Gear Review: SnowLizard SLXTREME 5 Case for the iPhone5

Winter weather is brutal on any smartphone, but it looks like SnowLizard might have the answer to your troubles: the SLXTREME 5 case for the iPhone 5.

I know I had enough trouble keeping my iPhone out of trouble when I lived in Ontario, but now that I’ve been puttering around the Arctic Circle for a while my problems have turned into an avalanche of headaches.

I’ve tried everything imaginable… and perhaps a few that aren’t… to keep my phone from shutting off. I’ve experimented with various cases, and even stooped to carrying my phone in an old wool mitten without a lot of success.

There’s a combination of conflicting problems that makes life difficult for my iPhone when the temperature drops below -15C or so. I can indeed keep it relatively warm in an inside pocket, but it quickly becomes drenched with moisture from my body heat meeting the cold air. If I carry it in an outside pocket, it freezes and shuts down. It’s a conundrum that’s been best solved by carrying it in a simple leather case, but sometimes that’s questionable as to a real foul-weather solution.

I’ve been playing with an ECase with some success as well. It also has the advantage of being waterproof and I don’t have to take the phone out of the case to use it. However, below -20C it doesn’t prevent the phone from freezing and going dead.

That’s where something like the new SLXTREME 5 from SnowLizard comes into play.

“The world’s only WATERPROOF, BATTERY, RUGGED, SOLAR POWERED iPhone 5/5S Case,” the company’s website states. “Featuring ruggedized waterproof protection and even more built-in battery-boosting power with an integrated 2550 mAh battery to extend your iPhone’s charge by more than 150 percent.”

I could go for that any time, even though this case is built specifically for the iPhone 5.

“It also includes a built-in solar panel for emergency charging when you’re away from a power source. Jam to your tunes in even the wettest environment with a 3.5mm audio jack.”

Now you’re talking some serious protection that will extend your phone’s usefulness.

“The SLX is designed for ease of use and allows you to easily slide your iPhone 5 in and out of the ultra rugged polycarbonate case,” the company continues. “Certified with a MIL SPEC 810G rating to protect your phone from six-foot (2m) falls, dust and sand and a waterproof rating of IP-68 for up to six-foot (2m) depths. The most rugged, waterproof, battery-extending protection you will ever find for your iPhone5.”

For more information on the SnowLizard SLXTREME 5 iPhone 5 case, visit http://goo.gl/akF1EF.