A phone case is now an essential bit of kit for any bike ride. Although we may wish otherwise, modern life all-but-depends on owning and using a smartphone. To keep that phone safe from smashing if it manages to jump out of your jersey pocket or waterlogged when you work up a sweat or get caught in a downpour, you’ll want a decent wallet to hold it. Some people rely on a sandwich bag for this purpose, but perhaps they simply can’t be shown there’s a better way. We take a look at how Rapha's offering stacks up against the best waterproof cycling phone cases.
Rapha Rainproof Essentials Case – Large: construction
On Rapha’s product page for the Rapha Rainproof Essentials Case, the product is described as being ‘waterproof coated’, as having an ‘AquaGuard water repellent zip’ and states that it ‘keeps larger phones and other essentials safe in all weather.’ The wording is clever in how it manages a user’s expectations: at no point does it claim to be waterproof as a whole or that it will keep your phone completely dry – just safe.
Too often, products claim to be ‘100% waterproof’ when in truth they can’t cope with the splash of a puddle – over-promising and under-delivering.
But that is not the case here, and not just because of the careful wording on the product page. Although I tend to shy away from riding in the worst downpours, when I have been caught in the rain – both cycling and running, the latter with the phone case in a Spibelt – no moisture has made it through to my phone. That’s true of sweat and rear tire spray as much as rain: the waterproof coating shrugs off any water that reaches it through a jacket pocket.
Inside, the case is split into three segments: a main central area, a smaller open topped sleeve and a zip compartment. The zipped part is very welcome for holding any credit cards, gift cards for local bike shops, cash and my parkrun barcode – safely stowing all with no chance of them falling out when I extract the phone to take a photo of a nice view. My iPhone fits well in the open topped sleeve, keeping it stowed out the way when accessing other items in the case. That sleeve is marked with the message ‘Bon courage!’ in characteristic Rapha pink.
The aforementioned AquaGuard water repellent zip runs smoothly and is easy to use with winter-gloved hands thanks to a ring pull fitting on the end.
The whole case is quite soft and pliable, so can be easily squeezed into a jacket pocket rather than being overly rigid and resisting being stowed on the go.
Rapha Rainproof Essentials Case – Large: the ride
Cycling purists might not like to hear it, but I have used the Rapha Rainproof Essentials Case on almost as many runs as I have bike rides. Whatever its application, it has met my expectations and I cannot find fault with the way it has functioned over the last couple of months that I have been using it.
It slips easily into a cycling jacket or jersey pocket, where it has kept rain and road spray away from my phone and the other contents. Whenever I’ve cycled with it in my winter jacket – or more recently a lighter long sleeve jersey – it has sat flat against my back and never caused any discomfort. A few times I have had to grab at my pocket to check it’s still there as it’s so unobtrusive as to cause me to wonder if it’s in my pocket at all.
The capacity for cards, cash, phone and a couple of keys is good. Much more than that and you may be looking at a handlebar bag or larger saddle bag instead, if you need to carry a lot of accessories.
Rapha Rainproof Essentials Case – Large: value and conclusion
At $39 / £32, those sandwich bags might seem like a steal, but really this is a fair price for the quality of the product and the service it provides to a rider. It is well made, satisfying to hold and sits comfortably in a jacket or jersey pocket. It holds your cards and cash safely in the zipped pocket while a smartphone can sit in the open topped sleeve with ease.
Muc-Off makes a similar product which retails at $25 / £20, while Bellroy's All Conditions Phone Pocket retails for $109 / £109 – so this offering from Rapha seems to be in the normal range for this kind of product but a long way from the most expensive.
While I can vouch for just how good Bellroy products are from previous use, you're getting much the same service from Rapha's Rainproof Essentials Case for a third of the price.
The Rapha Rainproof Essentials Case – Large is a product that's worth having for anyone wanting to safely carry their smartphone when cycling or running.
