Electronics vs Water

Hi all,

Last year during vacation trip I experienced some of the heaviest rain I have ever seen. It resulted in me being completely drenched after walking running through it for a few minutes. My phone remained intact (it was packed in an Otterbox Defender), but the camera was toast after a my backpack took on water. I had just thown it in there when I left the house and pulled it out of a puddle in my bag when I had dried myself off.

Replacing the camera was not a big deal, but I would have liked to avoid it getting wet and losing it in the first place. To prevent things like this I picked up an Otterbox 8000 dry case that I throw my camera into when heading out.

I have an Otterbox 3000 case on the way for my backup battery pack.
It is certainly more bulky and I had considered plastic bags, but Murphy's Law has it they fail at the worst possible moment - and I don't want to take any chances.

So how do you guys keep your electronics dry?

Having taken a look at aLOKSAK pouches I might give them a try - I've read some reviews though which state that the zipper closure wears out relatively quickly and the material is prone to leaks over time.

What's your experience with that?

On a sidenote: my Otterbox 3000 dry case arrived today. Quite bulky, but built like a tank...it fits my battery pack plus some cables.

I partially agree. Had that happen with a mobile phone a couple of years ago and it worked fine after drying. The camera however was lost, although I immediately removed the batteries and the camera's case, letting it dry on the radiator.A raincover would habe been good to have, but the 5.11 RUSH packs don't come with one and I did not bring my big hiking pack (a Deuter AirContact) which has a rain cover.

When it comes to the battery pack I will definitely take no chances. I do not want a 12000 mAh battery to short out while it's sitting in my bag.
So you basically use hardcases, aLOKSAKs and Ziplocs to waterproof your gadgets, right? Any other options?

By the way, thanks for your replies - I really appreciate it.

Yep - a poncho is now also part of my kit, at least when I am riding heavy (ie taking my 5.11 pack).
That was a lesson learned the hard way on a festival last year.

Just trying to make extra safe by waterproofing what might be susceptible to moisture.

On a trip to the local outdoor equipment store I found a waterproofing bag which I will give a try tomorrow. I'll keep you posted...

I would say "pics or it doesn't happen", but that would sound kinda wrong. So I won't.

So here we go. As I said, I picked up a waterproof bag (Ortlieb A6 Document Case) at the camping store. It's designed originally to hold documents/passports, but it turned out that it also accomodates my backup battery along with some cables (USB Mini / Micro and iPhone - I don't own an iPhone but a lot of the folks around me do, so in case something goes bad I have those covered as well). The bag has a roll-up and velcro closure which seems to be working well....I was not able to push out any trapped air inside the bag.

Here's the complete ensemble:


On the label it says that bag is rated IP64 which (thanks Wikipedia) means that no dust and no splashing water can get inside which for EDC I think should be okay - I don't plan on swimming to work any time soon.

I will keep the Otterbox though, because you never know when it may come in handy.

@brokenbags: I am no sure whether I have the right thing in mind when you refer to 'silnylon'. I think I may have had something like that in my hand as well yesterday but just to make sure, could you post a picture / an Amazon link?

Yep, then I had the right thing in mind. Thanks for sharing!