As those who follow iMore know, I've been using my 12.9-inch iPad Pro as my primary laptop for several months now. It's a great machine for 95 percent of my tasks, and traveling with it is great.
There's just one problem... well, more like five problems. I have too many tiny accessories! There's the SD Card adapter, my USB 3 adapter, my USB-C charger and Lightning to USB-C cord, my VGA and HDMI adapters, and — can't forget it — the Apple Pencil, too.
In the grand scheme of things, I probably don't need to take all these adapters everywhere I go, but it's useful to have them all grouped. Unfortunately, they're all small and they can quickly disappear into my favorite iPad bag with nary a peep. The Pencil is the worst offender: Despite being tall and — you'd think — easy to see in dark spaces, I frequently find myself digging through my bag to try and find it.
Snug and stylish
Enter Waterfield's Atelier Gear Case: The all-leather snap bag is designed with iPad accessories in mind. It comfortably fits your Pencil, adapters, and charger in its red suede interior. I've been using the Gear Case for about a week, and it's made my coffee shop ventures considerably less stressful.
Its biggest win, for me: A buttery-soft pocket to hold your Apple Pencil at the apex of the inside flap. It firmly holds the Pencil in place, and looks stylish while doing so. Best of all, you can augment your Pencil with a pen clip and it will still fit nicely in the red suede pocket. I quickly got comfortable with retrieving and returning the Pencil to its sleeve, and that's paid great dividends: I haven't searched frantically for Apple's stylus all week.
There are two other pockets in the Gear Case, which provide a snug fit for both the USB 3.0 to Lightning and SD card adapter. The VGA and HDMI adapters are slightly tighter fits but, if they're the adapters you wish to carry around, they'll slide in there too.
If you're someone who doesn't enjoy charging the Pencil via your iPad, these pockets also provide a great place to stash your Pencil's Lightning-out-to-Lightning-in adapter.
The rest of the leather pouch is dedicated to open gear space — space I usually take up with my 29W Lightning to USB-C charger, but you could also conceivably add headphones, small Lightning accessories, or a cleaning cloth.
Quality containment
The pouch closes with two metal snaps, which I vastly prefer over Waterfield's other occasionally-decorative closures. That's because the snaps let you stretch the leather a bit to pack the bag full of goodies.
As with all Waterfield's bags, the Gear Pouch is impeccably designed and made of beautifully-soft saddle-brown leather. It does raise the price somewhat from your run-of-the-mill accessories bag, but the fit and finish of this pouch is more than worth the cost. In fact, its build quality is so nice that you might even consider using it without an exterior bag — as a clutch or wallet with the iPad while on the go.
If you don't care so much about carrying accessories as you do the Apple Pencil, Waterfield offers a $29 Pencil-only case — made from the same leather-and-suede combination — that has a rear clip you can slide on jeans, bags, belts, or anything else that strikes your fancy.
Bottom line
If you want a fabulous organizational pouch dedicated to the iPad, Waterfield's Atelier case is one of the best I've found, and has quickly earned a spot in my daily work routine.
