iPhone 6 Case for Backcountry Use?

I haven't gotten anything special for my iPhone 6, I can only confirm what you said about older Lifeproof cases – I inadvertently performed a rather rigorous test on a Lifeproof iPad2 case when our boat sunk and it spent 4-1/2 days on a salt water beach. It was fine in 2 years since. One upside of that incident is that now I don't hesitate to use my iPad in the bath tub or hot tub.

For my iPhone6 (and 5 and 4 before that), I've just been using a no-name, gasketed, clear-plastic box. About $8-$11 at Walmart. Then I only take it out in calm conditions and put it back in before going back on deck. I bring it only for occasional use (snap a pic of the fish) and not for navigation, tunes, etc. But I'm dealing with salt water which is so deadly to electronics in very small amounts. For a misty or snowy day inland, I haven't bothered with anything beyond generally trying to keep my iPhones dry-ish and warmer than ambient and haven't had any problems for years now.

Rugged Shell: iPhone Cases For The Outdoors

I'll vouch for a LifeProof case for the iPhone 6 (plus version not available, yet). I just got one for my wife since she had a 60% off coupon from her work. I tested it in the pool, submerged in a sink with both hot and cold water, and in the shower (playing music too!) and so far there have been no issues. In other conditions, such as mud or sand, I see no reason it will not perform just as well. The case seems to be resilient enough to protect against drops, so unless something calamitous happened I think LP is a sure bet.

That said, there may be some knock-offs for a fraction of the $80 asking price, but sometimes you get what you pay for..

I have owned the 3GS, 4,5 and I always just carried the phone totally nekkid…have never had a problem with scratches or broken anything. When I got the 6 I bought the Apple leather case ONLY because it protects the protruding camera lens. With every iPhone I have owned I have always simply places it in an appropriately sized Ziplock freezer bag when on the trail…cheap, effective, and easily replaceable.

I'm pretty careful with my gear and am not prone to dropping things so YMMV.

I'm happy with my Nüüd on my iPhone 6. I've only had it for a few days but it has kept it dry through several tests. For me, water protection is more important than drop protection and I like that I'm still typing on the phone'so screen rather than through plastic.

I realize my experience does not address your question perfectly but I thought other people might search and find the thread later…

If you don't really want to spend $80, look at the New Trent Trentium. Its been a great case for hiking. Its a slim case, has 3 different backings (to change the appearance), and its reasonably light for this type of case. With the Lifeproof I had for the iPhone 5, I noticed some muffling of the mic, although not too bad. I haven't noticed any with the New Trent. It's water resistant, not waterproof. If you want one that you can take pictures underwater with, get the Lifeproof, but if you are more concerned that it just be able to survive a walk in the rain, or even brief drop in the toilet or kitchen sink, it should be fine. There's a video review on YouTube where a guy drop tests his iphone from different heights, then throws his phone into a bucket of water, checking to see if the phone still works after each "test". (search for the New Trent Trentium drop test and water test). He has more guts than I do in regards to this. I paid $21 + shipping for mine, it does the job and looks good IMO.

When did it get released? I have the Nuud for my iPad, but the LP website said "Notify me" regarding the iPhone 6 version.

del

Drew it's been about 2 weeks since I got the email from Life Proof saying the Nuuds are now available, however, when the Fre came out it was available to those of us that used the "Notify Me" button through a private link in an email for some time before being listed on the site. I guess it's the same way with the Nuuds… So maybe it should start showing up for the public soon?

Anyway, I wanted the Nuud as I use a glass screen protector on my iPhone 6 and the Nuud should fit around it nice, but IMO it's kind of late to the game… At this point I am just going to stick with the Tech21 case I have on mine. It works ok, and I'm not looking to sink more money into a phone that I may only have for a few more months… But I will say I love these glass screen protectors a lot more than the flimsy ones that you put on, or the ones incorporated into a case. My experience with the glass cover has been way nicer than any other I have used, and IMO offers more protection. YMMV…

Lifeproof Fre

Catalyst is a good brand too. I had a Lifeproof for my iPhone 4s and since then the company was bought by Otterbox. I don't know how well the quality is anymore with Lifeproof, although I'm sure it's just as tough as before.

Shameless plug XD
It's just an unboxing of the Nüüd for my Iphone 6+. Working well for me so far, only complaint really is muffled sound, but that's expected. Also, I can't use my other cable in the charger port. Touch ID works perfect with it.

I ended up snagging a Thul Atmos X3 on Amazon (based on that GearJunkie link above), and it seems to be a solid option for about $40 based on the reviews and my 12 hours of owning it. I just wasn't comfortable shelling out for the Lifeproof when the reviews were that scathing.

Normally, I wouldn't be that fussed about a case (my 5 was just fine with a wee little one), but the shape and form factor of the 6 are a lot more droppable (for my hands anyway), and I feel like there's some merit to giving a bit of protection to the device that's gonna be my camera/music/audiobooks/kindle/phone/internet access/maybe navigation aid for a thru hike.

Well done, BPL. Your thoughts have led to a purchase.

del

As far as I can tell, it looks a little beefier, and there's also a more substantial lip around the front of the case for the screen.

That said, I haven't used the Apple case at all, and I thankfully haven't had a chance to see how the Thule case performs (and will try my hardest to never know how good of a case it is), so my thoughts on case quality should be taken with a hearty serving of salt.

I have a good track record with my smartphones- 1 drop since getting a Droid in 2010, so I am really trying to keep it up. (The one drop was a doozy, though- my hand got bumped taking my old iPhone out of my pocket and I wound up accidentally throwing it down half a flight of stairs. The phone was fine, so I can just take it as a funny story and move on.)

Check out the Catalyst cases. They are very nice, but not as well known as the Lifeproof cases.

I have used ballistic cases for my past 3 iPhones, almost bullet proof

two 1/2" length of bicycle tire tubes, wrapped around top and bottom of phone. Thin cord secured to those tubes extends to a clip, which is attached to my belt-loop or to a loop inside my pocket. So I can't drop it or lose it. And the bicycle tube provides a little bit of bumper protection to the corners. For iPhone 4 and 5 I use 1.5" tire size tubes.

Then, I just put it in a pint-size ziplock bag to protect from dirt and moisture.

For really wet trips (in a canoe or in Scotland) I use LifeProof case. But for all other hiking I'm using the quite unattractive but very effective phone-on-a-string method.

I was just looking on Amazon and found the Otterbox Armor case for the iPhone 5 and 5S going for just $20! It’s only advertised for the iPhone 5 but it’ll fit the 5S too, the only drawback is that Touch ID won’t work. I can live with that, since I’ll only be using this case on the trail.

As far as I can tell, that’s the last waterproof case Otterbox has made. They don’t have an Armor series model out for the 6 or 6+.

Just posted this on another thread.

found a lifeproof-like case on Amazon for less than half the price. It passes the paper towel test but can't vouch for it once the phone is inside.

http://www.amazon.com/Merit-trade-Waterproof-Underwater-Shockproof/dp/B00UJ0Q4GU

To me the quality is better than the iphone 5 lifeproof case that I had which fell apart on me after a while.

If water and dust protection is your only concern (aka – not constantly using the camera), then as many already probably know…aLOKSAKs work great. You can still use the touchscreen perfectly through it.

http://www.amazon.com/LOKSAK-Loksak-iPhone-Drybag/dp/B00H2FOI9K

It’s what I used outside of my standard Encase case on my phone for the JMT last year. Barely weighs anything and easily replaced with another from the pack when it starts to look junky. Also used an aLOKSAK to dustproof my camera in my hipbelt pocket.

HTH

KJ

I use a ziplock baggy my Samsung Nexus 4. If I'm crambling I'll wrap it up in a jacket in my backpack. Otherwise it's in my pocket for easy picture taking. So far its backpacked the Smokies, Rockies, and Whites with me. Class 1-3

The only time I broke it, was in a bar watching worldcup (The japenese team ruined my bracket!! haha).

In the florida keys I saw some people with a heavy duty waterproof case that let them use their phones in the ocean. for pictures. It was basically an ultrathick ziplock with an extra plastic clip to cinch it closed tight.

For an impact proof case, I've been hearing about Otterbox cases for a while and haven't really heard evidence that another case outperforms them. THey're expensive though. at 80 dollars a case, if you just buy phone insurance it might be the same as your deductible to replace the phone.

Finally decided to bring my iPhone 6S with me on the JMT.  Lots of bad reviews on cases out there, as mentioned by the OP.

Hoping for some updates since this thread started.  What worked for you?

I’ve had a merit case for about a year now. I don’t use it all the time as no one can hear you talk but for the pool and backpacking it’s perfect. It has been underwater. The other thing is one of the simple waterproof clear bags or a locsak or ziplock. The merit case is only $20-$25.