I have been using an Ipod classic for a long long time, I sweat a lot, I have been sprayed, sprinkled and rained on more than a couple of times and it still works like the first day. Sometimes I wonder if I should get a new one (this one is about to turn 9 years old!) but the fact is that this one just works great.

Maybe the problem is the case, how do you carry it? I carry it in a soft armband that I fasten to my forearm, it absorves most of the sweat and/or rain, so maybe that is the secret. By the way, I also used to own one ipod shuffle but it died on me after not-so-many uses.

Hope this helps

I've been running w/ a Sandisk Sansa Fuze 8GB for 2 years now with no problems whatsoever. 50 bucks at tigerdirect.com. Great little MP3 player and you can get a armband and rubber protective sleeve on ebay for 10 bucks. HTH