Every year, I invest in one big (to me) purchase for my business. This year, it was an iPad Air. I went with last year’s model because it was like $150 cheaper and still did everything I needed to do. Still, at over $300, I found myself carrying it around as if it was a newborn preemie. I know, because I actually HAD a newborn preemie! I’m starting to think I’m more spastic over the iPad than I was over him! No, not really, but seriously, I’m spastic.
While the iPad is mostly for business purposes, I do have some games on there that both Jacob and I love to play. I wanted to be able to let him check out those games without me constantly lingering over his shoulder panting in panic. I needed an amazingly strong protective cover. Something military grade. I needed the Pelican ProGear Vault.
Pelican ProGear Vault: Tested by the Military to be Strong Enough for Moms
The Pelican ProGear Vault is a super-tough cover that meets Military Specifications Test Standards for a 4 foot drop. I honestly don’t know what that means, but to me it says the military says it an survive my son, since he’s about 4’6″. If he’s holding it at chest level, that’s about a four-foot drop, right?
There are a lot of other technical details about the Pelican ProGear Vault that sound very impressive that I also don’t understand. A few include:
- An Elastomeric Copolymer rubber interior that absorbs impact force
- It’s rated IP54 for water resistance and momentary immersion
- Optical Dragontrail™ glass on rear camera for added protection while maintaining picture clarity. That I can actually show you!
You can’t even see the glass on the rear camera. I thought maybe they were mistaken and forgot to add it, because it’s so clear and non-intrusive. Check out their video to see more of their features in action:
So, all of those sound impressive, but to me, I just want to know how it works in MY life. I’m not planning to drop it into water (although it could happen) or, you know, take it on a battlefield. I’m just a single mom with a kid who sometimes forgets to put the iPad back in a safe place when he’s done checking on my dragons for me!
How does the Pelican ProGear Vault hold up in the real world?
I’ve been using the Pelican ProGear for a few weeks now. I wanted to get a feel for how well it holds up, how it stays together and how it protects in a variety of real-life, everyday situations. I did drop my iPad once. Only from about two feet and onto a carpet, but still, that made my heart jump. My Pelican Vault protected it with no problem.
I am going to tell you, the Pelican ProGear Vault DOES add heft to your iPad. A little over 1 pound of weight, in fact. If you’re going for sleek and lightweight, you’re kind of out of luck here. It took me time to get used to this. But the design does make it easy to prop up on your lap without it sliding all over the place. It can also be propped open horizontally, as you see in my first picture up there.
The protection that you get makes up for the weight. You can see that it goes all the way around, even covering your charging and headphone ports. Those are easy to pop open when you want to get to them. I also need to tell you that it’s not the most fun case to install. Again, you give up a little something for a lot of protection. With 15 little screws to unscrew then screw back in, it took me a good 15 minutes to put the Pelican ProGear Vault on my iPad. Since I don’t plan to take it off, 15 minutes of work isn’t much to ask for a Lifetime Guarantee of protection.
Now, if you happen to have one of the newer iPad Air models, you can get a pretty pink and grey Pelican Voyager case instead. It’s about an ounce lighter, but it doesn’t have the front cover. For me, the extra ounce is worth having the front cover. If you’re not in love with the grey, I suggest using your imagination and decorating it before giving it to mom. Some ideas include:
- Gluing a laminated photo to the front cover between the two ridges
- Using stickers
- Giving it an overhaul with craft paint
I’m perfectly happy with my Pelican ProGear Vault the way it is. It protects my fragile iPad from both my son and my own clumsiness. It gives me one less thing to feel anxious about. When you have anxiety disorder, that’s a VERY good thing!
Pelican offers protection for many different devices. Visit them online and check out their offerings!
What are your biggest worries when it comes to protecting your fragile electronics? You? Your kids? Your pets? Tell me in the comments!
