I blogged while back, in my Running Kit post, about how I use Ziplock bags to keep my iPhone (running RunKeeper) dry on wet runs, a fairly common occurrence in the UK. Now, I know this isn’t the most interesting subject, but the weather can be yet another excuse not to go out, especially if you’re carrying an expensive electrical device, like a smart phone for monitoring your activity.
On those rainy days I simply pop the iPhone into my trusty ziplock bag (normally double bagging for extra safety), start of Runkeeper (yes, you can still use the iPhone through the plastic of the bags), pop it in my Photon running belt and off I go. In the past I’ve done this in anything from light drizzle to an absolute downpour and so far the ziplocks have servered me well.
The bags last a while, but aren’t really designed for extensive reuse so I do replace them every few weeks for a fresh one. They are so cheap (100 for less than £2) its not exactly a financial burden.
The only niggle was that the ziplock bag I used was 7.5″ x 5″ which meant the bag was a bit too wide for the iPhone. Not a problem as I could simply fold the extraneous bag width back across the phone. The only issue with this was that the ziplock seal was then bent, and bending seals is not a good idea. This is probably why I opted for the double bag approach in the first place, but even then both seals (the inner and outer bag) were bent over.
Anyway, my 7.5″ x 5″ bags were running short due to wear and tear and being used by family members for other purposes, so I needed to order some more. I took the oppertunity to rethink the size issue. After a quick look on Amazon I found a ziplock bag with the dimentions of 7.5″ x 3″. I thought I’d give this version a go so I bounght 100 of them and another 100 of the 7.5″ x 5″ version, just in case.
The 7.5″ x 3″ works really well. The iPhone (iPhone 4 in case you are wondering) fits in snuggly and you can also – just – double bag it using two 7.5″ x 3″. No extraneous bag width, so no seal bending and less chance of a leak. I still double bag, but that’s just me being cautious.
For less than £2 for 100 you can’t go wrong and I have yet to find a light, slim iPhone armband or ‘jacket’ that’s downpour waterproof.
Nice article.
However, I can’t seem to find the exact ziploc you used. Can you post a link? Thanks!
Hi Eric.
I purposely didn’t put any links to sellers in the article because the sales end and restart all the time, so a link might quickly become invalid.
However heres one example on Amazon if you click here.
I found this simply by going to Amazon.com and searching on ‘ziplock plastic bags 7.5 x 3′.
Hope this helps.
Scrib.