Of all the pieces of new gear I tried on the Snowbank Lake hike, one, surprisingly, shone above them all - and it was the piece of gear I least expected would impress me.
For my 40th birthday, one of my friends bought me the
Haglöfs Watatait phone case. I didn't really think I'd ever use the Watatait (did you see that? They spelled "water tight" in a clever way to make it sound more exciting than it actually is). I normally just slip my iPhone in a ziploc bag and stuff it in a pocket, but the lack of true waterproofing often concerns me whenever I ford a river or get caught in a storm. Not wanting to waste a present, I thought I'd give it a go and get some peace of mind at the same time.
I slipped my new iPhone 4 inside. The wallet is sealed by a thick, double, ziploc-style fastener. For additional watataitness, the top folds over twice, securing with velcro. It certainly gives an impression of being totally waterproof. But there's only one way to find out...
Success! The phone remains bone dry.
But half way along the trail I discovered another feature that made this product my "gear of the trip" - you can still use the phone while it's in the case. The plastic used on the face of the wallet is conductive, so the touchscreen of the iPhone still works perfectly, even while safely in the pouch (but not, incidentally, while underwater). Brilliant!
Haglöfs also claim that the case floats, which is a great design concept; however, mine didn't. Maybe it's because the iPhone 4 is quite heavy.
Of course, many would argue that the last thing they want to do in the outdoors is use their phone, so a usable case is redundant. However, the iPhone has a lot of apps that I like to use in camp and on the trail; cameras, GPS, knot-tying reminders, astronomy software etc (and I'll be looking at those in an upcoming post). For those purposes it serves as a valuable multi-purpose tool, and one which I want to protect from accidents.
At only 22 grams (without strap), it's light enough not to worry about, and with the peace of mind that comes with waterproofing and the clever design that allows you to use the phone in situ, it's a no-brainer. I'll be taking it on every trip with me from now on.
Of all the pieces of new gear I tried on the Snowbank Lake hike, one, surprisingly, shone above them all - and it was the piece of gear I least expected would impress me.
For my 40th birthday, one of my friends bought me the
Haglöfs Watatait phone case. I didn't really think I'd ever use the Watatait (did you see that? They spelled "water tight" in a clever way to make it sound more exciting than it actually is). I normally just slip my iPhone in a ziploc bag and stuff it in a pocket, but the lack of true waterproofing often concerns me whenever I ford a river or get caught in a storm. Not wanting to waste a present, I thought I'd give it a go and get some peace of mind at the same time.
I slipped my new iPhone 4 inside. The wallet is sealed by a thick, double, ziploc-style fastener. For additional watataitness, the top folds over twice, securing with velcro. It certainly gives an impression of being totally waterproof. But there's only one way to find out...
Success! The phone remains bone dry.
But half way along the trail I discovered another feature that made this product my "gear of the trip" - you can still use the phone while it's in the case. The plastic used on the face of the wallet is conductive, so the touchscreen of the iPhone still works perfectly, even while safely in the pouch (but not, incidentally, while underwater). Brilliant!
Haglöfs also claim that the case floats, which is a great design concept; however, mine didn't. Maybe it's because the iPhone 4 is quite heavy.
Of course, many would argue that the last thing they want to do in the outdoors is use their phone, so a usable case is redundant. However, the iPhone has a lot of apps that I like to use in camp and on the trail; cameras, GPS, knot-tying reminders, astronomy software etc (and I'll be looking at those in an upcoming post). For those purposes it serves as a valuable multi-purpose tool, and one which I want to protect from accidents.
At only 22 grams (without strap), it's light enough not to worry about, and with the peace of mind that comes with waterproofing and the clever design that allows you to use the phone in situ, it's a no-brainer. I'll be taking it on every trip with me from now on.
Haglöfs Watatait Phone Case
Looks brilliant. I've been using an Aloksak, but it's not that secure.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried the GPS on the iPhone. It's superb. Acquisition time is about one second. I've got some mapping software for it as well. The downside is the GPS drinks batteries, but it's fine for checking your position.
Thanks for highlighting this product. Thankfully Haglofs is one brand that is easy to a hold of in Norway and I've been after a waterproof case for my phone with a slightly more reliable closing than the Aloksak I currently use.
ReplyDeleteRobin: It's pretty neat - and quite cheap. I saw it online for about £12 I think. I've used several GPS apps. I agree, the drainage on battery power is the only letdown, but for checking your position it's fine. My fave app is probably MotionX GPS - you can download the area maps onto it. It'll be in my app roundup later this week!
ReplyDeleteJoe: You're lucky that in Nordic Europe Haglöfs are readily available. In the US I think there is one online store stocking some stuff. There used to be a Haglöfs outlet store in Tornio/Haparanda which I loved. Got a great pair of their trail pants cheap, and in general I find that their their gear is good quality, if a touch expensive.
This phone wallet takes up hardly any room, and you can make it lighter by removing that plastic clip thing on the bottom.
One of the reasons I had a Blackberry Pearl 8100 was the GPS positioning. It did take a while. I have now had an iPhone 3GS since January 2010. The iPhone does indeed takes seconds to secure GPS co-ordinates and is easy to use. It's such a versatile unit. Anquet is also availabel but I've not yet been bothered to download it to the iPhone. Thumbs up to Apple.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this review.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really lightweight case for my iPhone.
Time to get one
Mark - I have an Aquapac, which is similar in that it is waterproof and I can make and receive calls and use the screen on my iphone through the plastic. I share you concern about making sure that water does not get into your iphone - they are expensive enough without running the risk of water damage !!
ReplyDeleteMark
This is a great gear site, but I'm afraid I have to be the guy who doesn't like to take a lot of electronics into the bush. I'm no Luddite, but when I head out I like to keep the gizmos to a minimum; such as a head lamp and occasionally an mp3 player. I'm military trained and saw batteries quit on electronic devices with no back ups. For those who didn't know how to use the old map, compass and plotting board it was a dismal day.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you know how to use map and compass so if something happens to your electronics you'd be ok, but I've met many people who could barely use the GPS, much less a map and compass.
About five years ago I broke my ankle on the 100 Mile Wilderness in Maine in a spot where there was no cell phone coverage. Yep, that really sucked, but I managed to get out ok because I knew better than to rely on that stuff for my survival and I was hiking with someone else. I do carry a cell phone of course, it would be stupid not to, but it's always a good idea to have a backup plan just in case...
raugustine1963: I completely agree. Gadgets are absolutely not essential gear, and should always take second place to knowledge and experience. A map and a compass are key to any trip, and an awareness of your surroundings as you pass through them.
ReplyDeleteI'm not averse to gadgets. I would never rely on GPS. I take it mainly to keep a detailed record of my trail. There have been occasions when I've found it useful to double check where I am. In the Badlands, one canyon looks the same as the next, and many are not deep enough to register on maps, but deep enough that you can't get out of them. There, I found it helpful to check I was on the right track.
I've seen so many people extolling the virtues of SteriPens, only to have the batteries or the device fail after one day. Then what do they do? They ask if they can borrow my gravity filter.
In Northern Minnesota, there is no coverage whatsoever, and people have got lost there plenty. Personally that suits me fine, but apparently they are thinking of putting up a huge antenna to help the people who get lost.
But yes, I agree. Have a backup plan. Don't rely on gadgets. But if you do take them, at least protect them from water.
hi Thanks for highlighting this product.your Haglöfs Watatait Phone Case is very good one.i am using waterproof case.but your phone cases very better with compare to other waterproof cases
ReplyDelete