The OtterBox and H20 headphones. – A review by Owain Williams from TractionKiting.co.uk

About 6 months ago I bought myself an Ipod video and the first thing I did was go on a hunt for a case for it so I could use it while doing the sport I love, Traction Kiting. After searching the net for a while I stumbled upon www.otterbox.com. I noticed they did a number of different protective cases for different devices and then I found it, a water proof, sand proof, drop resistant case for my Ipod video, with no delay I contacted Otterbox and ordered myself an Ipod Video Otterbox along with the H20 waterproof headphones.

Sent direct from the USA they arrived within the week which I thought was pretty good considering they had to go through UK customs.

The Otterbox can fit the 30gig and the 80gig Ipod Video and comes with padding which you stick to the inside of the case to allow for the thinner 30gig Ipod to reach the headphone jack. Below you can see the Otterbox, the padding and my Ipod.

As you can see, the Otterbox does add quite a bit of height and width to your Ipod when you use the case. To fit your Ipod inside the case all you need to do is undo the plastic clip which creates the water tight seal around the box and make sure the headphone socket of the Ipod fits in to the built in headphone jack inside the case, close the lid and fasten the clip.

The H20 headphones are completely water proof which again is perfect for use on the beach where it can be wet at times due to surface water spraying off the wheels of the buggy!

On the back of the case there is a belt clip where you can attach your Ipod to your belt or trousers while your walking the dog or going for a walk, or, for the more energetic users you can change the belt clip for a Velcro armband. This is a great feature as during the week I use the beltclip while walking to work and then when I go out kiting I use the armband as it keeps the Ipod safe and I know it’s not going to fall and get damaged. The belt clip has also been designed so that you can wrap your headphone cable around it when your not using your Ipod which is great as it saves your headphones from getting tangled while in your bag.

I have been using the Otterbox everyday since I got it and I have been using my H2O headphones every weekend as long as the weather has allowed me to get out kiting and here is what I have found.
The build quality is very good, and the Otterbox feels solid in your hands. You know it’s built to take a couple of knocks and still be water tight. Before I placed my Ipod in the Otterbox I placed some paper inside and submerged the Otterbox in a sink full of water. The good news is, the paper was still dry when I opened the Otterbox so I was confident to place my Ipod in it.
The headphones are also a great design; they fit round the back of your head which is perfect for me since I wear a helmet whenever I’m in my kite buggy. The coiled cable is also very useful as it prevents any loose cable from getting in your way while wearing the headphones. The sound quality from the headphones was a bit disappointing as my music can sound like its inside a tin can but you don’t notice it once your outside with the wind blowing around you, its nice just to have my tunes with me. The headphones are comfortable to wear and I have worn mine for 2 hours at a time without any problems. A great design feature of the headphones is that the lead comes out of the back of the headphones head band which keeps everything tidy and reduces any chance of catching the cable to zero.

The Otterbox sits perfectly against my arm while using the arm band however when I am doing freestyle buggying I always wear my full body armor to protect me from any knocks I might take but the Velcro strap can be a bit tight, it would be good if there was possibly another two inches to allow for either wearing with armor or when you have a thick jacket on. I have only used the Otterbox over the summer months and haven’t had to wear a bulky jacket while kiting yet but I can see it might be an issue.

As you can see with the photo above the otter box and cable are completely out of my way while kiting but you will also notice a slight problem I have and again this is because I am wearing my armor. The long jack which comes from the H20 headphones and plugs in to the Otterbox does get pushed forward against my shoulder protection and this has at times caused my music to disappear from one ear! The solution is to move the Otterbox down my arm slightly so that nothing is pushing against the jack but due to slight movement of the Otterbox on the Velcro armband and their not being a great deal of space to slide it down the Otterbox can slowly ride back up and have the same problem.

The Otterbox is a clever bit of equipment. With some protective cases on the market you loose some sensitivity with the touch pad which you use to pick your music, turn the volume up or down, pause or turn off the Ipod but not with the Otterbox. The membrane which makes the Otterbox water tight around the touch pad allows you to use the controls as if it wasn’t in the Otterbox. The screen is still very easy to see and I have even watched movies on my Ipod while it was incased within the Otterbox without any problems.

A nice feature would be to allow you to choose different colours other than a clear box, this may however increase the price but a red Otterbox would look great and it would stand out more!
The headphone sound quality could be improved but I guess there has to be some give and take when you try and make a water proof set of headphones.
Overall the build quality of the Otterbox is excellent. I can not find a single fault with it. My Ipod sits perfectly inside the case, no movement at all which reduces the risk of my music skipping when landing an aerial trick in my buggy.
If I was to get another Ipod, www.otterbox.com would be the first place I would go to get a protective, water proof case for it. It’s amazing the number of people who have asked me about my Otterbox while on the beach, it really is the safest place to have my Ipod while buggying and it means I can have my favourite tunes with me while I enjoy my favourite sport!