There are very few rugged cases that I truly enjoy using with my iPhone, but I can now say that the Pelican Progear Voyager case sits atop that list. Pelican’s sleek new rugged case protects your iPhone from drops and dust while also protecting your screen from scratches. This protective case can be found at AT&T for $50.00.
Most “rugged” cases are thick and bulky and don’t fit in your pocket very nicely. Many of these cases are made for being thrown off of a mountain or submerged at the bottom of the ocean. But while the Pelican Progear Voyager for iPhone 5 and 5s is built to be used in extreme conditions, it is clear that it was designed with most daily accidents in mind as well. The Progear Voyager is slim and light, measuring at 5.34″ L x 2.62″ W x 0.57″ D, and weighing only 3.2 oz. That’s significantly smaller and lighter than most “rugged” iPhone cases in my experience.
While the Pelican Progear Voyager is slim and light, it does provide adequate protection for drops, being tested to military specifications to survive multiple drops. Speaking of drops, the case is also made with a soft-touch over-mold, which provides a non-slip grip, so it’s easy to hold without dropping. The case also comes with a heavy-duty scratch resistant coated screen protector, which did not appear to affect the usability of the touch screen in my testing. The Progear Voyager also provides dust protection, as there are rubber caps in front of the charging port, audio jack, and mute switch.
The Pelican Progear Voyager also comes with a holster with swiveling belt clip so it can sit on your hip if that’s what you prefer. The holster also doubles as a kickstand for easy hands-free media viewing.
Something to keep in mind with this case is that it does not protect your phone from water. Water protection is not an advertised feature of this case, but I felt like I should let you know because a lot of people automatically associate water protection with rugged cases these days. This is a good thing for me, because I don’t need a waterproof phone, I just need drop and scratch protection, so the Progear Voyager is perfect for my needs.
The charging port flap.
The Pelican Progear Voyager completely wraps the phone in 4 layers of protection so that all of the buttons, switches, ports, and screen are protected. I have no fear of dropping my phone while it’s enveloped in this case and the screen protector provides adequate protection while still allowing full functioning of the phone’s touch screen.
The holster in kickstand mode.
My biggest complaint with this case is that the flaps over the charging port and mute switch can be difficult to use. Although the charging port is easy to open, it’s not as easy to keep open while trying to plug my charging cable into the phone. My biggest concern is with the mute switch flap. Since the flap is basically flush with the rest of the case, you need to use your fingernails to get into the seam between the flap and the rest of the phone, but it’s always very difficult for me to open.
The holster in holster mode.
Overall however, I think Pelican did a great job of balancing protection and function with this case and feel that it’s a great value at $50. If you’re in the market for a case that protects your phone without affecting its performance, you won’t find many better options.
You can purchase the Pelican Progear Voyager exclusively from AT&T.
Source: The Pelican Progear Voyager was provided to me as a review sample by the manufacturer.
What I Like: Attractive; Lightweight; Slim; Great protection; Includes holster that doubles as kickstand; Screen protector does not impede touch screen use.
What Needs Improvement: Flaps over ports and mute switch are difficult to operate.
