Nomad Rugged Cable: 1.5 Meters of Adventure Readiness

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If you haven’t yet met a Lightning cable that you couldn’t break, then you should take a look at the new Nomad Rugged Cable. Built to last, it comes with a 5-year warranty; the Rugged Cable has been engineered to meet military standards, and it looks ready to take on just about anything.

The Nomad Rugged Cable was designed with “sealed caps to keep out dirt and grime. We use this cable when things get dirty, like when backpacking, out on extended photo shoots, and as an emergency cable in the bottom of our ditch bag.”

Measuring 1.5 meters (almost 5 feet) long, the rubber-coated cable is 2mm thick. Inside that 2mm, there is a 20AWG wire (for fast charging), a polyamide central core, an RF shield for fast syncing, a thick moisture barrier, and then the flexible outer PE jacket. The cable goes through a test that includes 10,000 flexes, and Nomad says that this cable will outlast others. That on its own would be great, but there is more to this cable …

The thick tangle-free cable has a heavy-duty cable tie included to keep it tidy.

On the USB end, there is a heavy-duty cap that goes over the plug when it’s not in use. A heavy-duty yoke keeps the chemically resistant PVC Jacket on the cable when the USB plug is exposed. When the plug isn’t needed, you cover it up, and even if you drop the cable in mud, your USB plug is protected.

The same heavy-duty cap is on the Lightning side. You can also see that where the cable meets the plug on each end, there is solid reinforcement — no more frayed cables!

Are the caps overkill? Yeah, maybe. Unless you are a huge outdoorsman or you have a dirty job, you might never really need them, but it’s nice to know that these items are protected when the cable isn’t in use. On top of that, the cable is MFi Certified, so you shouldn’t ever get one of those weird “this accessory doesn’t work with your device” notifications. Don’t you hate those?

If you’re tired of fraying or broken cables, give the Nomad Rugged Cable a try; with a 5-year warranty, how can you go wrong?

The Nomad Rugged Cable retails for $29.95, and it is available directly from the manufacturer.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Thick, tangle-free cable; Reinforced areas where the cable meets the plugs; Covers for the USB and Lightning ends; Included heavy-duty cable tie to keep it tidy when not in use; Almost 5′ long; MFi Certified, of course

What Needs Improvement: Nothing

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.