This is a super case! It is rugged and well made. The web pockets are extremely useful for bits and pieces and it gives great protection without being too bulky.
The speed of service from the manufacturer is tremendous! I ordered on the web on Saturday evening and it was delivered to my home in England on Wednesday morning. What more can you ask for?
After 3 weeks use I would hate to be without the case.

Phil Gardner

I read your review on the RhinoPak 1000 case, and although I agree with
some of your criticisms, I pretty much like the case.  I just bought
one, after closely comparing it with the Palm Suit by MarWare, and I'm
largely pleased with it.  When I'm wearing a jacket, or shirt with
buttoned pockets, I carry my Palm III with just the flip cover, but at
other times I have my RhinoPak 1000 case.

On the down side, a zipper occasionally will get a little stuck and need
a quick back-and-forth pull to clear it.  The belt loop design means
that you can't quickly remove the case from your belt, but I do like the
dual-loop design, which lets you mount the case higher or lower on your
hip, for various reasons.  I had no trouble with the case wiggling while
on my belt, but it would slide away from pressure (seat belt hardware),
which is a plus.  I would prefer, though, that the outer mesh were less
'sparse', so that items in the outer pocket had more privacy.

I prefer the elastic bands to velcro, because I can go from play-through
case to slip case instantly.  I don't have to use all the bands, so I
can just use the upper two, or none, (since the case front opens
downward, leaving the bottom secure) for quicker access.  I've found
that I can remove my Palm unit with one hand even with all four loops
engaged while on my belt, although replacing it with one hand means that
I insert it slip case fashion.  I don't miss the "tearing" sound of
Velcro, and for the older and more rectangular PalmPilot cases, the
loops solve the problem of the memory access door remaining attached by
Velcro to the case when removing the Pilot.

Having some degree of water resistance and protection from other
substances is nice too.  All I miss is the "D"-ring that's on the
PalmSuit.  I think that I'll probably just attach one to the upper belt
loop myself  :-)


Christopher Gill

Well, we obviously don't agree on this one. I find that the RhinoPak is a
perfect PDA case. To deal with minor "nits" first, I have found that the
zippers are smooth and easy to use. I normally have both on the right hand
side of the case (which is on my belt), from there a simple motion with my
right hand  on the top zipper ,while the left hand steadies the case, opens
the top. Then just pop the pilot out with your right hand and turn it into
your left hand while slipping out the stylus and flipping up the lid. Sound
complicated ? It's a blink of the eye (try describing how you take your
wallet out and pull out a ten spot). On other minor issues I have had no
problem with my Palm III snagging the inner pocket (or its contents) as
long as I slide the Palm back into the case with a slight pressure to the
rear (ie body) side.

I cannot comment in detail on the elastic straps as they are obviously
intended to restrain the Palm when the case is used as a "handheld" rather
than as a belt mount. I did fidget with them briefly and they appeared to
fulfil their intended role satisfactorily.

Now, to the major question - the belt loop. First, I find the looseness
wonderful - it lets the case slide if something hooks it rather than
tearing your pants off (a "modest" benefit). Second, it allows you to
position the case for comfort when seated; when wearing a seatbelt; when
carrying other belt mounts such as pagers. As I indicated above the
movement in no way hinders immediate access to the Palm.

 I think that you only reap the full benefit from a PDA if you always have
it with you and immediately at hand. You will not use it continually if you
have to dig into a briefcase, purse etc. every time that you wish to access
it. A belt mount provides this level of accessibility. The fully enclosed,
robust nature of the RhinoPak allows me to wear the Palm anywhere - wet
conditions or dusty conditions; roughousing with the dogs or banging around
behind a server rack that is 2 inches too close to the wall for comfort.
And my information is always right there. Better yet, new information is
always captured.

I don't find that carrying the Palm in a pocket is nearly as comfortable or
secure. And no matter what case is used the effect will be even less
comfort (especially in sport clothes which are my normal apparel).

In closing brownie points for the mesh pockets. I can carry credit cards
etc. in a plastic flip case in the inner one (or business cards when
necessary) while the outer one is perfect for stashing odd post it notes
that people hand me at the office or cash register slips etc.

Finally, and totally off topic, I must admit that many Canadians have a
passing fondness for the "Rhino" as that (Rhinocerous) was the name of a
wonderful, wacky political party that for a number of years set the
establishment on its collective ear ... :-)

Robert Davison

I've had the Rhinopak 1000 case for about a week and I LOVE IT! Of all
the cases I've had, this is definatly the best. I don't keep it on my
belt, i put it in my pocket or elseware. It's made very well, i find the
zippers move smoothly and the size is great, I also keep my triple
stylus and other little pilot gizmos in the front pocket.
I Love this case. Of course I only bought it after reading your review!

M. Simantov

I've had my RhinoPak (in black to match my WorkPad 20X)
for over a month.  I don't wear it on my belt (heck, I
don't wear my pager on my belt so I wasn't about to set
a precedent :-)

I, too, have found that inserting a Pilot catches the
inside mesh pocket.  But with the Palm III/WorkPad 20X,
I found two ways that may circumvent this problem.

1) If I keep the cover on (which I prefer), I find that
    I don't catch the mesh pocket if I insert it upside
    down.

2) Insert the Pilot sideways.  Not so great if you keep
    the case on your belt.  But since I don't, if you keep
    both of the zippers at the "top" of the case, just
    unZip with only one of the zippers and slide the Pilot
    out from the side.

Also, by slightly pulling on the dual zippers, I'm able
to get a clean zip, instead of the not-so-smooth motion.

Gary Lau

In reference to a case sliding around on your belt being a "CON" in think
that it actually is a benefit.  Having a case too snug in one place is more
likely to transfer an impact directly to the pilot inside.  Where-as a case
that moves will "roll with the punches". 

Just a thought.

BJ Byrne

I just got my RhinoPak yesterday, and I already love it! I must admit
that I don't plan to wear it on a belt, so it doesn't bother me that it
would be a pain for someone who does. I've decided I am going to try
getting a carabiner, one of those mountain climbing clips, so I can clip
it to my belt or belt loop if I want my hands free. It would kinda work
with the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" look of the pack, don't you think?

The mesh pockets are something that attracted me to the RhinoPak because
I used to stick my driver's license and credit card in the standard
Pilot case (that comes with it), and they kept falling out. The mesh
pockets hold the cards nicely, although I'm wondering if I'll have a
problem with the edges of the cards rubbing my screen. The elastic
straps work nice for me because you can push the buttons through them. I
just unzip it (the zippers don't stick if you pull the tab out from the
pak as you unzip), fold it over and use my Pilot.

I can understand your concerns about the Pak, but this is one satisfied
owner here! I ordered it on a whim because it was so cheap, but it's
better than I could have hoped. My only complaint is it's very hard to
remove the stylus while it's still strapped in, but I'll figure out how
to make that better.

Thanks for your reviews. They helped me avoid spending a lot of money on
cases I might not have been happy with. I too hate Velcro, so it was
nice to be able to read about so many cases in advance and avoid those.
--
Chris Shuttlesworth