I bought a Rogue Fishing Gear Co Protector phone tether for a very specific reason – to ensure my $1000+ smartphone stayed with me while on most amusement park rides.
Most rides usually have a bag drop, but leaving my phone and car keys unsupervised added an unwanted layer of stress to anything.
Pockets with zippers! That’s a nice idea, but I couldn’t easily find any good shorts or pants that had such a feature.
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So, I looked around for a phone leash and came upon the Rogue Gear Co Protector tether.
Note: I do NOT recommend that others use this for intense roller coasters. I always removed it for the wildest roller coasters that had no-phones and no-glasses policies.
Rogue is a fishing gear company, and they offer various leashes, tethers, and similar for activities on and off the water. The Protector seemed like a good solution to my needs.
The packaging says that the tether was handmade in the USA, and the silicone strap was made in China.
I clipped the included carabiner to my belt loop, attached the silicone harness around the 4 corners of my phone, and then added my car key to one leg of the loop.
It worked perfectly, giving me peace of mind that my phone wouldn’t be another lost loose item statistic.
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I don’t plan to be on a boat anytime soon, but I’ll keep the tether handy for that too. There are plenty of phones already at the bottoms of lakes, rivers, and similar.
There are plenty of less expensive phone leashes out there. This one looked sturdy and unobtrusive, and I convinced myself that the tether by itself might be useful for other needs in between amusement park visits.
The extendable coil didn’t feel bulky when shoved into my pocket. It stretches from around 3″ long to 36″, and allowed me to use my phone without having to unclip everything.
Initially, the silicone harness blocked the face sensor for unlocking my phone, but was easy to adjust.
100% I’d buy this again.
Price: $22
I’ve also added the Rogue Guardian 55 utility leash to my wishlist. This looks like it might be handy for use with certain tools.
The company also makes a bunch of special-purposed tethers for watersports-related gear.
Scott K
I had this on my wishlist for a while and finally decided it was time to get something since I spend most of the summer working on and around the water. The Koala was the first tether of this sort that I’ve seen, but it’s a little more expensive than Rogue’s version. I ended up getting this Nite-Ize version for about $12 – https://niteize.com/hitch-phone-anchor-tether?gad_source=1
It’s worked well, but it requires that you have a case to slip the anchor into. I like that it’s not permanent in that nothing adheres to your phone. The ring on the anchor needs to be held out of the way to slip the charger in.
Benjamen
I’ve used this while fishing so my phone doesn’t fall in the lake when taking photos: https://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-Hitch-Plus-Tether/dp/B07FQWCYMK
While not as robust, it’s a little less obtrusive, but I don’t keep it on my phone because it can make inserting the charging cable a little more challenging sometimes.
Shocked
I’ve used this Nite Ize tether for several years, too. You have to use a phone case for this tether to work, but I always buy cases for my phones anyway. But as Benjamen says, this tether does not appear to be as strong as the Rogue setup. If I were working above a critical piece of equipment or where people were walking underneath, then “go Rogue”.
MKY
Stuart –
“I clipped the included carabiner to my belt loop, attached the silicone ***hardness*** around…”
“Initially, the silicone ***hardness*** blocked…”
Stuart
Thanks! *fixed* Muscle memory?
Joe R.
almost.
“…attached the silicone hardess around the…”
but I know you meant harness
frobo
This looks to be useful. If you’re looking for shorts with zipper pockets, I’ve had good experience with Clothing Arts pickpocket-proof products: https://www.clothingarts.com/products/pickpocket_proof_adventure_travel_shorts
KokoTheTalkingApe
Just as another option, I think it wouldn’t be hard to make a phone tether. Buy a second flexible case, maybe $8, cut a thin slot in the back, then cut out a strip of aluminum or brass sheet. Bend it so there’s a small hump in the middle, and pinch it so it almost makes a closed loop. Insert the “loop” through the slot in the case from the inside, so the loop sticks out the back. Put the case on the phone. Attach a split ring to the protruding loop. Then tie on a piece of string.
Goodie
Yes! Or just put two holes in the back of a cheap case for a zip tie that you can tie paracord (or other cord) to.
Jared
I kayak on the river all the time with my phone. Why have I never thought to tether it?
I used a waterproof float-bag for a while. It was annoying because I had to take the phone out to take a picture or send a text. Often I just ended up with my phone on my lap anyway.
Then I bought a waterproof case – I still use that, but it doesn’t float, so if I drop the phone I’m going to have to swim…
Richard
I looked at these. In the end I went with something easier and cheaper. Almost every phone case these days has holes to thread an anchor point for a hand strap. Use those with a cheap lanyard or do a DIY version of the above with a carabiner and some key rings. Or the rouge leash linked above.
I bet someone clever here might even know how to make your own custom coil and what the connectors are (looks like heat shrink). If so, I would like to know more.
MM
I’ve made coiled plastic tubing before: wrap the tubing around a rod, hold it in place with clamps, then put it in an oven for a while so the heat softens the plastic. Let it cool while it’s still fixed in that shape and it will retain the shape. I have no idea if that works for rope or cord, but these kind of things might be made using a piece of plastic tubing in the core instead of strands.
The loops look like they’re secured with a metal crimp sleeve like you’d use for steel cable and that is covered up with heat-shrink. I can see why they’d do that in a factory because it’s fast and cheap but I think it would be better if the loops were sewn or spliced, it would be lighter and sleeker. There’s also double-wall heat shrink tubing. That might grip strong enough on its own.
DRT42
Adhesive lined heat shrink is incredibly tenacious. I’d go that route.
Lack
Rollercoaster friendly?
I’m not sure I’d want a 200g+ phone on a leash dangling in front of me at rollecoaster speeds (and g’s). Zipper pockets in clothing would be my choice.
Stuart
It was in my pocket for every ride.
A leash was mainly for peace of mind, and also because the wildest rides have “loose articles must be attached to you” policies. I removed it for those, and they also had single-car loading.
This counted as it being attached to me.
Lack
Figured it meant to stay in in pocket, and the tether is just in case it get’s out. But if it does, I wouldn’t be at peace with it dangling while on a roller coaster.
Any other scenario mentioned like a kayak trip? Absolutley could see myself using it.
Stuart
Oh, definitely not. I also wouldn’t recommend this for gym shorts or other shorts or pants with high-friction pockets.
Sitting down clamps everything down in my pocket, but there’s still that “what if” that adds to my nerves.
This also provided a way to secure my car key, which typically isn’t as tight-fitting in my pocket.
I removed it for the wilder rides. If I trust my glasses to stay on my face, I trust my phone and keys to stay in my pocket. When my glasses came off, I emptied my pockets too.
Wayne R.
Seems like that belt loop is now the weak link.