UKH

Surely it can't just be me. Smart phones have become a part of our day and especially in colder months I like to keep my phone in my chest pocket as my body heat keeps the battery from draining dead in 10 mins. I also don't like thigh pockets for the phone as it wears the corners of the pockets fast and is more likely to get in the way/damaged.

I own a small collection of mid and outer layers from various manufacturers and yet the only top with a pocket big enough for a phone is a cheap trespass grid midlayer .

Yes, its great to have a compass pocket on my chest but the phone should fit all pockets, especially the chest.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Completely agree. I never buy a jacket/mid layer without a chest pocket 

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Every Mountain Equipment jacket I own comfortably fits a smartphone in the chest pocket. 

Lumiko

Shroud

Kinesis

Squall

Lhotse

Citadel

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

My phone fits in the chest pocket of both my ME Sidewinder and Rab Nucleus tops.

In reply to midgen:

I own 3 of their tops and a rab one and they don't. Do you have access to the special stuff under the counter?

Ill agree the heavier out layer jackets all do.

Wearing an ME arrow and it doesn't.

You must do my shopping for me.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:  You don't say what phone you're using ? An Iphone seems to fit most fleece chest pockets a Ulephone or similar brick doesn't (and its really too heavy to go in the chest pocket of a light fleece)

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Apart from some not having a pocket, some are too small. Which is especially true for my phone in its otterbox. 

Realistically I wonder what percentage of jackets sold are actually worn by climbers needing chest/breast pockets, as lower ones are useless once you put a harness on. I think for some brands we aren't a design consideration. 

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

The chest pocket on my fleece is too small for a phone but it's perfect for my car key. 

The problem with a vehicle that unlocks when I approach it is that I have no reason to know exactly where the keys are most of the time.  Standardising on a pocket I don't use for anything else is useful.

In reply to L.A.:

OK, having a moment here. I have a Samsung with a screen like an imax in a waterproof case the size of a submarine. If I take the phone out it just fits. Another 30mm on the pockets would do it.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

The wonders of a Nokia 105.

In reply to felt:

The problems of the modern tablet-sized phone...

That and the pocket-eating sharp metal edges and corners...

In reply to d_b:

Think yourself lucky is a men's model. I've been told that ladies models don't have chest pockets as it spoils the profile of our chests - FFS, talk about fashion over function.

In reply to Jenny C:

I'm sure that when you are fully layered up for a Scottish blizzard the chest profile is the first thing on your mind.

Are women's outdoor clothes still all pink or pastel, or has that fad ended?

In reply to Jenny C:

I guess the inherent curvature would make a flat phone stick out like a sore nipple!

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

yep, it is really mad.

Patagonia mid layers, not cheap, pocket not big enough

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

What brick sized phone are all of you using? iPhone 12 Mini in SP Connect case, no problem whatsoever in any of my mid layers. 

In reply to VictorM:

Doesn't the "mini" part of your own model of phone tell you it's smaller than a standard sized phone?!

In reply to Fraser:

"Standard sized phones" have grown to ridiculous, unmanageable size. The 'Mini' is, I think, bigger than my Moto E2.

In reply to Fraser:

As poster above states, the Mini is comparable in size to what used to be a normal smartphone just a few years ago. 
I don’t get why phones have grown to the size of tablets over the last few years, same as I don’t get why tablets have grown to the size of laptops over the same time frame. 

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

As we said above, some of us are using shockproof cases on our phones to stop them getting damaged.

I'm a builder and whilst I'm careful, these phones are so smooth its like gripping a live trout! This case with rubber edges sticks to my sausage fingers like velcro but increases the size of an already large unit.

In reply to VictorM:

I agree about phone size inflation over recent years. It's possibly because the technology is now there to stream movies etc that allow us to watch them on the go, that means we want to always have that option available - and on a decent sized screen for a better viewing experience. But you could also equally ask 'why do people have to carry their phones with them nomatter what they're doing?' I don't carry mine when climbing. 

In reply to Fraser:

 

Er, how about navigating to the crag using online maps?   Using satnav to get to the parking, using the most efficient route, in the current traffic conditions?  Online guidebooks, such as the Rockfax app?  Taking photos?  Filming beta so you can climb your project next time?  Calling for help, in the event of an emergency?  Checking the weather forecast?

In reply to afx22:

People did manage to climb before mobile phones were invented. 😉

In reply to Fraser:

We also used to climb without bouldering pads, cams and sticky rubber.  I also used to have a black and white tv, a computer with 1kb RAM and U-brakes on my bike.  Each to their own but I wouldn’t want to go back.

In reply to afx22:

Agreed, but not every innovation is an improvement. If a smartphone doesn't fit in one hand (and my Mini barely fits in my medium sized hands) it's too big in my opinion. 

Telling is the amount of people equipping their brick sized phone with a case with a finger loop. 

In reply to Fraser:

I hope you just leave it on the ground somewhere in the vicinity of where you happen to be climbing, just like half the people at a lot of bouldering walls

In reply to Fraser:

I hope you just leave it on the ground somewhere in the vicinity of where you happen to be climbing, just like half the people at a lot of bouldering walls, preferably on a black bit of ground so that it blends in quite nicely

In reply to afx22:

Nor would I but I don't treat my mobile as a security blanket!

Or leave it around on the floor of the bouldering wall, that one does pi$$ me off big time.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

I also have an overlarge Samsung in a waterproof case! At the moment, I often wear a Rab Borealis windproof (very lightweight and breathable) over my thermal, for uphill walk-ins, and then layer things on top once things level out/climbing begins, etc. It has great big Naploeon pockets... I look a little daft with a phone  bulging in one pocket and a map bulging in the other, but does the trick. Maybe you could think about which way you layer things and end up with a suitable pocket nearer your warm innards?

On a different note, since I run hot, I find having a windproof with no insulation really useful: I wear it all the time for rock climbing in spring, summer and autumn, as well as using it under midlayers in winter. I used to wear a Vapour Rise, but it was often too hot and I found that a microfleece + windproof was more flexible.

In reply to Jenny C:

Agreed, and add to that the fact that there's even less likelihood I'd ever be able to carry a phone in my trousers - the pockets are too small, but then so are my thighs! 

I remember a BMC winter skills lecture that advocated for putting your map in your trouser pocket. The mind boggles.

The only advantage I've found is that I can carry my phone in my sports bra (including in summer when I'm not wearing a jacket and so will have no other useful pocket). As well as the ability to take pictures, check route, etc, it struck me as far more useful to have it in easy reach to call for help in the event of a fall, rather than have it at the bottom of a pack - such that I rarely climb without it there now. Also keeps your phone battery warm.

The downside is that it's cold and wet getting it in and out, someone will tell you you'll make yourself ill, and yes, the number of people who feel the need to comment on the odd rectangular growth you've spouted...

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

One of the few benefits of being well endowed is the amount of stuff you can carry tucked into your bra.

Surely though there should be a market for bras with inbuilt storage? Perhaps a drop down pocket from below the chest strap, or a small stretchy zip pocket to hold keys just below but between the boobs?

In reply to Jenny C:

It does sound to me like there should ba a market for something like that. 

Do they not already exist? I'm not going to do any searches for womens underwear items on my work computer.

In reply to Jenny C:

God yes. I've often wondered why they don't have pockets sewn on and a utility belt below - I never wear a belt, but it would definitely be the most safe place to clip my keys to! 

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Grab a smock with a big front pocket like the buffalo, Montane or paramo types. Plenty of room for a small screen TV and you can still fit a pack of chocolate hobnobs in.

In reply to Queen of the Traverse:

Yes an underbra utility belt would be incredibly useful when traveling, totally secure but not sweaty like a tight waistband on your trousers and easy to access by pulling up your tee.

- humm, wonder if I could make something and attach with safety pins to the underwire?

Looks like you can get sorts bras with pockets, but I'm thinking every day wear. Something big enough to hold a tampon or keys, similar to the bungee pockets on running vests but under bust so it doesn't show under clothing.

In reply to Jenny C:

The Nike Swoosh has a decent sized pocket, though not extra ones attached. And it's on the front, not the  back, where you'd have to be a contortionist to access your phone during a climb!

Helpful in summer because tshirts that come with pockets aren't a thing.

Most of my midlayers do have a phone-sized chest pocket, though I've also heard the "women don't like chest pockets" argument too many times.

In reply to Jenny C:

Yep. And a snack section, yes? Learnt whilst running that jelly beans + sweat are less than optimal. Preference strawberry laces.

A pocket for change for parking at Pop would also be great. And perhaps a small knife.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Just shown this thread to my wife and she totally agrees that a tactical bra product is sadly lacking. I didn't know she also stuffs her phone down her bra but that explains why my phone dies first when we're winter climbing.

Brands, are you reading this?

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Not just outdoor clothing though. If anything that's when I least need it as I've usually got a bag with me anyway. 

Would be wonderful to be able to go out without needing a handbag. Can you add a bloke imagine spending most of your working life in an outfit with zero pockets of any kind? (Because that's the reality for many women)

In reply to VictorM:

I think it means the screen's about the same size as the windscreen on the original mini?

In reply to Jenny C:

Thats the reason I'm often pocketing my wife's particulars when we go anywhere. Clothing isn't exactly a new concept but I wonder if design is more aesthetical when they design for women as opposed to practical for blokes as that could be how the industry perceives the market. I don't see why clothes can't be both.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Find bra that fits you!!!

In reply to Jenny C:

I have rarely been as excited as when I discovered the Rab Nexus women’s pullover top that has an actual zip up chest pocket that fits my iPhone. 
 

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

I have a jacket with a chest pocket that I cursed for a year for being too small for my phone. Then I found that the pocket extends upwards from the top of the (vertical) zip: All you have to do is insert the phone the right way (top first, then up) and then there's plenty of space! Doh! Someone tell me I'm not the only idiot here!