Otterbox Defender- Looooong term review

It was June of '10, the season when our area gets deep into spring.  Fishing was on my mind, and I had a new iPhone 4.  The first case I put my iPhone 4 into was the Defender.  The idea was to protect the phone while on the water or in the woods.  As I wrote last summer, it did just fine.  My iPhone came out of the case a couple of months ago, almost as perfect as it went in.  There was some scuffing on the AWESOME stainless steel antenna, where the case lining trapped dust and it rubbed.  But no other ill effects.

I stopped using the Otterbox Defender because the silicone cover was doing what it always does, getting soft and sloppy.  No jokes, please.  It got to the point that whenever I took the phone out of the rugged belt clip, I peeled the case away somewhere.  No biggie, tuck and push and its back in place.  But not good.  It now feels like it has a coat of oil on it.

I put the iPhone back in the Defender as halibut season rolled around, for it is the best protection I have for my phone, that keeps it usable.  However, I am beginning to look for alternatives, as the Otterbox won't last much longer.

The conclusion?  If $50 per year for a case(s) seems a lot to you,  this case is probably not going to make you happy.