Although they protect your Treo from harm, skin cases by themselves won’t clip to your belt, clothing, or book bag strap. Holsters do that. They keep your treasure at the ready, but don’t offer much protection of its surface from abrasion, dirt, or flying objects. Holster, meet skin case; skin case, holster.

I’ve previously reviewed a couple of holsters, the Smartphone Experts SafeGuard Holster, and Seidio’s Spring Clip Swivel Holster, both for Treo 700 series, 650, and 600 smartphones, but when it comes to holsters, there are plenty to choose from. They do the same thing in about the same way, but they all leave your Treo’s back side (or screen!) open to any unpleasantries that might come its way - globs of sandpaper on the wing, bubblegum on the fly, stray asteroids - best not to detail further, lest I tempt the Gremlins in Charge of Flinging Stuff Around.

Skin cases, on the other hand, keep stuff off your Treo, except for where the holes are cut out for the screen and ports, but they don’t do much to corral the phone. I feel comfy with my Treo clipped to my person because I’m less likely, being the poster child for Absent Mindedness, to leave it on a table in a coffeehouse. Yet, I’m not entirely comfortable leaving the Treo unprotected from airborne harm. What to do.

Fortunately, that’s a statement, not a question. Here’s what to do: a belt clip-able, Treo corral-able holster that accommodates your Treo with a skin case on it. Simple!

Holsters should fit their charges closely to avoid dumping them out in the inevitable jostling from the real (to say the least) world. That means the skins, thinner than postcards, chunk up the Treo to fit into the holster correctly. TreoCentral’s James Hromadka has reviewed Sedio’s Skinned Shield Holster, which fits on a skin-cased Treo 700 series, 650, or 600, as the product’s promo says. The unit for my review here is a newer generation, built for the “small Treo” (but larger than Centro) family.

To use the holster, assuming your skin case is already on the phone, seat the Treo in the bottom prongs of the holster and tilt it up into the jaw of the top clasp. The Treo goes in face first, so the screen faces inward, protecting it from the cold cruel world. This is important, because skin cases offer cutouts for the screen, leaving it open to potential hazards.

Perhaps the reason this product is named Hold N Store is that it “holds” your Treo while “storing” an extra SD Card horizontally in a little cranny. The fit seems reliable, but be sure the card slips into the slot correctly. You’ll know if it’s wrong – it’ll fall out if you tap it lightly.

Clips, as I’ve often whined about here, ought to be equipped with something to keep them from rattling around untended. Seidio has a good approach to the clip. This one is very deep, so it can get a good grip on your belt, waistband, or whatever you attach it to. Its spring is strong, too, and the end of the clip has a barb built in, so it doesn’t just hang there at gravity’s whim. I find that the clip’s extra bite, depth, and strength, are all very welcome on the camera bag straps with which I mostly use clips.

Usability

The promo says the Hold N Store fits Treo 755p, 750, and 680 while the phone is wearing a skin case. However, I found that my 700w and 700p Treos will also fit into the holster while wearing a Smartphone Experts UltraThin SkinCase, which I’ve previously reviewed. The fit on my 680 is much too loose for my taste, but a (thick style) skin case might take up the slack.

If you’re going to opt for this system – holster plus skin case – I recommend getting a combination of products that are designed to work together. For example, TreoCentral carries bundles by Smartphone Experts for Treo 680, and 700p, 700w|wx.

The holster impedes nothing about using the Treo 680 except the SD access door. Have to remove it from the holster to get to that. Too bad. A little deeper scoop on the side would have done the trick.

Conclusion

The best of both worlds – a minimalist holster plus a close fitting skin case: great protection for your Treo while you’re out on the town. Here’s the holster part of that equation: Seidio’s Hold N StoreSkin Holster is designed to work with a skinned Treo 680, 750, or 755p. If you don’t opt for one of the available bundles, choose a skin case carefully, so it fits the holster snugly.

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Criteria  Rating Design 4 Usability 4 Protection 3 Cost/Benefit 3 Overall (not an average)	Pros Long-reach, barbed, extra grippy rotating clip Convenient space for an extra SD Card Felt lining Screen faces in, protecting it from harm Accommodates a Treo 680 with a skin case on it Rotating clip with detents at seven positions
	Cons Edges could be smoother Treo could be knocked out of holster Obscures access to the SD Card slot on Treo