I got a little armband MP3 player case at Target for five bucks or something. Works fine for MUni, and as it’s padded, I don’t worry about dropping it any other time either.
use duct tape
dorfmans idea is by far the best. but it can be a bit expensive for cordless headphones. but i would not advise putting it in your pocket if your a trials rider. if you bail your gaurenteed to land on the side with the player in your pocket(it always happens that way) that how i smashed my first player.
If you have an ipod (mini, 1st-4th generation, not 5th), you can get this really cool case that is fully waterproof (i’ve submerged mine and listened with only the earbuds above water) and quite shock-proof w/ foam and plastic protection
i highly recomend it as I use it for mountain biking and unicycling sometimes
it also is water proof
the cord around the neck, i think is best, doesnt fall off/out. and how often do we land on our chin and chest?
Yes, Ryan Atkins does that, and if it works for him, it should work for anybody!
http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45925&highlight=easy+riding
I LOVE my arm band, it’s perfect for riding!
I hadn’t thought about wireless headphones though…dang 
i just hook my onto my belt loop. i havent damaged it…yet …
ive never had my mp3 player on me when im unicyclcing, infact its a good idea if i new where it was id stick it in my poket and just have the wires going up my shirt to my ears… its a crap old 1 though so if i fall on it good ridance
I don’t want to be an advocate for IPod… however, i bought the ipod shuffle solely for the purpose of riding. And i chose the shuffle because it’s really small, really light, easy to operate through a shirt and you can get a cool little case the it fits in really well. http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore?productLearnMore=M9758G/A
I’ve fallen directly onto my chest (and onto the ipod) sereral times (once was onto a sharp rock) and it’s still good. I thank the protective semi water proof/resistant case that it’s always in.
One thing that should be mentioned is that if you ride with your mp3 player under your shirt (as i do) and on your chest, and you sweat, then it can get messed. So basically a case is pretty key in keeping your mp3 player funcitonal.
One thing i should mention is the use of thist with no shirt on. Sometimes it’s too hot to ride with a shirt (for me at least) so to still listen to music, just make a knot in the neck-strap to shorten it, and do the same for the earphone wires. this keeps it closer to you chin, and it doesn’t bounce around much.
I think the wireless earphone solution is a good one too, and something i’ve though about.
thanx heaps for all the ideas of riding with the mp3 player guys 
it has really helped, i think i will end up gettin an ipod shuffle coz its so small, and using the neck strap like Ryan!
I mostly ride trials, so something that doesnt move is vital, so it is probz best to get a shuffle for wen im riding, coz the iriver 5mg is too big, even tho it is actually pretty small for an mp3 player…
but neway, thanx once again for all the helpful hints!!
p.s. what do u use with ur shuffle? do u put it in ur pocket ? and wats this neck strap thing, wouldnt it flap around all over ur chest??
I always have mine in my pocket. It’s about the same size as an ipod and a bit more fragile. I have also fallen onto the side that it is in at least twice with alot of force. Just buy pants with deep pockets (but not baggy and floppy). When I’m riding the mp3 player is just below my hip bone and right next to my thigh so when I do fall the hip bone ends up taking the hit and the mp3 player just lodges itself nicely away from anything.
I recommend riding with tunes to anyone who’s thinking about it but hasn’t tried it yet, whether it’s MUni, street, trials or freestyle I really believe it helps you get in the zone for trying stuff and having a good time.
If I ride by myself I usually listen to a 30gb iPod Video, its half the thickness of the 60gb and a lot lighter. Apple actually replaced my first iPod Video for me because it got scratched(!), but with my 2nd (and current) iPod Video I’ve just been using the screen cover thing that comes with the iPod under a thin silicone case (bought seperately). Unfortunately the silicone case protects everything except the vital screen and I recently took the screen cover off so now I gotta buy something else to cover the screen before I ride with it again.
I’ve done heaps of riding with it without any problems, it’s easy to skip tracks or adjust volume by just feeling the clickwheel through my trousers or shorts, or else sometimes I’ll just set a playlist and put it in a camelback. I’d probably try watching a movie on it if I was into doing long distance. 
For headphones I use a pair of phillips behind the neck thingees which I highly recommend for riding because they’re comfortable, cheap, they don’t fall off even with aggressive riding and they’re even slightly water resistant so on the many times I’ve sweated all over them (I sweat more than anyone) it hasn’t been a problem. The sound quality is a bit better than with regular iPod “in yer ear” headphones but obviously a step down from a big pair of $200 Seinheisers.
When I ride with the iPod it’s small enough that I don’t notice it (except for the awesome music) and in terms of not getting the expensive gadget broken, there’s been times where I’ve put it down to attempt a skinny over a water hazard but in general I’m a bit wreckless, I push my luck and fall over a bit but I’m usually weary of avoiding a type of fall like KH outta “one tired guy”…
I muni with mine in my pants/shorts pocket, with the wire under the shirt. I don’t worry about falling on it, 'cause it’s a cheap $37 player from Walmat. If I use the buds that came with it, I can keep the player around my neck and under my shirt, but if it’s really hot I ride shirtess and keep the wire under my hydration pack straps.
I vote for the armband…it doesn’t bounce at all. I’ve used one for running and for distance riding, never trials though, but I assume it’d work fine…
just last week i was riding and doing some sick street stuff then i fell straight on my mp3 which was in my pocket, it got squished soo badly i couldnt get the battery out, the screen was smashed up and the display was black… so then i was CRAP then i turned it on to see if it worked and it kept playing so i was like well it cant get any more broken so i kept riding then i was being dumb and tryed the exact same thing i just did that resulted in my mp3 getting smashed… and i fell again right on it… now it was CRUSHED!!! and it definnetly couldnt get and worst…so i tuned it on and it played so i put it in my pocket and then when i rode my leg started to hurt so i took it out… when i fell it left a huge bruse the exact shape of the mp3… so i just put it back in and just kept riding in a little pain… then after the ride i went home … i was like well that was a waist of an mp3 player, BUT then i went to return it, i doubted that they would return it but i tryed cuz i have a 1 year warrenty… and guess what!!! i got a new one, and i want to keep this one safe… lol so now i am stuck cuz i dont like the necklace or the arm band… i i might just take my chances and put it in my pocket again… it might be a dumb idea tho…
Hm, in winter I wear a coat with a pocket for a MP3. It is in a great spot, around the upper left of my chest. You really cant fall there because you would hit your face first.
I haven’t tried this with a uni yet, but I have skiied with it and done jumps and stuff, it works so well!
But I also made a case out of duct tape which makes the mp3 fit in my pocket very well. Its nice and snug
i just got the best ever protector for my mp3 player and it still just goes right in my pocket. let me explain…my friends dad does alot of work with carbon fibre and he always has some lying around so he made 2 little cases that fit the mp3 player perfectly and my buddy gave me one(he has the same mp3 as me) so now i have a smash resistant pocket protection divice plus it weighs like nothing so i dont even really notice it:)
Dumb idea.
What is wrong with an arm band to hold the MP3 player? That’s the most practical spot to keep it if you’re being active.
How big is the MP3 player? You can get small flash memory MP3 players that are designed for active use. Something with 256MB is plenty for that. Load it with the songs you want to listen to for the day and call it good. You can fit several albums in 256MB even when compressed at high quality.
If you’re doing something that risks damaging the MP3 player, take the small flash one rather than an expensive full sized player. That’s what sensible people do.
You’ve never had an instance where you fell on your arm and hurt you player?