Need a better way to carry your phone? I found a great accessory

With the year winding down and all of the major flagship smartphone releases out of the way, let's take some time to check out accessories for those phones. Though the market caters more to iPhone accessories than other brands, some of these products, like the Waterfield Designs Essential iPhone Pouch, can work universally.

I've been a fan of Waterfield Designs products for the past decade. I have several messenger bags, backpacks, and carrying cases from the brand. All of its products are made by hand and last for years. I'm pretty sure my oldest bag ( a Muzetto Leather Bag ) is from well over a decade ago.

With the new iPhone 16 releases, I've been curious to try out more of their iPhone accessories. I checked out the Waterfield Designs Shinjuku Sling a few weeks ago, and today, I want to talk about the Essential iPhone Pouch.

A simple, reliable phone pouch

The Essential iPhone Pouch is just that — a pouch for your iPhone and other essentials. Its super-compact size is great for the minimalist user when all you need is your phone, keys, and wallet. It also offers enough space for some other small necessities.

This is also a great unisex option, as crossbody bags are used by all genders nowadays. I have to deal with women's clothing, which doesn't always have the roomiest pockets. The Essential iPhone Pouch is a great option for me to carry everything I need in an unassuming form.

Like all of Waterfield's other products, the Essential iPhone Pouch is handmade in the company's San Francisco factory. The Essential iPhone Pouch is made with 1680 Denier black ballistic nylon and Forza nylon and comes in five accent colors: blue, green, red, titanium, and black. It also comes in a canvas with chocolate leather option, though this variant costs $10 more. For my bag, I chose the red color. The colors are simply an accent on the front of the pouch, with the rest being black.

The front of the Essential iPhone Pouch has an open pocket to stow away quick access items, and there is also a front loop right above the pocket to attach things onto, like keys. A YKK waterproof zipper protects the stuff inside from harsh weather, like rain or snow. Inside the main compartment is a small black mesh pocket on one side, while a cell phone pocket is on the other. Waterfield uses its signature gold diamond liner inside, which helps you see your contents at a glance rather than lose them inside a black void.

The cell phone pocket can fit an iPhone 16 Pro Max or other similarly sized smartphones. This is a great little accessory for lugging around a secondary phone, as I typically keep my primary iPhone 16 Pro in a pants pocket.

Again, the Essential iPhone Pouch is designed for just the essentials, hence the name. This typically means your phone, keys, and wallet. For travelers, a standard passport also fits in the main compartment. But I never leave the house without some other items, like lip balm, hand sanitizer, and my AirPods . Despite the compact size, the Essential Pouch is quite roomy for these small items.

The nylon strap is also adjustable, so you can have it as long or as short as you need. A Camlock buckle makes it easy to adjust the length of the strap while the pouch is being worn, which is a nice touch. The YKK zipper has two custom metal zipper pulls, so you can open it from either side, and there's enough of an opening on these pulls to attach something like an AirTag.

Great for iPhones and Android phones alike

As much as I like using my fancier purses for special occasions or even going to Disneyland, sometimes I just need the basics for quick errands. After all, I don't want to carry a lot when I drop off and pick my daughter up from school, for example. The Essential iPhone Pouch checks off all the boxes.

The pouch's nylon material and vertical orientation make it look unassuming and gender-neutral, even with the accent color. Though it hasn't rained here in Southern California for months, I also appreciate that this little carrying pouch keeps my iPhone (and other phones) and all my other contents safe and dry.

When I reviewed the Shinjuku Sling, I said that the price tag was a bit high at $129. However, the Essential iPhone Pouch is more reasonably priced at $79 for the nylon versions, while the canvas and leather one is $89. Again, since this is handmade from Waterfield, and its products last for years, I think it's a sound investment.