First Look: Brenthaven Bill-Fold Sleeve for iPad

It’s one of the more unusual iPad cases we’ve yet seen: Brenthaven’s Bill-Fold Sleeve ($35) is pitched as a product with 100% recycled billboard material on the outside, a soft faux suede interior, and a white-on-black color scheme. Both sides of the sleeve are open by default, using Velcro to fold closed on each side as you prefer, creating what looks like a bulging pouch when completely sealed. A Brenthaven tag on one side is its only branding.

On May 13, 2010, iLounge published The Complete Guide to iPad Cases and Protection, a multi-page comparison of over 70 different iPad cases and film protectors, sorted by genre. The following details were added to this piece by that comparison article; please click on the link above for additional comparative discussion of similar protective options.

We typically steer clear of recommending sleeves for iPods and iPhones, but iPad users may find that they make more sense. The concept is to totally envelop the iPad inside protective material, using a flap or zipper to open and release the device when it’s needed. In almost every one of these cases, the designs speak for themselves—you either like how they look, or don’t—so we’re sorting them by price and focusing our brief notes on fit and scope of protection, with bare opinions otherwise.

Does Bill-Fold Sleeve fit? Yes. Is everything protected? Yes. But the Velcro-sealed sides don’t provide quite the same feeling of security as in other cases here, and the case has a little more interior give than many of the other options.