Keeping Your Gear Dry

If you buy something from a link in this article, we may earn a commission. Learn more

ziploc big bagsI know there are various waterproof bags for phones and other small gear available for purchase, but what do you do if you don’t have one of those – or one big enough to fit your laptop – and you’re going to be exposing your gear to water?  As I was taking Rachel to school this morning, it was raining torrentially.  Water was standing on the roads, there were wrecks causing traffic delays, and a transformer literally blew up as I was driving by.  Rachel has a phone in her backpack, and she also takes a laptop to school most days.  Most backpacks aren’t exactly waterproof, and she was going to be outside quite a bit today while walking into and out of the school from the car drop-off location and while changing classes on a campus the size of a small college.  And need I tell you that she couldn’t find her umbrella?

We put her phone into a Ziploc sandwich bag; we’ve used this before and it works great to keep her phone protected from the water that gets through the backpack.  You can even use a capacitive screen through the bag.  Luckily I had a Ziploc bag big enough for her laptop, too.  Ziploc also makes Big Bags that were designed to store bedding and off-season clothing, toys and sports equipment, or the like.  Luckily I had some of the Large size, which are 15″ X 15″.  (Big Bags are also available in a 2 ft X 1.7 ft size and a 2 ft X 2.7 ft size.)  The Large size was big enough to hold her laptop, and the plastic is thick enough that I don’t have to worry the bag will rip easily while she’s moving the laptop in and out of the bag.  It has double zippers to ensure a water-tight seal, too.

I’m going to make sure she keeps a Ziploc Big Bag inside her backpack all the time for other days when she gets caught without an umbrella.  How do you keep your gear dry when you don’t have a waterproof gear bag or a waterproof cover for the bag?

9 thoughts on “Keeping Your Gear Dry”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
  2. I’m thinking about putting one of these in my purse in case I get caught in the rain. I don’t want to mess up my Oberon Design bag!

  3. I’m not totally sold on this idea. I like Ziploc bags to be small and use a regular bag if I want to store larger things. Ziploc is venturing outside their norm. Next thing you know we’ll have Ziploc bookbags….Ziploc luggage…Ziploc car cover…

  4. I have a gallon-sized one or two in my bike pannier (water-resistant, not torrential downpour-resistant) when I’m out. I carry a fair amount of tech – iPad, iPhone, chargers, headphones, etc. – that all are rather hindered in operation after exposure to liquids. I recommend them to customers who come in and complain about phones and tablets that have been ruined in coolers, canoes, and the like. They’re cheap insurance. I have also replaced the phone of people who relied on Otterboxes and Lifeproof cases for protection. Nothing’s 100%. If you expect real weather, use two layers!

  5. I run half marathons with my phone in a zip loc bag. I also put in car key, train card etc. You can still use the screen through the plastic. At the same time, you can do a quick draw to take a quick pic.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *