Lifedge. Go do.

It was at about mile eight or nine of the Spires and Steeples Challenge yesterday that I thought to myself: “If only I had a Lifedge phone case this time last year, I’d have lots more proof of the terrible conditions that lead me to abandon my hike half way through.” At that moment I realised that thanks to this bright green rubbery gadget, the state of the weather has not crossed my mind when I’ve spotted a photo opportunity since it arrived. Add to that a complete confidence that my phone is protected regardless of the activity I’m doing, means I have lots more photographs to help store the memories of what I’ve been up to.

I’ve been using my Lifedge case since just before my Wild West motorcycle trip, when they offered to send me one to make sure I was able to capture my trip without worrying about my phone. They’re philosophy is simple – “go do”, providing a product that leaves you free to use your iPhone when and where you wouldn’t normally take it. Since then it’s been on mountain bike rides and motorcycle trips, hikes and hills, on a steam train and to a very wet Silverstone, and even simple trips to the seaside in the rain – each time giving me confidence to capture my journey like never before.

Waterproof cases for phones are notoriously difficult to use; but thankfully it couldn’t be easier to put the phone in to this one. The case comes apart in the middle, you put your phone in the front half, and then push the back half on. It seals with a few presses around the edge and there are clips to push closed at the top and bottom just to be sure. With it being so simple to install, I can very easily decide whether or not I need the case, either with a quick glance through the window at the weather or at my diary.

Always test the waterproofing of your case before trusting it completely. This tissue stayed dry so I know my Lifedge works.

Once my phone is safely inside I know I can take my phone pretty much anywhere. Lifedge is submersible to 2 metres and shockproof too, but still allows you to use all the features of your phone without taking the case off. That’s everything including all the buttons, switches and holes around the iPhone. You’ll need an official Apple cable, though – the lightning cable socket is exactly the right size, and copycat products tend to be a bit larger meaning they don’t fit in the hole. I’m even rather impressed with the sound quality – other waterproof cases I’ve tried tend to really muffle the sound (and microphone), but Lifedge seem to have got that sorted. It might add a bit of bulk to your iPhone – that protection has to have a compromise – but it’s not absolutely massive and still looks really great.  That green colour could have been chosen just for me! The finish around the edge (the green bit on mine) is really grippy, and it’s very easy to find where all those buttons and switches are.

Combining Lifedge with its accessories open a whole new world of opportunities, too. There’s a bike mount which fits very neatly on the handlebars of my mountain bike, a belt clip which is good for belts and bags and harnesses, and a range of other bits and bobs that mean you can take your Lifedge case without using your hands. I’ve been making good use of the bike mount – the combination of waterproof case and safe storage on the handlebars means tracking my rides or simply having my phone (and it’s camera) handy is incredibly useful. As long as you’re careful not to over-tighten it (which is easily done as you want to make sure it is fitted properly), then you can fit and re-fit the bike mount an infinite number of times, so you can use it on all your bikes(!).

Using my iPhone in its bike mount on my commute to work (above) and showing Lifedge on my bike at Sherwood Pines (below). 

I think it’s fair to say that Lifedge as a company is only half about the product itself – the other half is about what you can actually do with the product. The case and accessories have been designed to help fuel (and record) adventure, and to help those taking part in new experiences and those following with interest to connect and share with each other. Their blog and instagram feed is full to bursting of stories of all variety of activities that will get your adventure-craving juices flowing. They even featured my Wild West motorcycle adventure, which was rather lovely of them.

Making good use of my Lifedge case for iPhone 5 at the Grand Canyon earlier this year.

I honestly can’t recommend this waterproof case enough. It works incredibly well, looks great, and offers a “go anywhere” attitude that is somewhat missing from the iPhone on its own. It’s not cheap at £75, but you are buying a quality product that will last. Check out the iPhone 5/5S case on the Lifedge website (and don’t forget to check out my guest post on their blog).

Thanks to Lifedge for sending me one of their iPhone 5 cases, and some accessories too, to help me take even more photos with my phone.