Review: iFrogz bagz

iFrogz has just released a protective pouch for your iPod, called the bagz. It’s not waterproof, but it’s water-resistant, and dust- and dirt-resistant too, and that really is good enough for most people’s use. Not everyone wants to, or needs to, listen to their iPods while swimming.

The bagz is a great entry-level or light-duty environmentally protected bag. They have not one, not two, but three lock-closure seals (ZipLoc). These closed seals all roll up over top of each other for added protection and are secured yet again with a loop-and-eye tape (Velcro) closure. Very secure, very thorough and though maybe not certified waterproof, I’d wager that if you tripped and fell into the pool while wearing your iPod in a bagz, you’d stand a very good chance, maybe in the high 90s, of having a working iPod afterwards—if you’d meticulously done up all the seals beforehand.

You hang your iPod in its sealed bagz about your neck on a simple, adjustable lanyard. A sealed pass through cable for your audio allows you to use your headphones while your device is protected. Put your iPod in its bagz, connect the audio cable, seal the bag off, plug in your headphones, and you’re good to go, off to the beach, to the pool, for a walk in the rain, and so forth.

Bagz come in two sizes, size-Nano and size-Video. The size-Nano will take the old Shuffle as well (I haven’t tried or specced out the new model) and the size-Video should handle everything from the 80Gb on down. The size-Video bagz did fit my 60Gb Video iPod in its iFrogz case, minus the belt clip, though the fit was a bit snug.

I had no problem whatsoever attaching the sealed audio cable to my iPod and the whole thing closed tightly and securely as designed. Thus sealed, I could listen to my iPod from its place of splash-proof safety, and had no problems whatsoever activating the control wheel through the bagz plastic front.

For a limited introductory time, iFrogz will send you a free bagz with every complete iFrogz case set you buy. Talk about an added incentive! It’s almost worth buying a second case, as present for someone else or something, just to get the bagz. On their own even, however, they’re just $9.99 each plus shipping.

An easy to use, soft plastic, environmentally protected bag on an adjustable neck lanyard, the bagz is a simple product but that simplicity is its strength. iFrogz obviously had a good idea, worked it into a great design, and was able to find a market price point that is just so darned compelling as to be, well, compelling.

Conclusion: The bagz earns a 95%. It’s is a must buy, certainly as an add-on to any iFrogz case buy, but definitely worth serious consideration for anyone who might want to take their iPod to the beach, but don’t necessarily want to take it swimming. If you’ve already bought an iFrogz case, now’s the time to think about buying your first accessory. If you haven’t bought an iFrogz case yet, well, now you’ve got yet another reason to take a look at their absolutely must see site.