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How many times have you lost your phone or left your keys behind somewhere? If you’re anything like me, I’m betting quite a lot. Thankfully, this doesn’t always turn into a bad day where you need to replace your phone or call a locksmith thanks to tough phone cases and AirTags.
But it can, and I prefer prevention over cure, which is why I like to tether important stuff to myself, especially when I’m traveling or hiking. And the tether I’ve been using for many years now is from a US company called KeyBak.
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KeyBak makes a few different styles of tether, with clips and belt clips and even belt loops. There are also different retraction strengths and cord lengths available, depending on the load that you want to attach.
My favorite KeyBak, however, is the Ratch-It.
The Ratch-It features a 36-inch Kevlar cord wound onto a retractor that’s powered by a stainless steel spring built to handle loads up to 15 oz/425 g.
The cord itself can easily handle loads exceeding 80 pounds and is highly abrasion-resistant, so it’s not going to break without quite a fight, and is capable of handling big bunches of keys — even with a lot of EDC gadgets attached. For example, my iPhone 17 Pro Max weighs 8.22 oz/233 grams naked, and doesn’t come close to the max load even in the bulkiest of cases.
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The retractor mechanism is housed in a tough, impact-resistant polycarbonate housing that can take a serious beating (I slipped and fell on this one hiking down to the base of a dam once and it shrugged that off). On the other end is a strong spring clip for attaching the KeyBak to clothing, belts, or rucksacks.
This clip offers a great deal of flexibility for attaching the KeryBak to a variety of items, from clothing to bags.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
And the Ratch-It can handle heavier loads, like bulky ruggedized smartphones; it’s just that the retractor will need a bit of assistance to pull back the load. I’ve regularly had heavy Blackview and Doogee smartphones that weigh in excess of a pound dangling off this KeyBak without any issues.
The Ratch-It will lock out at various lengths so you’re not having to fight against the ratchet all the time, which is handy for keys.
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The ratchet not only assists in retracting the cord, it also absorbs the shock if whatever it’s attached to is dropped. I attached a smartphone close to the maximum rating, and dropped it from higher than waist height. It had no problem stopping the smartphone from hitting the ground (and this is a well-used KeyBak that has seen several years of service).
A bulky smartphone is no problem for the KeyBak Ratch-It.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Before discovering the KeyBak, I used to tether keys and other bits to myself using bits of paracord with carabiners knotted onto the ends. This worked, but it was far from elegant.
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By default, the KeyBak comes with a large split ring attached, but I’ve found it useful at times to swap this for a key carabiner, spring S-clip, or a quick-release coupler, all of which are far more convenient if you need to take things off regularly, and results in a lot fewer split nails!
The Ratch-It can lock out in the extended position, making it easier to use with keys.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
When it comes to attaching my phone to the KeyBak I either use a tether or a harness. Both work well, with a harness offering greater strength and durability, making it a great option for hiking.
Why I recommend this product
The KeyBak Ratch-It is one of the priciest in the line, but at $25, it’s still an affordable way to tether keys of a smartphone to your person to prevent loss or damage.
Sure, you will find cheaper alternatives from different vendors, but my experience with those has been far from good (the cord is usually just normal string, and the springs are weak and can break easily), so my advice is to buy a genuine KeyBak. It will do the job and last several years.
