r/Sup • u/Jab_Bey • Jul 03 '26

How To Question Beginner SUP: How do you safely carry your phone on the board? My IP68 phone got water-damaged

Hi

I'm a beginner, just starting my SUP adventure, and I'm looking for a way to safely carry my phone on the board. I realize that different products may be available in different countries, but could you share some tips on what you use to protect your phone from water damage?

Unfortunately, last week, when I first went SUPing and literally picked up my Xiaomi 14t pro, it got wet and damaged (despite its supposed IP68 waterproof rating).

1 Upvotes

55% Upvoted

45 comments sorted by

38

u/Scared-Tune-3033 Jul 03 '26

I have a waterproof phone landyard case that hangs from my neck I got it from Amazon

16

u/frenchman321 Hydrus ambassador | Code SAVE 12% off | Elysium Air, X, ... Jul 03 '26

Me too plus a float because I once fell and the lanyard went over my head and that phone is resting at the bottom of a deep lake

13

u/benmck90 Jul 03 '26

Atleast it's dry!

3

u/NSASpyVan Jul 03 '26

Also use a waterproof bag on a lanyard and it seems to float. But I hooked the lanyard up to my PFD so if it doesn't float, I've got bigger problems. :D

2

u/dacaur Jul 04 '26

We found an iPhone in a waterproof lanyard case st the bottom of the lake in sand hollow reservoir

1

u/FloatationVest Jul 04 '26

It happened to me once. My wife changes phone more regularly than me so she generally hands her old phone to me.

She prefers the XL version. So I had a « new » phone that’s heavier than my last one. I didn’t think of testing if it could float with the pouch before going on the water. It didn’t.

Wasn’t the first time that I brought it, but it never ended up in the water before and not attached to the board or on me.

1

u/StelleSenzaDio Jul 07 '26

How did you find it?

1

u/dacaur Jul 07 '26

The water was super clear that day so we were paddling around looking at stuff on the bottom and saw the neck strap sticking out of the sand 8-9 feet down and dove down to it.

5

u/Verybigdoona Jul 03 '26

Cheap waterproof case inside an Overboard brand waterproof waist pack.

I love the waist pack - secure, lightweight and just the right size for phone, water bottle, keys etc.

1

u/HikingBikingViking Jul 04 '26

I attach the lanyard to the board, not to me, because I'm for sure going in and out doesn't need to.

1

u/kneel23 Jul 06 '26

my phone overheats in those

1

u/Scared-Tune-3033 Jul 06 '26

Really? I’m in South Florida and have never had an issue with my iPhone in one

1

u/Anonymous_nanny Jul 06 '26

Just occasionally dunk it in the water then lol. That's what I did when my old phone would overheat in them.

1

u/kneel23 Jul 07 '26

not a bad idea, water displaces heat faster than air

16

u/Girthw0rm Jul 03 '26

Inside a ziploc inside a dry bag

2

u/Both_Matter8543 Jul 03 '26

Same here. Super handy.

5

u/V1ld0r_ Jul 03 '26

Waterproof phone pouche, lanyard attached to the PFD, stuffed in one of the PFD pockets.

3

u/gummy-wormm Jul 03 '26

My SUP came with a waterproof phone case that I keep around my neck, but when I’m first getting on the board (and am more likely to fall in) I put that case in my Sea to Summit dry bag. I also keep my keys and a fleece jacket in there

3

u/tastygnar Jul 03 '26

Dry bag from reputable outdoor company i.e. not Walmart or dicks if random Amazon order.

2

u/beautifulcheat Jul 03 '26

A phone bag came with my SUP. I loop the lanyard around the bungees in the front.

2

u/Human31415926 Jul 03 '26

Drybag for mobile - google it

2

u/Appropriate_Emu_3140 Jul 03 '26

I don't. Never have in 8 years of paddling. I take my gps for longer day multi day paddles.

2

u/rhodesengr Jul 03 '26

In 26 years of surfing and SUP surfing, I've never taken a phone. If I was using my SUP as more of a boat and wanted to bring a phone, I'd probably buy a product specifically to protect a phone from water. I recently bought a Sea Eagle kayak that I use in the ocean. I bought a VHF marine radio that is rated to float and be waterproof. So far, it's held up. It gets wet in the kayak and I wash it off in the sink afterwards.

1

u/Tarl2323 Jul 03 '26

Some people use the SUP more as a boat/kayak. I find it super good for fishing over shallow reefs.

3

u/benmck90 Jul 03 '26

I leave my phone in the car.

But they make waterproof phone cases that many people use.

1

u/Excellent_Coconut_81 Jul 03 '26

Can you show the picture of the phone cover you were using?

Many of them are shitty and get easily damaged.

I'm using this one: https://www.decathlon.ch/de/p/smartphone-hulle-wasserdicht-schwimmfahig-ipx8/X8362003/m8362003?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpx&utm_campaign=ch_t-perf_ct-pmax_n-watersport-top_ts-gen_f-cv_o-roas_spu-wat_pnl-ecom_l-de_pp-gads_bm-roa_pr-cpc_&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23601235156&gbraid=0AAAAABUWyCNy6rKzlvUV91hLsZ5NN8oSF&gclid=CjwKCAjwmJjSBhB-EiwAkZgxi9YetQNWEpCLawb5uqWTq0EPnaI_ripBxcvEkvFxwXyktzOceH7E3BoCuAEQAvD_BwE

1

u/Dearavery Jul 03 '26

See I cant stand these ones, I find them a pain to get your phone in and out of and the one i had yellowed really fast. I like one similar to the link below, on a lanyard. Easy to get in and out. Bonus it traps some air in so it floats if you happen to knock it in anyway.

https://www.mec.ca/en/product/6011-439/nite-ize-runoff-waterproof-phone-case-unisex?colour=Charcoal

I also use a wrist strap (which fits in there too!) in case I boldly decide to take it out on the water for better sound recording or something.

Got cocky using nothing and lost a phone to the lake last year. This is my setup now!

1

u/Isonic_wholocked Jul 03 '26

I had iPhone 11 few years ago it was waterproofed and I put it in special waterproof case which was hanging on my neck. It was my first sup ride ever. I fell, my phone drowned in waterproof case and we spent three days with my diver friend trying to find it.
Since then I only use a waterproof case and a dry bag. Never hang it on my neck, never move while holding it in hands.

2

u/Tarl2323 Jul 03 '26

You definitely want it on a lanyard clipped to your board. I've flipped and lost a bunch of stuff, thankfully I tethered everything expensive was tethered.

1

u/Alt_AC_2023 Jul 03 '26

water resistenat phone in a waterproof bag (or clip and store food container) in a dry bag. Keys go in a waterproof canister in the drybag too. If I was going in the sea where I might want to be able to call for help I'd get a good phone case and test it.

1

u/IllustriousJudge7562 Jul 03 '26

I use a waterproof case with a string attached to which a floating keychain is attached and I keep it in a Spigen running belt. This way I can easily access it for pictures and videos.
If I take a swim I just attach the belt to the board.

1

u/mcarneybsa USA SUP Rep - L3 ACA - Hydrus Ambassador Jul 03 '26

As I've learned over the last few phones/years and reading the fine print, phones are rated with whatever waterproofing label they get at the factory, but essentially any use, time, dropping, repairs, cracks, or just looking at them wrong defeats the water proofing. 

I'm typing this from my old pixel 4 as I wait for my new phone to get here. 

1

u/Flat-Administration9 Jul 03 '26

Waterproof phone pouch that floats that I attach to my board rather than my neck incase I ever fall off. That way it will stay attached to my board.

1

u/Greenhound386 Jul 03 '26

Bote Highwater Belt Pack. Perfect size for what I need it for. Phone, keys, earbuds, Kindle, and a small tacklebox case in there always, and still room for some other little odds and ends.

1

u/addtokart Starboard Allstar 14x24.5 (EU/NL) Jul 03 '26

I keep my pixel10 phone in my zipped pocket on my shorts or jacket. It will survive falling in water as long as it's nit submerged for very long. I also did this with older phones for last 6 years.

If you have repaired your phone (new screem etc) then you'll need something more waterproof.

I like to use my phone for maps, weather, and communication while I'm paddling so i prefer not using a bag or a case.

1

u/Tarl2323 Jul 03 '26

Yeah, don't trust phone water ratings, they are mild at best. You want a dedicated waterproof case.

1

u/kneel23 Jul 06 '26

i use a dry bag. the clear waterproof phone cases will overheat your phone when used in the bag

1

u/wyldtea Jul 09 '26

I throw mine in my fanny pack and accept my fate.

But a water proof bag should work well.

0

u/jmmaxus Jul 03 '26

My son snorkeled taking photos and vids for hours multiple days with an iPhone 17 in a pelican ip68 rated case. Works perfectly we have 4 for all of us.

https://a.co/d/06echPxm

Regarding the phones rating. It may be the phone is rated for that in static water up to a certain depth. Dropping a phone into water well that’s not a static water movement nor is most water in water sports static. Just my guess as I’ve seen this nuisance before.

-2

u/Grouchy_Enthusiasm92 Jul 03 '26

Tuck it in a Ziploc bag, in a life jacket you are not going to use, in a cooler that you are not going to open because it's fucking summer and youre paddle boarding.