OtterBox have essentially created a soft of black box like product here, it's waterproof and crush proof. It's called the Pursuit series and currently comes in two sizes, named 20 & 40. I have the 40, the bigger version of the two holding 30 cubic meters of space. The Pursuit is characteristically a successor to OtterBox's Classic Dry Box line.

30 cubic inches is easily enough space for a smartphone, a pair of keys, sunglasses, earbuds, a compass, a watch, a wallet and a mixture of anything else similar in size that you feel should be preserved from damage. Smartphones and other mobile devices are intended to be stored under a removable silicone bumper hammock. Owners of every iPhone and iPod touch before the iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5th Generation will benefit from an embedded groove that is of reminiscent dimensions as those devices, creating a securer hold. But most Android phones and the new iOS mobile devices with or without a case (even a Defender Series) will still easily fit. We also found that a Nintendo 3DS fits perfectly and that probably makes the OtterBox Pursuit 40 the most protective case for the handheld gaming console.

One of our favourite design elements is the latch. So simple and elegant to open and close, unlike many waterproof cases on the market today.

The construction of the Pursuit 40 case is remarkable. Exterior and interior plastics and rubbers are ultra rugged and durable. Making it very easy to understand why this case is crush proof of up to 1,000 lbs and waterproof of up to 100 ft. Both remarkable stats that we simply couldn't test up to. We did test the case under some quite serious drops. The toughest being 15 metres high onto solid concrete ground. The Pursuit 40 showed literally no signs of damage and internal objects were also perfectly intact. We also tested the case under water, depth around 20 ft and internal items were dry but also worth noting is how quickly water droplets fall off the Pursuit. Definitely a compelling object to protect essentials.

In the summer we spend a lot of time at the beach and generally around water, I personally don't travel with that many items and don't enjoy lugging a bag or back pack around. So this is the ideal sort of compact carrying contraption, which makes it quick and easy to access internal objects and will also extinguish anxiety. But for some it might be used in addition to a backpack or bag. OtterBox have thought about people using it in this way and have included a lockable carabiner loop.

OtterBox have built a well thought and designed product that adds a layer of armour to objects inside of it. It comes in three colours, black, blue and clear. We also feel its very fairly priced at $34.99 in the USA and £23.99 in the UK.