Tether your Phone to Wrist / Belt (prevent Theft & Damage)

Gear
By Gems Of Travel
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Adventure, exploring, and an active life is what draws nomads/travelers/expats/retirees to life in Southeast Asia.  Exotic lands and unfamiliar places peak our excitement and the relaxing atmosphere lowers our guards.

Our smart phones are always attached to our hip, ready for picture taking, GPS, social media posts, and 2FA for account access.  Well, they aren’t exactly “attached to our hip”, but they should be! See tethering, below.

Loosing your phone can be devastating. A broken phone, too.

Use a phone leash & tether! It’s simple & secure, preventing accidents and theft.  Relax and have fun, knowing that you can let go (literally and metaphorically) – your phone is safe & secure – it’s tethered!

A cellphone tether tab mounted to a cellphone. This tether tab is made by BlackRapid. Double-sided tape is provided. The tether tab is aligned with the bottom of the cellphone and meant to stick out where the charging port is. If a cellphone case is used, the tether tab will stick out through the hole for the charging port.
A cellphone tether tab mounted to a cellphone with a small leash attached to it. This tether tab and leash combo is made by BlackRapid. The least has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on one end, and locking clip on the other end. You can slide your hand through the leash and use the locking clip to tighten it around your wrist, so that it stays on securely. Double-sided tape is provided. The tether tab is aligned with the bottom of the cellphone and meant to stick out where the charging port is. If a cellphone case is used, the tether tab will stick out through the hole for the charging port.
A cellphone tether tab mounted to a cellphone with a small leash attached to it. The locking clip on the leash is closed (in the lock position). This tether tab and leash combo is made by BlackRapid. The least has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on one end, and locking clip on the other end. You can slide your hand through the leash and use the locking clip to tighten it around your wrist, so that it stays on securely. Double-sided tape is provided. The tether tab is aligned with the bottom of the cellphone and meant to stick out where the charging port is. If a cellphone case is used, the tether tab will stick out through the hole for the charging port.
A cellphone tether tab mounted to a cellphone with a small leash attached to it. The locking clip on the leash is open (in the not lock position where it can be adjusted by sliding it up or down the leash in a different position). This tether tab and leash combo is made by BlackRapid. The least has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on one end, and locking clip on the other end. You can slide your hand through the leash and use the locking clip to tighten it around your wrist, so that it stays on securely. Double-sided tape is provided. The tether tab is aligned with the bottom of the cellphone and meant to stick out where the charging port is. If a cellphone case is used, the tether tab will stick out through the hole for the charging port.
A pack of three BlackRapid-brand tether tabs with double-sided tape. This image is the front of the pack, and shows the tabs. The package reads: "Tether Tab Triple Pack", "Smartphone Safety Tether System", The Word's Most Trusted Camera Strap BlackRapid", "Live the moment".
A pack of three BlackRapid-brand tether tabs with double-sided tape. This image is the backside of the pack, and shows the double-sided tab in front of the tabs. The package has a SKU number, 402010, UPC number 810125022135. There is a QR code that can be scanned for setup instructions and warranty.

Note

This post is similar to the key leash post – check that out, too!

Phone Leash Tether – Why & How To Use

PREVENTS

1 )

Theft – directly out of your hand, pick pocket

2 )

Dropping it into water, off a cliff.

3 )

Falling off while riding a motorbike.

HOW TO USE

1

Tether to belt or belt loop to prevent pick pocket.

The Blackrapid-brand tether tab and short leash combo tethered & locked onto a pants belt. The belt was fed through the tether, the lock clip was tightened, and then the locked clip was set to the locked position. Since the leash has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on the other end, the leash is clipped onto the tether tab mounted on the cellphone. The cellphone is sticking out of the pants pocket to display this leash tether system, but the leash is just long enough for the phone to go completely into the pants pocket. The benefit is to show how the phone cannot be pickpocketed - the leash tether system keeps it securely attached to the hip (the pants belt).
The Blackrapid-brand tether tab and short leash combo tethered & locked onto a pants belt. The belt was fed through the tether, the lock clip was tightened, and then the locked clip was set to the locked position. Since the leash has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on the other end, the leash is clipped onto the tether tab mounted on the cellphone. The cellphone is sticking out of the pants pocket to display this leash tether system, but the leash is just long enough for the phone to go completely into the pants pocket. The benefit is to show how the phone cannot be pickpocketed - the leash tether system keeps it securely attached to the hip (the pants belt).

2

Tether to your hand to prevent dropping in water or off a cliff.

The Blackrapid-brand tether tab and short leash combo tethered & locked onto a person's hand / wrist. The hand was fed through the tether, the lock clip was tightened, and then the locked clip was set to the locked position around the person's wrist. Since the leash has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on the other end, the leash is clipped onto the tether tab mounted on the cellphone. The cellphone is hanging from the person's wrist to display this leash tether system. The benefit is to show how the phone cannot be accidently dropped or stole out of your hand - the leash tether system keeps it securely attached to the hand / wrist.
This is a close-up of the locking clip on the Blackrapid-brand short leash that is tethered & locked onto a person's hand / wrist. It is meant to show how the leash is securely clipped & attached to the wrist. The hand was fed through the tether, the lock clip was tightened, and then the locked clip was set to the locked position around the person's wrist. Since the leash has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on the other end, the leash is clipped onto the tether tab mounted on the cellphone (not shown). The cellphone (not show) is hanging from the person's wrist to display this leash tether system. The benefit is to show how the phone cannot be accidently dropped or stole out of your hand - the leash tether system keeps it securely attached to the hand / wrist.

3

Tether to motorbike to prevent falling off onto the road while riding.

Options To Purchase

BlackRapid WandeR Tether Set

This is the best tether we found, gaining the GemsOfTravel seal of approval. It’s good quality.

See more on BlackRapid WandeR Lanyard Set.

The leash has a lockable clip – pull it tight and lock the clip in place so it doesn’t come off.  That is a big selling point.

Below images show the 🔓 unlocking and 🔒 locking positions of the clip.

A cellphone tether tab mounted to a cellphone with a small leash attached to it. The locking clip on the leash is open (in the not lock position where it can be adjusted by sliding it up or down the leash in a different position). This tether tab and leash combo is made by BlackRapid. The least has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on one end, and locking clip on the other end. You can slide your hand through the leash and use the locking clip to tighten it around your wrist, so that it stays on securely. Double-sided tape is provided. The tether tab is aligned with the bottom of the cellphone and meant to stick out where the charging port is. If a cellphone case is used, the tether tab will stick out through the hole for the charging port.
A cellphone tether tab mounted to a cellphone with a small leash attached to it. The locking clip on the leash is half closed. This tether tab and leash combo is made by BlackRapid. The least has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on one end, and locking clip on the other end. You can slide your hand through the leash and use the locking clip to tighten it around your wrist, so that it stays on securely. Double-sided tape is provided. The tether tab is aligned with the bottom of the cellphone and meant to stick out where the charging port is. If a cellphone case is used, the tether tab will stick out through the hole for the charging port.
A cellphone tether tab mounted to a cellphone with a small leash attached to it. The locking clip on the leash is closed (in the lock position). This tether tab and leash combo is made by BlackRapid. The least has a quick-attach hook (similar to a rock climbing clip) on one end, and locking clip on the other end. You can slide your hand through the leash and use the locking clip to tighten it around your wrist, so that it stays on securely. Double-sided tape is provided. The tether tab is aligned with the bottom of the cellphone and meant to stick out where the charging port is. If a cellphone case is used, the tether tab will stick out through the hole for the charging port.

BlackRapid’s tether is really strong, not breaking when dropping a phone.  Also, it uses double-sided tape from 3M – it does not come off easily like that of cheaper tethers.

Other tethers use a rubbery plastic that breaks over time.  Their leash does not have a lockable clip, and the connection is weaker.

You can see why GemsOfTravel chose BlackRapid.  You get what you pay for.

Tip

Buy a few tethers online and try them out for yourself in real life.  Don’t take our word for it – get hands-on with it and compare them – choose which one you like most.

Tug on the leash and see if the tether starts to break.  You can feel how strong it is.  A strong tether is important!  If you drop your phone then you, obviously, don’t want the tether to break.

Find it on the BlackRapid website, or for sale on Amazon.

Note

The only issue we have had with BlackRapid’s tether is that the tether tabs wear out over time.

Buy a spare pack of three, and it will last you a very long time! Plus, it’ll save your phone from getting stolen & broken – worth it!

Worn out and broken BlackRapid-brand tether tabs. This is meant to show how tether tabs are working hard for you, and over time they break. This image is also to reinforce the recommendation to buy a three-pack to have spares if & when your tether tab breaks.
A pack of three BlackRapid-brand tether tabs with double-sided tape. This image is the front of the pack, and shows the tabs. The package reads: "Tether Tab Triple Pack", "Smartphone Safety Tether System", The Word's Most Trusted Camera Strap BlackRapid", "Live the moment".

Other

There are many other tethers on the market. Search Amazon.

However, we guarantee that nothing beats the BlackRapid WandeR Lanyard Set. You might find one that matches the quality, but why put all that effort in – just by BlackRapid’s. Seriously – it’s worth it.

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