# How do you carry your phone? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386 "2015-11-02T02:29:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/81 "2015-11-03T06:19:53Z")
> [@TheFaerie](#): > > Purse or right front pocket. I only know 1 person in his mid 50s who uses a belt clip, and I think it’s weird. Now you know another. One of the great things about being over fifty is you finally don’t give a flying fuck; at the same time it is true I don’t like the way the phone looks on a belt clip. It’s just something about the whole concept of wearing visible hardware on my belt that bugs me. I feel that I look vaguely like one of those guys that go aloft on utility poles to fix the wiring, or maybe that Verizon “Can You Hear Me Now” guy, except that i never wear khakis. Still, the belt clip and holder combination does protect the device. My service provider isn’t going to replace my phone if I lose it or break it, and I can’t afford to do that either, so I need to keep it safe. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/82 "2015-11-03T06:23:07Z")
53, and I carry it in my purse. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/83 "2015-11-03T08:34:58Z")
54, male, and it’s in my right front pocket. Belt clip? NFW. ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/84 "2015-11-03T10:25:34Z")
I didn’t vote because the options seem to imply you are talking about smartphones, which I don’t have. I’m over 40, and keep my phone in a pouch with a clip. Usually that’s on my belt, but when doing something like bicycling I prefer to clip it to the strap of my backpack because I’ve had it fall off my belt and not noticed for miles. (Also makes it easier to tell when it is ringing, as vibrate tends to get lost in road vibration and I can’t hear the ringer over traffic from my belt.) I’ve seen lots of folks with a thing on their belt they snap their smartphone into, and I wouldn’t trust one of them. I want a holder I’m sure it won’t fall out of. I carry my 7" tablet (a bit bigger than a smartphone) in a belt pouch. ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/85 "2015-11-03T10:33:56Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > One of the great things about being over fifty is you finally don’t give a flying fuck; at the same time it is true I don’t like the way the phone looks on a belt clip. It’s just something about the whole concept of wearing visible hardware on my belt that bugs me. I feel that I look vaguely like one of those guys that go aloft on utility poles to fix the wiring, or maybe that Verizon “Can You Hear Me Now” guy, except that i never wear khakis. Amen to both. I used to think having my pager on my belt looked weird, but over time practicality started to win out over fashion, and slowly I turned into batman. At my peak, my belt was carrying my phone, a pouch with my leatherman (knock off), a pouch with a small flashlight, a pouch with a hex-key set, a utility knife, and two sets of keys on retractors. I have decided that I don’t need the tools or the flashlight that often, and put them in my bag. When you are thinking about buying a belt pouch so you can carry a roll of duct tape, it is time to get help. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/86 "2015-11-03T14:20:57Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I have also never missed a call because of my phone being in my pocket. Phone rings, I reach in my pocket and pull it out, and have answered the call between the first and second ring. I don’t understand how a call is missed in such a scenario. Well, if your wearing jeans (which is all I wear, unless in shorts) you have to stand up to get the phone out of your pocket. A bit of a pain sometimes. Especially if you’re a passenger in a car. In a resturant etc. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/87 "2015-11-03T14:21:19Z")
> [@SpyOne](#): > > I didn’t vote because the options seem to imply you are talking about smartphones, which I don’t have. Nope. A phone is a phone. I just want to find out, from people who always have their phone with them, how they carry it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/88 "2015-11-03T14:53:10Z")
I voted but forgot to mention how I do it: left front pocket. I have an Xperia Z3 and it’s too tall to fit in my shirt pocket and I’d worry about it falling out when I bent over. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/89 "2015-11-03T16:34:00Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I was reading another board recently where one poster mentioned he wore his phone in a clip holster, and someone else asked him if he was over 40. There was some thinking that a belt clip is a generational thing. I’m over 40 and use a belt clip, because I can’t think of how else you carry it around everywhere you go without leaving it somewhere or sitting on it. Uh, you stick it in the front pocket of your pants. How is this an issue? Also i don’t understand how a belt clip prevents you from forgetting your phone. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/90 "2015-11-03T17:01:01Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Uh, you stick it in the front pocket of your pants. How is this an issue? Also i don’t understand how a belt clip prevents you from forgetting your phone. Not to speak for cookingwith gas, but - How is that an issue? For me, it’s too big and bulky for a front pocket in jeans. It’s uncomfortable as all get out, and it gets in the way of the things I always carry in my pockets. For instance, my keys and ONLY my keys go in my front left pocket. Never anywhere else. I’m 55 years old and I have never lost or even misplaced my keys. I’ve got a system that works, and I don’t want to change it. That’s the biggest reason I suppose. Uncomfortable, and in the way of what I always carry. Also having to stand up to get the phone out of your pocket is kind of a pain. As far as a belt clip helping ME from forgetting my phone, it’s because I always know where I keep it. My Wife sometimes will put her phone in a coat pocket instead of her purse. As soon as she uses a different coat – ‘oops, no phone’. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/91 "2015-11-03T19:01:30Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > As far as a belt clip helping ME from forgetting my phone, it’s because I always know where I keep it. I always know where i keep it, front pocket of my pants :). I’ve had a phone almost as long as i’ve had car keys, that is probably where the difference comes from. Front left pocket has always been for phone and keys, never had to change my “system” to fit anything else. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/92 "2015-11-03T19:08:59Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > I always know where i keep it, front pocket of my pants :). I’ve had a phone almost as long as i’ve had car keys, that is probably where the difference comes from. Front left pocket has always been for phone and keys, never had to change my “system” to fit anything else. I was thinking about this. I didn’t get a phone until about 1995. By that time, I had already been driving for 20 years. I already had a routine where I kept things. The belt clip was the answer for me. Never even occured to me to try to put it in my pocket. (phones where a bit bigger too) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/93 "2015-11-03T19:12:00Z")
If you are Batman a belt clip makes sense because you don’t have any pockets. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/94 "2015-11-03T19:26:51Z")
Front right pants pocket – and _only_ the phone in that pocket. I worry that putting keys or coins in will end up scratching the screen. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/95 "2015-11-03T19:53:24Z")
1998-2003: old school mobile - belt holster, it was large enough to need that. 2003-2010: small flip phones - a cover skin with a thin clip so as to attach inside a pocket without it dropping all the way to the bottom, or to put inside the waistband. Post 2010: iphones in slim profile case, with screen protector. Front pants pocket or inside jacket pocket depending on outfit and weather. Cargo pocket if in shorts or field gear. Current one is the smaller variant so I can continue to do that. The old original-form-factor iPhones were quite sturdy little suckers and could take a back pocket with ease, too. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/96 "2015-11-03T22:35:39Z")
Pocket or purse, unless I forget and leave it at home. It’s a little flip phone, so it tucks in a pocket quite nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/97 "2015-11-03T23:22:38Z")
Anyone clipping it to their bike? I’m wondering how well that works out for a convenient gps and whatnot and wherefore art thou. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/98 "2015-11-03T23:31:23Z")
During the work week: inside suit coat pocket. Weekend: holster. Front pants pockets is uncomfortable, back pocket is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/99 "2015-11-03T23:49:31Z")
45yo, left front pocket ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386/100 "2015-11-04T02:09:21Z")
I only find putting things my front pocket uncomfortable if my pocket is too small or the item too heavy. My phone is neither, so I can just forget it’s there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-carry-your-phone/736386.md?page=6)