The Phoozy XP3 series of smartphone cases protect against the elements while on the water.
We have all been there at one time or another. It is a long day on the water and you accidentally left your cell phone laying in the sun. Doing this can result in overheating that kills the battery life of many phones. For others it heats them up so much they shut down completely once a high operating temperature has been reached. Not an ideal thing to happen if there is an emergency.
I have personally had my phone overheat several times while kayaking even though my phone was in a waterproof box. The exact same effect can happen during extremely cold conditions. It becomes a real problem if you are sitting in your treestand all day and cannot call a buddy to come help drag that big buck out because your phone has been dead for the six hours prior.
Enter the Phoozy XP3 series thermal capsule. It is a different type of phone case designed with the same technology used in spacesuits to protect astronauts. It may have a weird name, but I came to find it works rather well for protecting a phone during a simple boat ride too.
The technology
Travis Smola
On first glance, Phoozy thermal capsules look like any ordinary soft shell phone case. Their appearance does not grab your attention immediately. However, the inside has what Phoozy calls a chromium thermal barrier. This is the radiant barrier technology used by NASA to reflect radiation from the sun and protect astronauts from extreme temperature changes in the vacuum of space. Good to know if I ever go hunting and fishing on the moon. I joke, but the point remains.
If it is tough enough for space, it should handle Earth just fine. That same technology has been now been applied to this thermal phone case and can be used to protect your expensive new Apple iPhone or Android device.
The outside of the case feels a bit like one of those old thermal hunting seats that you find in the sporting goods section every year at Walmart. The version they sent me was the XL size made for several different phones including the iPhone 11 and the Galaxy S10 and more. It came in Realtree's Mako fishing camo. However, they are also offering variants in Realtree EDGE for hunters. They also offer variants that will help protect tablets in case you ever need to bring one of those outdoors.
In addition to protecting against the sun's rays, Phoozy says these cases offer drop protection specs that are up to military standards. They are also water-resistant and have sinkproof technology in case you fumble your expensive phone overboard. These cases also feature a multi-point attachment system. That way you can attach a tether or put it on your belt loop or carabiner, whatever works best for the user.
Does it work?
Travis Smola
Everything you read about this case sounds good, but how does it handle in the field? I can safely say it does quite well. Obviously, we are in the middle of summer now, so I could not test the case in colder conditions, but I took this case out on a boat several times already. My phone is junk anyway, so I had no qualms about leaving it on a scorching hot pontoon boat seat for hours at a time. Every time I pulled the phone out, it felt like normal room temperature. Color me impressed.
Of course, I had to test out that claim of military grade materials too, so I went ahead and dropped the phone on the hard boat deck, the paved driveway, rocks and whatever other hard items I could find. Aside from the scratches that were already there before this case was sent to me, the phone was spotless every time.
I also went ahead and tested claim that it floats. I will admit I was also not certain about the "EZ-open" end of the case since it uses Velcro. That did not strike me as something that would keep moisture out. However, no water ever got inside when I dropped it in, and it did float even with the extra heavy case that was already on my phone to protect it.
The bottom line
Who would have thought? A rare product that does everything exactly as advertised. Phoozy says the internal stash pocket eliminates the need for a bulky wallet as you can carry all your credit cards and cash right in the case with your phone. I am not sure about you, but I am not ready to give up my wallet just yet. Mainly just out of convenience. The case is rather large, and it does not fit well in a pocket.
However, this case does work exactly as it is advertised. It will protect your phone from the sun's harmful rays and it will give you a chance to recover it should it fall overboard. I can see why most customer reviews praise it so highly. I am anxious to give it a try during an all-day deer hunt this November when temperatures dip, but if these first tests were any indication, it should handle the job quite well. If you spend a good deal of time in the outdoor participating in a number of adventures, the Phoozy XP3 will help protect your phone for when you need it the most.
You can find the Phoozy Xp3 on Amazon.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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