Chris

Originally Posted by Chris

The Waterfield Designs DS Lite Case is something I've had my eye on for quite some time. I recently had the opportunity to pick one up. Here is the full review.

A Bit About My Purchasing Experience

You can only pick this case up at www.sfbags.com. I found the website easy to navigate, the ordering process was quick, and email communication was prompt as well. What's more, it seemed to be coming directly from Gary, the founder. I ordered the case on Sunday and it arrived to me by Thursday via USPS Priority Mail which was the cheapest shipping option. A very good turnaround time with great communication.



This is how it arrived to me, fresh out of the box. It came complete with a "thank you" note handwritten by Gary. Nice touch.

Points For Style



As it is stated on the official website, the "slim DS Lite Case is constructed from ballistic nylon, with a double layer leather flap and a scratch free interior liner". The leather on this thing is high quality and the ballistic nylon is tough, which nicely holds the shape of the case. All of the stitching looks great and you can really tell this case was made with care. The dimensions read 5.75" x 3.5 " x 1.25".

If you don't like my lime green leather, you have a choice of either pink or black leather for your inner lining.



See this here, this is what I like personally. A no nonsense, dignified, stylish presentation. Notice there are no goofy emblems or slogans that advertise anything about the DS. This case, unlike many others out on the mass market, has the millions of adult DS users in mind. So next time it's Uncle Jim's birthday, go on ahead and relieve him of his neoprene sheath with Mario and "Nintendo DS" written all over it and get him this case.

If it tickles your fancy though, Waterfield offers an understated etching on the front of your case which will be colored in whatever leather color you chose for the inside.

The front flap utilizes metal snaps to keep it firmly closed, presenting a compact, smart, and portable unit.

Each end has two little loops and the only thing I can imagine you would do with them is string some sort of strap through there.



Under the flap, you'll find 3 slots for DS carts and a place to slide in an extra stylus. The stylus is held in very tightly and there is no fear of ever having it fall out. The DS carts hold in place just fine as well. To test it out, I flipped the bag upside down and violently shook it for about 10 seconds. Though the DS carts had moved forward slightly, they didn't fall out. They would have fallen out eventually had I continued shaking, but realistically speaking I can safely say that I do not fear these carts will come out of the slots unless they are heavily disturbed.

As seen in the picture, removing the carts is as easy as pushing them up from the bottom with your index finger. This works very well. Removing the DS unit itself is easy also, just slide your index finger through the loop at the bottom and pull the DS out with your other hand.

The DS fits snugly inside the case, not too loose, not too tight. I can tell it was thoughtfully made for the best-selling handheld and is not just some random DS-shaped rectangle like what is found in many other cases out there.



If you wish, you can actually fit two DS carts per slot. However, this causes bowing that is not present when only using 1 per slot. It's up to you what you want to do, but I like keeping things as sleek and clean as possible.



The back of the case presents the only zipper to be found. You are given an extra little bit of space in the back to store whatever you wish. In my testing, I found that GBA games and the DS charger added too much unnecessary bulk. I found that you could store 6 additional DS carts in this pocket without distorting the case. However...



In the interest of science, I decided to stuff as many DS carts as I could in there. The final tally? I was able to fit 19 carts in and had a bit of resistance when shutting the zipper. This of course added more bulk than what I'm comfortable with, so I'd recommend putting no more than 6 DS carts in there at once.

But Is It Portable?

I have carried this little bag in my pocket quite often just to see what kind of bulk it creates in my slacks. While I think this case is best carried in some sort of cargo or inside jacket pocket, I've found it is also good enough to simply put in my pants/shorts pockets.

You would definitely look ridiculous to wear this on your belt or strap a shoulder belt to it. I'd say it's as big as you'd want it to be for something that is in your pants pocket and if it were any bigger you would probably not want to carry it that way. When I have it in my shorts pocket it is akin to carrying my wallet and keys in one of my front pockets, if that makes sense.

If you think about it, based on my recommendations, you can carry 3 carts up front, 6 in the back, and one in the DS itself. That's a total of 10 DS games you can take with you. If that's not enough for your trip to the mall, barber shop, or doctors office, then I don't know what to tell you.

Bottom Line

This is the best DS case I've ever seen or owned. That doesn't come cheap though. Count on dropping $39 + shipping for this baby. Now that's about 10 dollars more than most DS games, but this case definitely spoke to my needs and wants as a DS user. If you can't pony up the dough, perhaps consider putting it on a birthday or Christmas list.

The Waterfield DS Lite Case does everything well and it does it in style. It hugs the DS nicely, all the while holding a sufficient number of games to satisfy my needs. I wholeheartedly recommend it.