Whether reaching exotic tropical spots or closer to home and familiar ones, kitesurfers often get to their destination using a car. And at this point, every one of us faces the challenge of managing the car keys while out on our kitesurfing session. Kiteboarding with electronic car keys in our wet suit can turn out to be a dangerous practice.
Many kitesurfers used to hide their car keys under surrounding stones or in nearby bushes, trusting no one will be able to find them.
Among the most colorful approaches to solve this problem, 3 strategies seem to be the soundest ones:
- A car key replacement to just manually open and close the car doors;
- A car key box;
- A waterproof electronic key holder
Let's walk through all the different options analyzing the pros and cons of the different choices.
Car Key replacement
Even though the locking system is electronic, many modern cars still offer a manual override in opening the doors, though a classic metal key.
Most of the time, the key is embedded with plastic parts that contain the electronics, but some brands still let separate the metal key from the remaining electronic elements. When this option isn't available and the electronic part and metal one of the keys are integrated, there is still the option to duplicate the physical key part.
This will allow leaving the electronic modern key safely in the car while bringing the metal key in the water with us and manually locking the car with it.
A good idea is to attach a high visibility floater, before putting the mechanical key under the wetsuit, just in case of an unwanted release of the key in the water, to prevent a quick sinking.
Car key box or surf car key locker
A second option to keep your keys safe is to purchase a combination key box. There are several types on the market, and some turn out to be really crappy, while others seem to provide a decent level of security and ease of use.
As an example of bad ones, a purchase of some time ago is very representative. We bought a safety steel key box on an online shop and received a different tin safe with a crap safe combination.
You could literally open the box by forcing a screwdriver in the gap left between the two half of the box body and breaking it open with minimum effort. The cheap making was also clear by observing the 3-digit combination pad.
Luckily the purchase was refunded, and we gave it another try with better results. This time the product was exactly as expected: the body made in a full carved steel alloy and a sturdy 4-digit combination lock.
The box itself can fit an even bulkier group of keys with extra remote control of the house gate:
To be more flexible in the car key lockbox positioning, it is possible to add a high resistance steel cable that can help fix it in less obvious positions to attract less attention.
Of course, this solution offers the plus of not risking losing the car key in the water and have it safe and dry on land during your kiteboarding session.
The downside of using a surf car key locker is, of course, you leave the car and the keys together unattended while you are out, and even if the lockbox is strong and resistant, it can eventually be opened. Using the extra precaution of hiding it attaching it to unseen parts of the car can add significant safety.
If you think this is the solution for you, here you can find some of the most reliable types sold online:
Waterproof electronic key holder
The last of the options consist in the purchase of a specific waterproof key holder. In this case, the suggestion is to stay far from those cheap and standard dry cases you can find on the market. Due to the stress these containers undergo during a kitesurfing session inside the wetsuit, they often tend to leak with disastrous results on the content.
Fortunately, new producers start to create products characterized by higher standards of resistance and performance, specifically designed for harsh watersports. Waterproof key holders that can withstand the stress required to safely carry your keys in a kitesurfing session with you.
This research on materials, design, and the water-resistance has improved substantially, and it is bringing on the market products like Keyfender.
We have been really impressed by the quality of this gadget. Created to fit 95% of car keys, the internal padding helps to adjust and keep in a firm position the content, avoiding disturbing bumps while kitesurfing and preserving at best your keys.
The manufacturer added a transparent flexible rubber window to activate the car's remote control without taking the key out of the box. This is very useful at the end of the session, being completely wet, to avoid ruining the keys with salty water.
The waterproof electronic key holder is also a floating device, preventing the keys to immediately sink into the water in case of loss out of the wetsuit.
This can be a great solution in case you want to keep your keys with you. Of course, some residual risk of losing the keys cannot be excluded, but the straps provided with Keyfender are strong and well designed.
Once safely attached with its holding leaches and safely stored under the wetsuit, Keyfender will protect the keys from being lost and come in touch with the water.
Really a well-built product.
All in all, these are the three options for managing the car keys while going on a kitesurfing session. They have pros and cons, as we can summarize here.
Car key Replacement
Pros
Cheap solution
Avoid leaving your keys unattended around the car
No risk to lose the original keys
Cons
The key can rust and leave salt traces in the door lock.
The key can be lost during the session.
If someone breaks into the car can use the electronic keys to drive
away.
If your car is insured for stealing, letting the car keys be
taken can void the insurance.
Car key box
Pros
The key box lets store the key on the car.
Keys don't risk being lost during the kite session.
Keys don't risk getting wet and losing their electronic
functionality due to unwanted water leaks.
Cons The key box, even though very resistant, might not prevent opening. After watching this video, it actually seems more than a remote possibility. If your car is insured against stealing, letting the car keys be taken can void the insurance.
Waterproof key holder
Pros
The car keys are always with you while
kitesurfing.
Getting out of the water, you can open the car without
having the keys to get wet.
No risk of car stealing insurance to be voided since
you always have the keys with you.
If keys come out from the wetsuit, they float
and let you retrieve them without sinking.
Often cheaper than the normal keylocks shown previlously.
Cons You have to make sure the key waterproof keyholder is solidly attached to you in the wetsuit because there is still a remote chance of losing the keys if you don't do it properly. Done that you are good to go.
The choice for kitesurf Culture is the third option, Keyfender. We have tested it. It is very reliable and easy to use. You can purchase it from their Official Website, and you can have a discount of 10% on the retail price by inserting our coupon code: KITESURFCULT
Soon we will prepare a full review of this great product, to understand in detail its full operative potential.
So, what is or will be your favorite method to keep your car keys safe during the kitesurfing session? Is it one of the described, or you have a smarter alternative?
By thw way…Your boy/girlfriend on the beach doesn't qualify as a full-time, reliable solution :D
