There's a big flaw in smartphones today, and that's they're made like Faberge Eggs. Sure, Apple and every other smartphone manufacturer will tout that the companies build them to withstand this or that, and will throw them into a bowl of water for a while. But as soon as you get them out in the real world, they shatter with even the smallest of forces.
I've personally broken each of my last four iPhones, and even before that, broke an Android, a Windows phone, and even a Nokia. Smartphones aren't built to take a hit, which is why you'll never find me in the backcountry, riding ATVs, UTVs, snowmobiles, or motorcycles, or anything else without a satellite messenger that's designed to take a hit and keep on ticking.
But Yeti knows that those sat comms are expensive to run, as even the cheapest offering still requires a subscription. And folks don't like being away from their devices for long periods of time. I don't get it, personally, but I'm assured people like their phones. That's why the brand built the new Loadout GoBox 1, a rugged, waterproof, shockproof, dustproof box designed to hold your phone, wallet, and a few odds and ends, so when you go into the woods or on an adventure, your phone doesn't die the same way mine inevitably does.
Yeti made its bones by designing indestructible things. Everyone knows its rotomolded coolers, which can survive everything from getting pushed out the back of a moving pickup truck to a full-grown grizzly bear, but the brand also makes tough-as-nails cookware and tumblers, backpacks, totes, and outdoor cases. The latter of which now has the Loadout GoBox 1 included in its lineup, and maintains Yeti's sense of indestructibility.
The pint-sized container is designed to stow your phone, your keys, your wallet, and a few odds and ends that you'd likely keep in your pocket most days. But when the day includes a day on the water fishing from the back of a PWC, a romp in the woods using a dirt bike, ATV, or UTV, or into some dark hellhole on a snowmobile, that's when you break out the Loadout GoBox 1, stash your essentials, and stop worrying whether you'll have a working phone or not afterword.
Yeti states that the Loadout GoBox 1 is IP65 dustproof, and IP67 waterproof, and the brand claims "virtually unbreakable."
According to Yeti, "Designed with a rigid and weather-resistant exterior, the Loadout GoBox 1 Gear Case houses the items you can't leave home without. The removable tray and Silicone PackAttic™ accommodate most phones and keep slimmer gear, such as car keys, credit cards, park passes, and fishing licenses safely in stow and easy to access. The ultra-durable tether strap easily loops and locks around the equipment you need it to, think saddles, skiff grab rails, or side ATV doors, and keeps the essentials on hand when you don't have one to spare. Waterproof, dustproof, and virtually unbreakable, the GoBox 1 is made with the same quality you've come to expect in an all-new, portable size."
That tether is also super interesting, as you can see how many applications you could strap it down to, with MOLLE paneling, webbing, or even to the doors of your UTV, being great starting points. A backpack for snowmobiling, dirt biking, or other off-roading would also be easy, as well.
Customers can choose from five different colors, including Rescue Red and King Crab Orange, two colors that make it stand out more easily when you absolutely need to find it, and will set you back a reasonable $65. And I think that's priced right, especially for the protection you gain and the bill you'll end up with when you inevitably smash or drown your phone.
My only question is, when is Yeti going to make a true iPhone case and win everything?
