Submersible Dry Bag for laptop

[P A U L]

good god there are SO many sub-forums... this is the most generic sub-forum for my general question that i assume divers would have the most knowledge on...

i work in the gulf of mexico on a boat several times a year, and i wanted to buy a good dry bag to keep my laptop in case of an emergency that requires me to evacuate into the water. i don't imagine i'll need to "dive" per-se, nor will i be jumping into the water with the laptop on me (i'll probably throw it overboard first, hopefully into a raft, can never really predict emergency situations)...

anyway, i'd like to buy a bag that can go underwater 2-3 feet and still stay dry inside. i found one amazon with good ratings, but it doesn't talk about whether it can go underwater or not, and many of its buyers have reviewed that the ziploc style zipper is very questionable for keeping out water. can someone recommend a good brand for such a bag?

i have seen dry bags at sporting goods/camping stores where the top is folded over a few times, but have not used it and would like some diver input since y'all are like fish.

 

[jcaplins]

Go to an REI and have a look at some quality drybags. Choose carefully the size you need, because once you fold over the top a couple times and attach the buckles the internal volume may be significantly reduced from the size you thought it was.

I have used drybags for canoeing, kayaking, cycling, camping, boat bag, etc... If you don't squeeze the air out of it, you will have a hard time getting it submerged 2 or 3 feet. Once properly closed, everything will stay nice and dry.

But, if your attempting to load a drybag *during* and emergency, the laptop is probably doomed.


And... welcome to SB!

 

[emoreira]

Perhaps you should have a look to the Pelican cases.

Pelican Products 1070CC HardBack Case (with Liner)

I don't know if it's watertight up to 3 feet, but it's a good choice anyway.

 

[P A U L]

i don't plan to have it go 2-3 feet, but i imagine if i throw it into the water it'll want to take a short dive before floating--i wanted it to survive that initial dip in the water. i suppose a bag full of air might be helpful to me so that it doesn't sink

thanks! i'll go check out the bags.

i considered a pelican case as well, but it seems...bulky. not something i want on a lifeboat taking up space. but 1070cc seems lightweight.

i did buy a very very tiny pelican case to hold flash drives on my iphone. pelican claims it's good for 2-3 feet lol.

 

[krawlings]

May I ask why you fell the need to bring your lap top on a boat .why not leave it at home /hotel room / car trunk. and then use it /down load profile off DC
I REALLY CAN'T SEE ANY ADVANTAGES IN HAVING IT ON A BOAT??? But to each his own.

 

[Hickdive]

If your laptop contains data that is so vitally important that it needs to be with you at all times then I suggest you consider backing that data up so if the laptop does go phut, from your boat sinking, a power surge or a clumsy server pouring coke into it, then you won't lose everything.

 

[iluvtheocean]

he says he works off the boat -- which would probably indicate the laptop is required to do so...

i'd recommend a pelican hard case for the laptop -- and if it's used for work purposes it would be considered a business expense yes? something like the pelican would float which is what you'd prefer --

---------- Post added June 6th, 2014 at 03:17 PM ----------
-- and you can the pelican case off on a lifeboat via a leash -- so it's not taking up valuable space

depending on the nature of the business -- the data on the hdd might be encrypted or should be... thereby necessitating a need for more protection for it..

 

[kelemvor]

Waterproof bag? You don't need no stinking bag.

 

[P A U L]

May I ask why you fell the need to bring your lap top on a boat .why not leave it at home /hotel room / car trunk. and then use it /down load profile off DC
I REALLY CAN'T SEE ANY ADVANTAGES IN HAVING IT ON A BOAT??? But to each his own.

i do laser scanning inspection of equipment for the oil & gas industry. i'm not a fisherman lol. a laptop is necessary for emails, logs, reports, etc.

If your laptop contains data that is so vitally important that it needs to be with you at all times then I suggest you consider backing that data up so if the laptop does go phut, from your boat sinking, a power surge or a clumsy server pouring coke into it, then you won't lose everything.

i plan to backup the vital data into a flash drive and keep it in that tiny pelican case i mentioned. but just in case, i'd want to be able to protect my laptop if at all possible. if i have to abandon it in an extreme (and unlikely) incident, then i will. i'm not risking my or someone else's life just to save my porno.

he says he works off the boat -- which would probably indicate the laptop is required to do so...

i'd recommend a pelican hard case for the laptop -- and if it's used for work purposes it would be considered a business expense yes? something like the pelican would float which is what you'd prefer --

---------- Post added June 6th, 2014 at 03:17 PM ----------
-- and you can the pelican case off on a lifeboat via a leash -- so it's not taking up valuable space

depending on the nature of the business -- the data on the hdd might be encrypted or should be... thereby necessitating a need for more protection for it..

yup, i can expense it. but i also would like to minimize the amount of weight i have to carry around since i live in los angeles and fly to and from the gulf of mexico. though, that 1070cc pelican mentioned earlier was only 4lbs. a leash sounds tempting

Waterproof bag? You don't need no stinking bag.
View attachment 186086

that's a very interesting piece of equipment.

 

[DandyDon]

Perhaps you should have a look to the Pelican cases.

Pelican Products 1070CC HardBack Case (with Liner)

I don't know if it's watertight up to 3 feet, but it's a good choice anyway.

I've had Pelican boxes leak - while on a raft. You need to keep the contact edges lubed - Vaseline works. Dry, they can leak.