Where the heck do you store your phone on a trail ride?

I find my cell phone a necessity on the trails. It’s my camera and video recorder. If I have service, I can use it to let the family know where I am and when I’ll be home. But my problem is where to store it!

Mapping my Ride

One item I love having on the trail is a mapping app on my phone. I don’t have a particular one I think is better than the other and I’ve tried a few different ones. But I’ll always start up the app when I saddle up. If you are thinking there is probably a back story to this requirement, you are not wrong. A few years back my daughter, a friend of ours, and I headed out for a 2 – 3 hour trail ride. As it was nearing the end of the day, we started heading home. The problem was, no matter what turn on the trail we took, we kept ending back up at the same spot. The day was getting darker and darker and we were all a little concerned as nightfall was imminent, Our savior was our ability to phone a friend that day that knew the area well. He gave instructions to get us back to the trailer. At the end of that ride, we were traveling by cell phone flashlights. The adventure has left us with some good stories but not an experience we wanted to go through again.

The great news is, with the trail mapping apps you can see your current direction of travel and where you’ve been. It’s a lifesaver when things all start looking the same and the trails offer a web of options.

My dilemma

So what is your favorite way to carry your cell phone? It seems to be a necessity as we all want to take pictures of our adventure. Plus, if you are like me, we need it to find your way around! But where do you put the darn thing? Take our poll and share your preferred way of storing your cell phone when riding.

I hope you shared your method! Here are my thoughts on the whole cell phone dilemma.

If I’m wearing breeches and slip my phone into my waistband, it usually ends up traveling down my leg. If I’m wearing jeans it’s in my back pocket and might fall out if I’m not just walking down the trail.

What do you think of this solution? The “Horse Holster” can hold your phone and even your keys and other items. I like that it’s water-resistant as well. The pocket has a zipper so even bouncing around, you won’t lose anything. I feel this would give me easier access to my phone while riding than if I put it in my cantle bag. Plus, if I end up separated from my horse, I won’t be watching my only form of communication to the civilized world bouncing down the trail, attached to my horse.