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I was really pleased with the shipping package for the cover, it is a small corrugated cardboard box with a white cardboard insert that holds the cover in place. It is obvious that the package was designed for specifically for the cover, offering it complete protection without a lot of waste or plastic. I just took off the shipping label and recycled the entire package with my cardboard and mixed paper.

Overall, I am very pleased with the cover and would recommend it.

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The cover is fabulous. It’s a piece of nice leather lined with quality padding and soft felt. It folds all the way back without any difficulty, making reading with one hand a breeze. The band helps to show which way the Kindle inside is facing, and keeps the reader from opening the cover the wrong way, which damaged many K2’s. The corners are softly rounded, adding to the comfort and ease of use.

The patent-pending hinge is a work of genius. None of the Kindle is obstructed by bands or elastic straps. It securely locks the Kindle in place, leaving the whole device exposed.

I have to remark on the quality leather. Even my wife, who over-criticizes almost everyting, was very impressed with the fine-grade pebble-grain leather and actually had nice things to say after opening and inspecting it. If you knew my wife, you would know the value of this comment.

Unlike some other readers out there, Kindle makes available a custom-designed cover that works in concert with the device. I’m satisfied with the cover (and the Kindle3) and give it my highest recommendation.

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I bought the cover mostly to protect the Kindle when I’m traveling. The cover front and back are both tough and well padded, with a soft felt lining and look like they should provide good protection. The overall appearance is reasonably elegant.

The cover clips on easily and securely. The Kindle 3 has two small slots on the left side and two clips on the cover latch into these slots. You can slide the top clip down to unlatch and release the Kindle.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about the elastic strap. I know some people like to be able to securely close the cover, but for me it’s mostly an unnecessary extra step. I will try it for a while: it looks easy enough to snip off if it becomes a nuisance.

The Kindle 3 + cover total around 0.7″ thickness. So the cover is roughly doubling the Kindle’s natural 0.335″ thickness. But since I want protective padding, this seems like a price I need to pay!

Overall, I’m very happy with the cover.

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Overall 4 stars. It feels slightly more sturdy and a little less cheap than the Kindle 2 cover. I took one star off because it still has the potential flaw of having nothing to keep the kindle in place at the right, and because I’d prefer a slightly more soft feel to the outside.

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The cover itself is easy to install. It took under a minute and once it was on, it wasn’t really noticeable, more so than a hardcover bookcover is noticeable after a while when you read a book. It folds over fine behind the Kindle.

I’m happy with this cover. Sure, I could have bought a cheaper neoprene one but I wanted something that made me feel good about an e-reader. It may sound weird, but I like it from an aesthetics standpoint. It makes me feel like I’ve got a proper book in my hands instead of a toy or a gadget.

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That being said, I looked for a sleeve that looked easy enough for me to slip my Kindle in and out of easily and without having anything to possibly scuff up the device. I was going to settle on a sleeve with a zipped closure but happen to see this Timbuk2 sleeve that utilized velcro.

And I love it! The sleeve is decently padded that I feel comfortable placing my Kindle in my backpack with the sleeve. The velcro works perfectly as well, making it super easy to get the Kindle in and out easily and without having to look for anything metal (i.e. a zipper) to possibly rub up and scratch the device.

The one disadvantage a velcro-closure has compared to a zip-closure is that, while in a closed state, it isn’t a 100% fully closed state. The velcro and the fold-over flap are quite secure but nothing beats a zipped-up closure.

If you’re looking for a quality sleeve for your Kindle, I would highly suggest this sleeve by Timbuk2.

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So I went to find a sleeve.

This sleeve is by far the most rugged I’ve found. The case and Timbuk2 messenger bag is sitting next to each other while I’m writing this on the train. I can tell you for a fact that they make these from the same nylon used to make the bags, and it will probably last as long.

The Patagonia seems cheap by comparison.

The stitching and velcro are solid and the interior is a chamois-like fabric. This thing will definitely protect your Kindle should it take a spill or from bumps and drops in your bag while traveling.

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This case has a nice soft inside material that sort of reminds me of micro fiber. Also it seems to provide enough padding to keep the Kindle from getting damaged from accidental drops or from being damaged while in another bag.

I wanted a case that was fully enclosed but worried that a zipper case may scratch the sides of the device when opening or closing a zippered case. The book style cases didn’t provide a fully encasement when shut not to mention the case was attached to the Kindle when in use.

The only thing I would have changed is the amount of room for the Kindle. It is not a big deal but when you pick up the case with the Kindle inside you can tell, that at times, you are accidently pressing a the next buttons on the side of the device. This isn’t a big deal because I always but my Kindle to sleep before placing in the case but I still find it half way annoying. Just a little extra room, maybe a 1/4 inch, possibly less may keep this from happening.

**Update**

After having the sleeve for a couple weeks now the materials seemed to have loosed up and I no longer think it needs any extra room. The fit now is perfect. I enjoy this product so much that I have been thinking about ordering the Timbuk2 Messanger Bag.

I did accidentally drop my Kindle once so far while getting out of my car and the sleeve protected it from the parking lot gravel.