Waterproofing your handheld electronics

I discovered that Glad's new Press'n Seal sealable plastic wrap works great for creating waterproof cases for my handheld VHF radio, GPS, and cell phone.  Check it out:

http://tst.glad.com/pressnseal/usage.html

This stuff works much better than my last wacky idea to use latex condoms  

So, how do you use it?  Simply take the item and sandwhich it inbetween two sheets and seal around the object?  Seems like an easy solution.

Hmmm ... I wonder if I can vacuum pack my electronics?  Anyone ever try this?

-Allen

I have a sealer but I have not tried it. I think you would run into a couple of issues.

1. Seal would be to tight and press down buttons.

2. Changing batteries is impossible without breaking the seal.

3. If there was any water in there before you sealed it you would have fog problems.

I can try it on my gps tonight to see how it works.

Aren't food saver bags kind of textured?

I have 200 poly bags in 4 and 6" x18", the 4x18 bags fit most handheld electronics well and they're perfectly clear.  The bags were $4/100 from an aquarium club stockpile and about as rugged as a largish zip-lock.

Prom ... one side of the foodsaver bag is clear.

Bill ... 1) no need to vacuum out ALL the air. it's the seal and the durability of the bags that makes this appealing.  2)  Break the seal to change batteries, foodsaver bags are reusable.  3) Use those dehumidifying crystals (???).  Disclaimer: I have never tried this, the thought just occured to me this morning when I first read this thread.

-Allen

The ones I have are textured on one side, clear on the other.

So, Chuck,

What do I do with the box Mag. Condoms I got from Safeway?

Just Kidding....

Ken kickfish

What do I do with the box Mag. Condoms I got from Safeway?

Magnums?.....Too damn funny  

I like the idea of using the desiccant crystals in the wrap since that's a problem you're gonna get with anything sealed in plastic.

The foodsaver bags sounds good, but they're too expensive for one time use.  The Press'n Seal wrap is about $2.50 for a 25.4 yard roll (75sq/ft).  I use them once on the water then tear it off afterwards to recharge my batteries.

The other cool thing about the wrap is you simply sandwich your radio between 2 sheets, press the edges to seal and you're done.  You can even trim around the trim the edges with scissors to get rid of the excess wrap.  Cool stuff!

Can you hear and speak well enough with the plastic wrap?

Chuck is the pressnseal clear? All the pics I have seen it looks translucent.

So, Chuck,

What do I do with the box Mag. Condoms I got from Safeway?

Save them for your next La Jolla Girlie bar adventure.

It's translucent but a bit cloudy, so you need to press the wrap flat onto the LCD screen (it'll stick to it) and make sure a logo is not on top of the screen.

The vacuum sealer didn't work out. It smashed the buttons down on my GPS. I don't have a setting on mine to control the amount of air that is taken out. It would work well for something without buttons

This is totally interesting.

My radio is fine (standard horizon hx370s), but my GPS, despite being "waterproof" will not stand anything than a light misting (Magellan meridian marine).

I'm gonna try the wrap next outing.

PS, that stuff is just plain great anyway!!  I got my first sample of it at a friends house in Tahoe....Excellent product even if it is not the waterproof panacea.

Thanks for the tip!!

MolBasser