REI Co-op  Packmod Rainshield Pocket

When I'm hiking I always have a hard time with where to keep my phone. Women's bottoms often don't have the most useful pockets. And the hipbelt pockets don't fit modern sized phones (and mine isn't even very large). I've been wanting some sort of add-on pocket. I was in the REI store and saw this and thought it was just the thing. Big enough for the phone and a bar or snack. Pros: It easily fits my phone and keeps it close at hand. The magnet is easy to open and fairly easy to close and tries to find the other half. It is lightweight. It fits above the sternum strap on my pack. I put the top strap around my water hose loop and the upper loop above my sternum strap and that kept it up near the top of the pack. Cons: I am a little concerned about it staying closed. It didn't open on me during a long day hike, but the concern is still there. I think I'm going to use another reviewer's idea to add a velcro closure. It's not suitable for every pack. It works on mine because I have the loop and the sternum strap to hold it in place. The cover is wide when closed. Maybe with a cool iron I can make some pleats. I find it hard to open the buckles. Now that I have it in the right place, not a big deal but I broke both thumbnails getting it set up. Overall this fills a need and I am satisfied with the purchase.

This pouch is a nice add-on for our Trail 40 packs from REI, and it's working well, but it's a little bit too small for some newer, larger phones. Between my husband and I, we have a Pixel 5 and a Pixel 6 Pro. The former just *barely* fits in with the case on, but it does fit, it goes in and comes out easily, and the magnetic closure stays put. It would be great to either see an update or a second size for larger phones. By the way, if you do have a larger phone, I've been using the Packmod Hipbelt Pocket from REI for keeping mine (the Pixel 6 Pro) fairly easily accessible for photo taking. It's a bit of a tight fit, but it *just* squeezes in there past the zipper.

I bought this as a shoulder strap pocket for my Samsung Galaxy S7 which did fit in this pouch, but shortly afterwards I upgraded to a Galaxy A35 (just over 6.5" with a minimal case) and the top flap won't close onto the magnetic latch. It's a shame that a taller pouch isn't offered, because I chose this product after thorough research. All the other choices I could find had a zipper top which is more cumbersome to use, and seldom if ever fully waterproof. I'm tempted to remove the magnetic latch (which remained closed when I used it with my old phone) and sew on velcro so the flap can be secured with my newer taller phone.

I attach this to my Deuter's should strap for keeping my phone dry on rainy hikes, or on the rare occasion when I wear hiking pants that don't have a good size pocket. It stays securely but the "rainshield pocket" text is so unnecessary, and the logo is giant. I used a combination of acetone nail polish remover and elbow grease to remove the "rainshield pocket" and will do the same with the logo when I have more time and patience. It really does keep my phone dry but because I have a popsocket on my case, it's a bit cumbersome to take in and out of this pocket, which I do constantly because I take a million pictures.

The magnet keeping the lid closed is incredibly (emphasis on incredibly, like lots of emphasis) weak, so you have to be super careful when taking off your pack with this thing on it, otherwise your phone will fall straight off that cliff next to the trail, or into that creek, when the lid inevitably pops open. The next version of this should use a snap, velcro, or a cord--or at the very least, a stronger magnet to keep the pouch from opening literally any time you move the wrong way. A must-return for me.

The product is pretty much as described, but there really isn't much detail about it. The design for attaching to your straps is odd and pretty limited. It isn't really designed for a small daypack, but it might attach pretty well to larger, heavily padded backpack straps. The closure mechanism is also odd, and just doesn't work well. In addition I found it very difficult to put an average sized iPhone in the pouch. It worked but it wasn't easy, and I practiced for several hours. I could get the phone out of the pouch pretty smoothly, but replacing it was super awkward. It's a great idea, just what I was looking for, but this design needs a major redo.

I know some reviews don't like the magnet closure, but I thought it works well, it closes by itself since the weight is up when open. I've only used it on a multi day trip, but never had a problem opening up, even climbing over and under trees. I have a pixel 4a which is smaller than many new phones and it fits well. The main thing was getting used to putting the phone away with one hand since the lid wants to close and the inner liner catches sometimes. Keeping the phone totally vertical and pushing the lid back helped a bunch.

Does REI do extensive testing of their products? Because when I use their stuff in the field, I don't like it. Same can be said about this product. It did seem to work in heavy rain, but that does not matter when the device you put in it falls out because of a poor designed. My phone fell out the Pocket several times on a recent hike when I took off my pack. Which bares the question, what if you didn't notice it fell out? I will be returning this item. Not to mention this is my 3rd REI product return this year.

As other reviewers have mentioned, large cell phones barely fit in these, and the inside liner fabric makes it difficult to get things in and out. The attachment system, while easy to install, seems to loosen over time on the trail, and the small buckles have come undone a few times. The magnetic closure does not stay closed, and the lid flaps in my face occasionally. It is cheaper than many other similar products and it does seem to keep things dry. It seems to work well for smaller phones, snacks, maps, and other items.

Ok, I love the vertical packmod idea, but this vertical design needs to be a bit taller, wider (fit the larger phones and be able to close and add wee more depth to fit a pocket camera as the hip belt pockets are never big enough. And as another poster said, use a better closure, the magnetic closure is not secure. The materials used is nice and lightweight, but durable. The attachment option to put on shoulder harness is great..Soo close REI!