XtremeMac are known for producing quality iPod products, but when it comes to looking stylish, Neoprene is not generally the material of choice. Unless you are Kelly Slater of course. The SportWrap is the first of its kind from the respected iPod accessory manufacturer and it was tried and tested by the keen athletes at iPodWorld.

First Impressions

The neoprene armband comes in 4 colours: black, yellow, red and blue - the one that was tested was black. It was made from fairly thick material, making it reasonably bulky. It consisted of a neoprene compartment with a clear vinyl front and holes top and bottom for headphones. Next to the pouch there was a headphone strap for excess cord. This meant the armband could be worn either way up and on either arm. The armband strap had Velcro patches all down it and one attachment patch at the end. The iPod is inserted into the case by way of a Velcro-closing flap under the pouch which lay flat against the arm – this was a great feature for making the iPod seem secure as there was no way it could fall out.

The case was well made and robust, if a little bulky. But it was because of these features that it felt reassuringly tough and good enough quality to carry the iPod well. Its simple yet modern design rendered it a suitable partner to the iPod. In addition, whilst the iPod was completely encased by the SportWrap, the clear vinyl front let the iPod be seen and easily controlled.

Strap on the iPod

The SportWrap is designed for use with any of the generations of iPod excluding the iPod mini (there is a separate one for the mini). The case works fine with the 3rd and 4th generations: the vinyl cover is control-through and so no functionality is lost. But although the 1st generation iPods do fit (just), the thumb-wheel cannot be controlled through the vinyl.

Being only quite small (correction, weedy is the word), the SportWrap was only just small enough for a girl’s bare arm. The minimum arm circumference is 10”, maximum 17”. However once on, it felt secure and comfortable. The neoprene material that it was constructed of was padded and stretchy enough to not dig in even when fastened tightly and there was no itchy exposed stitching. Whilst jogging, the iPod was held firmly: it did not bounce around or feel as if it was going to fall off. The iPod didn’t skip and the cable tidy strap was a really useful feature. The controls were also completely accessible, but it was quite hard to see the screen when the iPod was the right way up in the case. Due to the versatile convertible nature of the case the iPod could be turned upside down and hence the screen was easier to read.

Even when it was raining (ok someone was standing next to me spraying me with a plant mister, but it had the same effect), the iPod was kept completely dry and the case suffered no ill effects.

Summary

In testing the Sportwrap performed extremely well – it held the iPod securely, allowed total control of the click wheel and buttons and was comfortable and reasonably stylish to wear (in the sporty sense). The only real downside was the size of the strap. Ten inches was not that small for womens’ arms – surely runners have generally a wiry physique and hence will have fairly thin limbs? But other than that the XtremeMac SportWrap was a great product in a market of pretty poor competitors.