Leash your cell phone

I carry my cell phone in a pocket on my PFD.  The cell phone is water resistant, but I worried about dropping it into the water and losing it.  Then a friend lost his cell phone down an ice fishing hole, and I decided to get smart and put a leash on my phone.  I bought a couple of devices which you put between your phone and a cell phone case which have a little loop of webbing and a ring which stick out of the charging cord hole in the case, to provide a place to attach a leash.  And I bought a retractable lanyard.  I clip the retractable lanyard to a loop of cord tied around a shoulder strap of my PFD, and I attach the phone to the lanyard with a loop of spectra cord.  Now I feel a lot safer when I use my phone on the water.

This works great for me.
https://www.amazon.com/Travelon-Floating-Waterproof-Digital-Camera/dp/B06XHFM5HS/ref=asc_df_B06XHFM5HS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241975648489&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13164464019390666763&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031906&hvtargid=pla-559322372137&psc=1

Good advice.

I have a nice hard case for my iPhone 5, which enables me to use my phone for GPS on the water. But, I do take it out of the case for various things, so without a lanyard or float, it's sure to end its life on the bottom of the Monterey Bay. Of course, it is an iPhone 5, so it would not exactly be a great loss to humanity.

I’ve been using the cheap bag-style cases for a year or two and they work well. Just today I got a fancier case ($18 LifeProof knock off), and set up a retractable lanyard almost identical to pmmpete’s. Amusing to see this post a few hours later.

I am curious to hear what systems others have come up with to keep their phones secure but easy to use.

Thanks for the great idea! I also like to use my phone on the water when the fishing is slow and Id be lying if I said I didn’t have an iPhone at the bottom of San Pablo Reservoir.

I got one of these from REI and simply clip it into my pdf, keeping it in a pocket.

https://www.rei.com/product/147938/nite-ize-hitch-phone-anchor-tether

*put me down for lost phone at San Pablo Res

I got one of these from REI and simply clip it into my pdf, keeping it in a pocket.

https://www.rei.com/product/147938/nite-ize-hitch-phone-anchor-tether

*put me down for lost phone at San Pablo Res

+1 

Thanks for the great idea! I also like to use my phone on the water when the fishing is slow and Id be lying if I said I didn’t have an iPhone at the bottom of San Pablo Reservoir.

Lake Sonoma  for me

Glad to know that I'll be in good company, one of these days.

I've contributed a few things to Davy Jones' locker, but the only 2 that really hurt were a nice Garmin handheld GPS and a Shimano Tekota reel...

Any recommendations on a case brand that is easily removable?  I don't like having a case day to day on land, but would like to switch to something like this before I donate a phone to the bottom.

About 10 years ago my phone kept falling out of my pocket at restaurants, theaters, etc., and I couldn't find a leash on the web, so I got my junk box out and made one.

Save-Mart Grocery card under the Apple Logo hole in the Otter Box sewn to webbing ending in a clip that I clip to a belt loop, or to the zipper toggle on my ski parka.  When I drop my phone, it doesn't hit the ground, and I don't leave it in the car when I get out.  I need to get my black Sharpie out and color the card again -it slides around under there and the ink wears off.

And I don't think my Otter Box or I Phone 6 are water resistant, so I just take a burner flip phone inside a couple of baggies out on the water.  $5. month at Verizon on the auto-pay system.     

And I don't think my Otter Box or I Phone 6 are water resistant...

It look like the newer iPhones are even more waterproof than claimed. When i upgrade I’ll just leash it when on the water.

https://www.cnet.com/news/iphone-12-water-test-results-apple-downplaying-water-resistance/

I use a Beltron cover for my 6S Plus. It is water proof, and snaps on and of pretty easily. It has spots on two of the corners where I placed a loop of 40lb test line to attach to. I use a little springy thing to tie it to my PFD.

I have this case by Optrix, which I have hard-mounted on my kayak, kinda like a FF:



Pretty awesome, IMHO. I think it's actually been discontinued, but I see some new ones for sale on eBay for about $20.