I normally would not write about Smartphone cases for the 2 new Apple iPhone 6 models, but I recently discovered that the manufacturer of the best cases available for camera equipment, Pelican Products, is now making cases for smart phones too.

Pelican has been well known for years for their watertight and crush-proof Polypropylene cases which are popular amongst commercial photographers. The company originally was founded as a manufacturer of waterproof flashlights and hard cases for scuba divers, but over the years they have evolved their product designs to serve various other uses and industries. When you close a Pelican case it has an airlock with a watertight seal that allows the case to float rather than sink if dropped into water.

Their cases are built to last a lifetime and for photographers they offer the best protection for your expensive camera equipment. Once your camera gear is inside a Pelican case, it is almost impossible for it to get damaged when dropped. Pelican claims that their cases can even be run over by a car and not be crushed. The tradeoff with Pelican Products though is that they are not as lightweight as using a regular camera bag made from a combination of padding and fabric. But when I travel for commercial assignments, I want my gear to have the best protection possible and weight becomes less of a concern and safety and security becomes the number one priority.

Personally, I have been using the Pelican Model #1520 for over 10 years already which has a padded divider insert in the interior of the case. It is the perfect size for holding a camera body, 3-4 lenses, and a bunch of other stuff. Mine is still in great shape and I use it all the time, despite the fact that I have many other lighter weight camera shoulder bags and backpacks on hand. You can get a Pelican 1520 with the padded insert here online for $150 with free shipping.

They also offer a version of the 1520 with just regular foam padding inside of it (seen below and without the padded divider system), which you can order online here for $115 with free shipping. Personally, I would suggest only buying the model above with the padded insert if you are a photographer and will be using it primarily with your expensive camera gear.

Now that you have a good background on Pelican Products, let’s get back to the main point of this article. Pelican recently made their way into manufacturing Smartphone cases, which in my opinion are some of the best Smartphone covers I have seen if you want to really protect your expensive iPhone 6 from getting damaged by drops and bangs. There are other brands of rugged iPhone cases too, but most of them are made from hard plastic, and add so much heft to the phone that I wouldn’t want to use them.

I myself went from an iPhone 4, which had squared edges and an easy to grip form factor over to an iPhone 6 Plus which is much thinner, more rounded, smooth, and, in my opinion, what feels very slippery in your hands without a case on it. To be honest, when I got my got my iPhone 6 Plus I felt really concerned about perhaps dropping it one day. But with this new Pelican case it is much easier to grip the iPhone 6 tightly in my hand, it no longer feels slippery, and I don’t need to worry about it getting scratched if I lay it down hard on a table. I am also comfortable now that the phone and the glass screen would probably not break if I drop the phone from chest height. The case is made from a mixture of thermoplastic rubber and bendable ABS like plastic and the case cutouts for the ringer switch, the headphone jack, power cable, and the speaker are all perfectly designed. And although the case is not a waterproof solution, I feel confident that it will also protect the phone against dust and liquids from getting in between the seams of the phone’s casing if the phone were to get hit with a splash of water. The extended rubber bezel of the case on the front side of the iPhone will protect the glass screen from getting damaged if it lands on its face when dropped.

Pelican makes a few different iPhone cases, but the model I am using is the Pelican ProGear Protector (below) for the iPhone 6 Plus and it only adds about 1/4″ in total added thickness, which is very reasonable to me. And the phone still fits comfortably in my pant’s pocket with the case on it. The Pelican Protector sells for $40 plus tax, but with free delivery. For the time being though the Pelican Progear Protector for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus can only be purchased directly from AT&T on their web site here or in AT&T stores in the USA. Eventually I believe these Pelican cases will be offered from other vendors online too and I will update this article again with more information in the future when I learn about the case becoming available on other web sites.

But if you have an older model iPhone 5 then they do offer a similar version of the Pelican Protector case for the iPhone 5 (below) on Amazon here for $33 with free shipping.

Pelican also makes another model called the Pelican ProGear Voyager (below) for both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. It is more expensive than the Pelican Protector model I am using and not as good of a choice in my opinion. It is bulkier, made from a harder and less flexible material, but it comes with a kickstand so that you can stand the phone up on a flat surface.

If you are interested you can see the Voyager here for the iPhone 6 and the Voyager here for the iPhone 6 Plus. They are available on the AT&T web site here too.

Pelican also makes these cases for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Note 4. You can see some of the Pelican cases available for Samsung Smartphones here at good prices. You can also see some of them for Samsung on the AT&T web site here.