their materials are sourced domestically, and all of their goods are manufactured in the USA. Plaid Doctrine’s eco-friendly iPad sleeve may be environmentally sound, but is it stylish? Let’s find out.

Plaid Doctrine’s iPad sleeve is made out of high performance recycled fabrics (polyester and nylon) that are made from plastic bottles. These fabrics are both water- and stain-resistant. To minimize their carbon footprint, these sleeves were locally sewn in the Seattle metropolis. This vintage-styled bag is available in red plaid, blue plaid, and gray chevron (as shown). The sleeve has a green fabric interior.

The recycled materials that this sleeve is made of doesn’t compromise the style of the sleeve. Obviously it is not the greatest looking sleeve, but it far outcries the recycled look of various competitors. However, as you may know, I’m strongly against accessories that involve any use of Velcro. Thankfully, this sleeve implements the Velcro in a relatively good and unobtrusive manner. The main pocket is big enough to fit an original or second-generation iPad. The pocket is appropriately sized; it is not too big or too small.

The sleeve is 12? x 9? and has two front pockets to hold various accessories, such as your charger, headphones, or sync cable. You could also carry your iPhone, iPod touch, or other portable electronics in these pockets. Personally, I also keep a few notes, a microfiber cloth, and my iPad’s screen cleaning solution in these pockets. These pockets are a good feature for students, businesspeople, frequent travelers, or other on-the-go people.

Its foam padding combined with a soft nylon interior gives this sleeve a good protective factor. The padding should protect your iPad from minor drops, but I don’t know how well it would withstand against a more serious impact. The soft nylon interior ensures that your iPad will remain free of scratches, dust, and other wear and tear.

Plaid Doctrine’s iPad sleeve retails for $69 on their website. Your purchase includes free ground shipping within the United States and international shipping is available. This is a very expensive price point to pay for any iPad sleeve, recycled or not. However, what you are paying for is a handmade design, American manufacturing, and the ability to be an environmentally friendly person. Unfortunately, it’s still hard to say that this sleeve provides good value for its price tag.

All in all, I like the recycled concept behind Plaid Doctrine’s sleeve, but it’s simply too much money, in my opinion, to be paying for a sleeve. If you’re really keen on being an eco-friendly person, and can see past the price, perhaps the sleeve will suit you well. It is still protective, portable, and well-designed for a recycled product.

† All prices are in US currency unless stated otherwise.
This review was written by the iFans.com Review Team. Overall scores are rounded to the nearest half or full star.
Thanks to Suzanne at Plaid Doctrine for the review sample.

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