Security and stability in vehicle phone mounts have always been an ongoing struggle. It seems as though these products are purchased, mounted, fought with, and ultimately make their way to a landfill. Suction mounts lose strength, unable to withstand the weight of today’s cellular devices, causing driver safety and mental health issues. Numerous companies claim to offer a solution; however, they all seem to fall short of buyers’ expectations.
Since the Jeep Wrangler JK is of the most popular overland platforms, Offroam geared their phone mount kit for the Jeep Wrangler JK as well as the JL and Gladiator edition. At first glance, the kit seems very elaborate, but once assembled, it all makes sense. The kit contains three main parts: the phone cradle, air vent clamp, and pivoting locking ball arm. The phone cradle itself rotates and swivels on a ball mount. The main clamp to the air vent also pivots freely, which can then be locked into the desired position by tightening the lever on the arm. The vent clamp is then secured into any air vent of the specific model using two Allen screws. Once tightened into place, it becomes a very secure fit.
Once installed, I took to the road en route for some moderate terrain to test the capability of the Offroam mount kit. While driving, the phone mount was easy to adjust with one hand, and I was able to get the phone in a comfortable out-of-the-way position. Once engaged on the trail, I intentionally took hard turns and engaged higher speeds on corrugated sections. The kit did its job and held the iPhone in its desired position even with dramatic jolts and movements.
The Offroam made it easy to monitor GPS applications on the iPhone and select and change my music while driving. What I also appreciated about the mounting kit is that it eliminates the overheating of my cellular device due to the fact that cool air is constantly flowing over it. Our Arizona summers can be murderous on devices exposed to extreme temperatures which can be magnified by windshields. Furthermore, the position in which the phone mount kit is positioned does not obstruct cool air from circulating in the Jeep’s cabin. Testing during winter conditions, however, could potentially put cellular devices in a bad position due to constant hot air passing the device while warming the cabin. We look forward to further testing this product in the coming months as weather conditions change.
Initially, the Offroam’s price seems steep, but one must think of the money spent on cheap $10 to $20 phone mounts that are likely to fail. When purchasing hard-use gear, my opinion has always been that of “Buy once, cry once.” The Offroam kit seems robust with a decent life span. It is currently available for the Toyota Tundra/Tacoma and Ford-150 platforms as well.
$80 | getoffroam.com
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