Protect your gadgets from the elements of the great outdoors

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Outside interest

Technology and the great outdoors may not seem like natural partners, but there is no reason why they shouldn't get along. Here's how

Taking expensive electronic gadgets outdoors into the rain, mud or salty brine might sound like a recipe for disaster. But it needn't be - and technology can come in handy on a trip. Over the next few paragraphs we're going to look at some useful gadgets for the great outdoors, and some sensible precautions to take when wandering over hill and dale with them.

Before we begin, we should relate a cautionary tale. A few summers ago, a boat-builder friend bought a rugged mobile phone that promised to be waterproof, and was protected from knocks and shocks by a chunky rubber coat. It was ideal for his line of work and, he reckoned, more likely to survive a year until his next contract renewal.

The phone worked as advertised, and remained waterproof when our friend accidentally dropped it overboard in mid-call. He reported that the screen remained lit and the phone apparently was continuing to operate as it fell away into the depths. He bought a used handset from eBay to replace it for £10, rather than pay £200 for a straight replacement.

There are two things to learn from this story. Firstly, if you're going to venture into the great outdoors laden with gadgets, you should be willing to accept that you may come back with several hundred pounds' worth of useless, soggy circuit boards. The second point is that, even if a gadget claims to be waterproof to 50m and to be able to withstand violent shocks, the extra cost involved may not outweigh its innate ability to simply get lost.

Despite all that, it should be pointed out that rugged electronic devices have made enormous leaps forward in the past few years, and technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS) - a satellite system used to plot exact locations on the planet - have become indispensable for the outdoors explorer.

It's possible to pick up a reasonably rugged GPS unit for about £100. They are usually accurate to within a few metres and can be set up to follow a specific route and load various maps.
In addition, mobile phones can be invaluable on the road, especially if travel plans are delayed or mishaps occur. Many digital camera makers also offer outdoor versions of their products, or sell waterproof cases. Panasonic's Toughbook notebook PCs have gained a reputation, and splash- or waterproof portable music players abound. Parents will also appreciate the benefits of a handheld games console for the kids during those long car or train journeys.

That said, if you plan to take a gadget on a day out, you don't need to go shopping first. There are plenty of ways to make sure the kit you already have survives harsh conditions - so read on for basic advice on how to keep items safe.

Aside from the usual planning for a day out, it's worth thinking about the technology you plan to bring along. After all, it might seem like a good idea to bring a handheld PC on a hike across Dartmoor, but two hours and a few hundred gallons of sleet and driving rain later, the decision may not appear so bright.

And while GPS is a great invention, it won't be much use if the batteries conk out, and an ability to read Ordnance Survey maps and navigate using a compass will prove far more valuable in all circumstances. It does pay to retain such basic skills if you ever find your own abilities are the only back-up available.

Lock it or lose it

For most of us, an outdoor adventure will inevitably involve some driving first, and from bitter experience we know that leaving a vehicle in a car park a long way from anywhere can be fairly risky.

If possible, don't leave anything valuable in the vehicle while it's unattended. This seems pretty obvious advice, but it's worth thinking through.

A closed glove compartment might indicate valuable goodies inside to unscrupulous types, and, as one reader pointed out recently, even removing the windscreen mount for the GPS is pointless if the rubber sucker mount leaves a visible mark on the windscreen. In short, if you can't take it with you, make sure any valuables and their traces are secreted out of sight.

In the outdoors

Another thing to be prepared for is the weather. We wrap ourselves up against the elements, and the same should go for our gadgets.

The first outdoor technology tool to lay your hands on is cheap and easily found in most households: re-sealable freezer bags. For mountain biking trips into the hills and sailing expeditions, we've used freezer bags to waterproof phones, keep wallets and car key fobs dry, as well as to store medical supplies such as bandages, dressings and other bits and pieces away from moisture.

Popping a desicant sachet into the bag together with your valuable electronics helps absorb small amounts of moisture that condense or leak into the bag. These sachets are the small bags of silica gel that are included in packaging for electronics and other products that need to be kept free from moisture - you've probably seen and thrown away several dozen.

They can be quite tricky to get hold of in small quantities, so it's worth hanging onto them. Bear in mind that the contents of these sachets can be pretty unpleasant if opened and should not be put in bags with food or first aid supplied.

Freezer bags have a number of drawbacks, however. They can tear easily, the seals can fail and the plastic easily becomes clouded by small scratches. On the plus side, they're cheap, and for an occasional day out they are usually sufficient.

For a solution that will last a bit longer and has far stronger seals to boot, we heartily recommend British firm Aquapac's collection of waterproof cases. Made from a plastic that's both flexible and remarkably tough, the cases have a sealing mechanism that allows Aquapac to guarantee waterproofing to five metres. The cases are not cheap - for example, a portable music player case sells for £40. But if you want to protect your investments, sealable casings like these are the way to go. Unfortunately, Aquapac is stopping the production of its large digital camera and camcorder cases while it works on updated versions due out later this year. In the meantime, the old versions can still be found in shops and on the company's website.

Other companies offering waterproofing include OtterBox, which specialises in hard cases for handheld PCs, GPS units, notebook PCs and portable music players. Ortlieb, a German manufacturer noted for its courier bags and cycle panniers, also makes dry bags. Its roll-top bags are suitable for all kinds of uses, and they work very well and are covered by a five-year guarantee.

Many camera manufacturers now offer cameras that are watertight or shock-proofed, or sell enclosures that let cameras to be used in wet conditions. Unfortunately, such enclosures normally cost about £150 for an average compact camera.

Power corrupts

Aside from the need to protect your kit from the elements, there's another crucial issue to consider: power. Many gadgets, such as music players and mobile phones, run on built-in rechargeable batteries.

The problem here is that while modern rechargeable batteries can be tiny, they are also usually built into the device. Some gadgets, however, such as GPS units, are designed to use standard AAA or AA batteries that can be swapped easily, and can run from both rechargeable batteries and dry cells.

If you do run out of juice, there are a couple of alternatives. Wind-up, solar and battery-powered chargers have been around for a while, and all work well to a greater or lesser extent. Wind-up chargers convert the energy created by the user cranking a handle - a good example is built into the clockwork radio designed by British inventor Trevor Bayliss. Handheld wind-up chargers can be used to top up flagging mobile phone batteries - or at least give them a short-term boost. Such chargers can be found in electrical shops or online.

If you're travelling by car, don't forget in-car chargers. These plug into the cigarette lighter socket and are widely sold for mobile phones. Adapters for other types of device are increasingly popular, so ask the manufacturer whether an in-car kit is available. Adapters that enable standard AA or AAA batteries to power a mobile phone for a short time are commonly found in petrol station shops and cost about a tenner.

A more expensive - and perhaps less effective - approach on these shores is solar charging. The most recent of these, made by Solio, has certainly got plenty of coverage - although we have yet to test one. Solio claims to charge most handheld devices and can store energy with a built-in rechargeable battery. Bear in mind that in order to charge, these devices need to be left out in sunlight for some time, so they're not a short-term fix.

It shouldn't be forgotten, though, that one of the reasons people take a day out is to get away from technology. If you're heading out into the wilds, there may not be a mobile signal.

This might sound obvious, but you would be surprised just how quickly a signal can disappear when heading out of urban areas. Poor signal strength can also run phone batteries down quickly.

Valleys, tree cover and rock formations can blanket both mobile phone signals and GPS communications. Mobile signals are far more vulnerable, since they rely on ground-based stations that do not always allow for coverage outside of a line of sight. GPS tends to do better, simply because the signals used for determining the GPS unit's position are installed on orbiting satellites. The top-down approach in this case means that signal power is likely to remain fairly high as long as the device is not obscured by tree cover, caves or tall buildings.

Get out there

If you think ahead, it's perfectly possible to get outside and have fun in even the most inclement weather. Planning escape routes from walks with a GPS device is an excellent example. Whether you plan to take a lot of gadgets with you, or perhaps just a digital camera to capture the views, the most important thing is to enjoy the great outdoors.

Written by Ben Tudor

This article was created: 3 January 2007.
This article was last edited: 19 March 2007.

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