Life Proofing
WHAT IS LIFE ON THE AFRICA PLAINS LIKE?
I'm sitting in my tent. It's early morning. The sun casts a blend of purples and golds across the barbed wire outside. I have a decision to make. Do I take my camera, like my real camera, or don't I?
I have to be out front of the campsite gates three minutes ago. A truck is probably already waiting to bring me up river. I am spending the day kayaking on the Zambezi. Zimbabwe is gorgeous. I don't want to miss a shot but I'm going out on the water and I definitely don't want to lose my camera overboard.
Lucky for me, the weekend before I left the States ... I upgraded. My super cool new phone has a 4K camera for video and can take some badass pictures. The latter is not explicitly stated on the Apple box but it should. I remember this and put my trust in Jobs. I sprint to my designated rendezvous only after locking my tent zippers. Monkeys are a problem.
The Zambezi wows me and my co-paddlers are even more badass than my phone's camera. We get on the river and it only gets more incredible. Then it gets faster. Two to a kayak, we begin slipping into the current in our three chamber Zodiacs. The steely blue turns to roiling white. We dive into the rapids of the fourth largest river in Africa.
Someone might as well filled a bucket and just dumped it over my head, and then taken another to throw in my face. My first thought was HIPPO! I had been charged once already in Botswana and had lost track of what was down river while being not so gently baptized. Next thought, F#CK ... phone!
Water resistant is a great buzzword and a steep price for no headphone jack. Resistant also isn't unstoppable, whereas the river ... is kind of relentless. Midway through the day we pull in to an island in the middle of the river. It's no man's land, as no country has claim over the river. It's my first opportunity to check my phone.
We had encountered multiple "bucket stations" by this point and I'm at least happy I didn't bring my camera. I pull my phone out of my pocket and look down. It's dripping. I wipe the water off the plastic screen and I am more than happy with a $90 investment. A LifeProof Case.
A wise man, Eric Matthews if you will, once taught me "life's tough, get a helmet." When boy meets world for the first time, traveling and seeing the awe inspiring, you realize wearing said helmet draws expected attention. As a result, protecting your valuables demands some creativity. Creativity often means some type of gadget.
The LifeProof Case is one such doodad I very much recommend. Travel, like life, is tough. There is some wear and tear, and the gear can make all the difference. For under $100 you can physically insure your phone with a shatterproof, waterproof and customizable case. There are some reasonable limits to the depth of water and height of drop BUT physics be physics.
I don't work for LifeProof nor am I sponsored by them. If YOU work for LifeProof ...
... Hi I'm Nolan, I work for an active travel company and I think we could collaborate on something ...
ANYWAYS the point is there are a lot of things to keep track of while on the road. Something as simple as your phone shouldn't be one. My sister still is traumatized by the experience of shattering her phone at Walt Disney World. So while her memories of that night involve concrete and glass, mine involve food and wine. Which memories do you want?
So get out there, make the investment and come with us to put it to the test. We've got a date on the river in Costa Rica and I can guarantee you we're going to get wet but your phone ... that will be dry ... at least on the inside!