Waterproof cell phone recommendation

[espana23]

Hi,

I am looking for a waterproof cell phone to be used in emergency situations while kitesurfing. It would need to be heavy duty, waterproof and small. It will be used only during kitesurfing sessions so it doesn't need to be anything too high tech or fancy. Does anyone have something to recommend?

Thanks.

[kiterocky]

2 euro waterproof bag...

[tomato]

this kind works well for me already 2 years
https://www.amazon.co.uk/OCASE-Waterpro ... B01H6OYOYK

[espana23]

2 euro waterproof bag...

Not quite the answer I was looking for here. My everyday phone is a smart phone and wouldn't want to take that with me kitesurfing (the touch screen display wouldn't work anyway with wet hands). Since I am considering on buying a simple phone specifically for this purpose I was wondering if anyone has something to recommend.

[Wind Runner]

I concur with the waterproof bag recommendation... I've used these for years and they have never failed me... https://aquapacusa.com/shop/waterproof- ... ase-small/

If you want a separate phone just for kiting that's obviously up to you, but I personally wouldn't want to bother with another monthly cell plan and thing to keep charged and carry around. I just got a weather meter and am thinking even that will be a PITA to carry around and not lose.

[iriejohn]

What about something like this?

https://www.catphones.com/en_us/cat-b25 ... phone.html

[K-Roy]

I got a small and cheap cell phone from China (no name for 1$)
It lasts about a week on a full charge, I stick it in a condom and its good to go.
A few numbers on the speed dial make it easier to operate...
The other option is also working fine, Samsung G8 in a waterproof bag just in case and I stick it under my impact west.

cheers

[norcom]

Perfect topic timing!

I just got a Samsung S3 Frontier LTE watch/phone. And after activating it and being all stoked I naturally decided to google it's potentials, you know do research AFTER I buy it.... Though Samsung site says IP68 which turns out means diddly squat.

First and only thread I find on kiteforum viewtopic.php?t=2396441 and Gunner says his died. Great.. Then I search the Samsung forums and there are TONS of complaints that peoples watches are dying from SWEAT and Samsung's denying warranty because "water damage". WTF?!

So now I'm in a dillema, do I chance it and test its water capability? I've had many Suunto GPS watches from as early as X9Mi which took 15min to get a sattelite signal to the Ambit 3 Peak Sapphire, which was awesome at being a WATERPOOF watch and recording and categorizing data but sucked at BT notifications. Then I picked up the Garmin Fenix 5x Sapphire. Which is great for BT notifications, built in HR monitor, has the maps built in with ability to add more, and is pretty good in salt water though the buttons seem to have gotten sticky over the last 8 months (lots of water time). But I wanted a phone/watch so went with the S3 Frontier LTE.

The S3 Frontier is pretty cool. The LTE works nicely as a phone. Though in order to get notifications for email/sms you have to continuously run an Samsung app on the phone you set this up with to forward them to your watch (via BT, WiFi or LTE). Otherwise you can only get the SMS that's sent directly to the watch phone #. Not sure about battery life, it's OK with BT, probably lasts a day and a half. Testing battery on continuous LTE only connection today to see how long it'll run with the phone always on. The notifications and interfaces is nice but the problem is GPS tracking apps, THEY ALL SUCK. The Samsung app store is a joke, even worse than Garmin store and the built in activities are very limited. I love tracking my GPS and HR stats while doing sports but this watch is not the best for that.

Considering they're going "New (other)" aka refurbished for around $170 on eBay with a coupon, it's still not a bad option. It's VERY small and I could wear it around my neck in a protective pouch if needed. Verizon has a $15/month plan for it. You wont be able to get it working on most MVNO's, I tried Total Wireless and it didn't accept the eSIM. So it's ATT/T-Mobile/Verizon only. Still, even at $170 and if you don't activate it, you have the 911 emergency option for "free" and that's about the price of a decent PLB (personal locator beacon) but with a VERY small package.

[bkkite]

I've had luck with my iPhone and this sea to summit pouch

https://seatosummitusa.com/collections/ ... smartphone

Fits in the side pocket of my board shorts or tucked inside my wetsuit

[Wind Runner]

I got a small and cheap cell phone from China (no name for 1$)
It lasts about a week on a full charge, I stick it in a condom and its good to go.
A few numbers on the speed dial make it easier to operate...
The other option is also working fine, Samsung G8 in a waterproof bag just in case and I stick it under my impact west.

cheers

That's a good idea... just buy a cheap pre-paid phone... I guess those wouldn't require a monthly plan AFAIK, but I think the minutes expire after a certain time period... you better fact-check that though then keep it in a bag