The Daytripper with Chet Garner

Otters are active little buggers.  They explore everything, they play on rocks, they swim, and they eat…a lot.  They are always playful, always curious, and always moving.  Sounds a lot like a “Daytripper” when you think about it.  I had the chance to try out two of the new OtterBox phone cases and I decided that if you, like me, like to live like an Otter, this is your phone case.

Confession.  I used to hate the idea of a phone case.  What good is a sleek phone if you’re going to cover it with a bulky case.  It might work for gals with purses, but not for active guys.  Every case I tried was just big and fat and made me feel like I was carrying around a 1980s Zack Morris phone in my pocket .  So…I went naked.  Fully-nude technology in all its glory.  At first I was super careful, but over time I got lazy.  I breezed through a couple drops with only minor dings.  Then one day I was walking, phone in my hand, and my grip lightened.  My arm swung forward and my phone launched into orbit.  It hit the ground 15 feet in front of me and then slid an extra 5.  The Result: THIS.

The glass front was smashed, but believe it or not, it still worked fine.  However, my Mercedes of a phone had become a busted Jalopy with a dragging muffler and I had to explain it to everyone who saw my phone.  I bought a new glass screen online and did some major surgery…Not recommended.

After this ordeal, I decided that it was time to try a case again.  I had heard all about OtterBox cases, but had never tried one myself and I mistakenly thought they were only for iPhones.  However, after poking around I found out that OtterBox offers a case for just about every major smartphone on the market.  So I decided to give it a shot.  First, I tried the DEFENDER series.  If Arnold Schwarzenegger had used a phone in Predator, he would have used this case.

The DEFENDER series is intense.  It’s composed of multiple layers of plastic and silicone and even has a complete plastic front covering the touchscreen.  Throw on an additional hard shell with a belt clip and it seems indestructible.  Just for kicks, I literally kicked my phone, and it held up perfectly.  After daytrippin’ with it, dropping it, and spilling stuff on it, I thought I had finally found the perfect case.  Surprisingly the plastic cover didn’t inhibit the touchscreen at all.  However, after a couple weeks, the bulkiness of it got to me.  The silicone case stuck going in and out of my pocket, and I became disillusioned.  It was perfect for the outdoor part of my life, but was a little awkward in the everyday.  I didn’t need a phone that could take a bullet when I was only buying bread.

So, I decided to put the Defender on the shelf and try out the COMMUTER series, a fully-protective, but slightly less intense version of the Defender.  It still has layers of silicone and hard plastic along with a protective screen layer.  The screen layer isn’t built in to the case, but it’s there.  The first picture of this post shows the Commuter right next to the Defender.  As you see, the Commuter is just a tiny bit slimmer.  Not too much, but enough to make a difference.  I also really like that the hard plastic is the exterior layer as opposed to the Defender where the silicon is the exterior layer.  Because of this, the Commuter doesn’t grip the inside of your pocket when taking it in and out.  After a single day, I decided that this was my case.  While I no longer commute to my high rise legal job, the phone is perfect for the everyday, normal flow of life.  Maybe not for Arnold, but definitely for me.

After trying out both cases, I decided to stick with the Commuter Series as my day-to-day and slap on the Defender Series if I’m going to get rough and dirty.  So, whether your lifestyle habits match those of an Otter, or whether you just like to continuously drop your phone, you won’t find a better case on the market.  I just wish I had known about it sooner and my phone surgery could have likely been diverted completely.

Vaya Con Dios Amigos.

Chet