I need a CHEAP watertight case!

[stupot]

right well first of all im not expecting much stuff to come up, but its worth a shot anyway.

i need a case (doesnt have to be rigid) that can hold a 350d, 18-55, 70-200 f4, and a small prime. thats all. ok ive looked briefly at peli/storm cases and they're not cheap. i was just wondering whether there were any altermatives.

im going canoeing for a week or two and need to keep my gear dry just in case. is there anywhere that just manufactures large plastic bags with a watertight zip? they would be ideal, i can just shove all my gear in, zip up and keep it in a backpack when im not using it. i like to travel light so hard cases are not so desirable but an option... im also not keen on attracting the attention that a hard case might.

so, anything out there? im willing to take a risk by not buying a peli case. id even go as far as to stick each item into a ziplock food bag individually, then in a camera bag...! humm...

thanks for any help,

stu

[stupot]

do they exist?! hehe

[OdiN1701]

Well...good ones are not cheap. And I don't know of any cheaper ones.

[phylet]

what about those zip-lock food bags? might be hard to trust something that cheap, but they cost pennys each.

id use a few to get multi-layers to produce a fail-safe. and make sure theres no air in them, or they could pop open, what i do is insert a straw, zip it almost all the way shut, suck the air out then quickly shut it.

[AKRover]

If you don't want your gear to get wet or sink when the boat tips it would be a good investment to get a small pelican case that is just big enough to fit what you listed. You should be able to get one for under $100.

[photographicsafaris]

Acually you already have a camera bag, now you just need to buy a orblieb dry bag to put your camera bag into. as used by most white water rafting companies, these cost around $40

www.ortlieb.com

Does that help?

[Wilt]

so, anything out there? im willing to take a risk by not buying a peli case. id even go as far as to stick each item into a ziplock food bag individually, then in a camera bag...! humm...

thanks for any help,

stu

There are dry bags made for outdoor sportsmen to enclose clothing etc. and keep them dry in a boat. Have you looked at stores having outdoor sporting equipment or marine stores? (Years ago I bought one for myself from a marine supply store that had sailing equipment.)

[Woolburr]

There is this option from Lowepro.
Lowepro Dryzone bags (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=RootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=lowepro+dryzone+200&image.x=0&image.y=0)

[Lord_Malone]

id even go as far as to stick each item into a ziplock food bag individually, then in a camera bag...! humm...

thanks for any help,

stu

I've done that. It works.

[lakiluno]

a dry bag does the job fine. They're not so common on this side of the atlantic, but you can get them.

[stupot]

cool, thanks guys! will look into all that.

[BearLeeAlive]

Dry bags can work great at keeping the gear dry, but.......

I do a lot of canoeing and would not dream of using anything but a Pelican case. If you are doing any river running and go through rapids the shock resistance of a Pelican just can't be beat. You can get one for well under $100 bucks. The 1400 would likely work for you, the 1500 for sure.

I had a film SLR body cracked many years ago while in a dry bag. someone turned a canoe over and dropped it right on it.

The case makes a great seat or small table too.

Would you trust your baggie idea through here, this is a shot I took earlier this year.

http://bearleealive.smugmug.com/photos/72045593-M.jpg

You can get bucked around like in the rodeo too.

http://bearleealive.smugmug.com/photos/72050842-M.jpg

Now, go do the right thing............;)

[PEACHMAN]

Pelican makes a case that will allow the camera to take a beating and stay dry,,dry,,,dry! Smaller ons start around $70 if I remember...

[stupot]

nice shots bear, dont think ill see the thames like that though! maybe you're right about the pelican case...

The case makes a great seat or small table too.

thats a good point! ill have a look for cheap ones on ebay.

[OdiN1701]

The Pelican cases will float too.

Drop a dry bag in the water loaded with camera equipment, and it's going to sink to the bottom.

[jevidon]

LowePro Dryzone series is good if you are looking for something that isn't a hard case like the Pelican series.

[danedel]

I use 3 x 1500 pelicans for all my gear...you just cant beat them. You get what you pay for :-) They also double as a nice seat when stacked ;-)

[danedel]

looking back I wish I got two of the 1510 pelicans, with wheels and they meet the airline cary on specs.

[BearLeeAlive]

I like the look of the 1510's but the OP is taking them canoeing and I don't think they would work for that too good.

[danedel]

yeah, its prob a bit large....

[AlexMN]

Try one of these, have used the Aquapacs on boats before and they work well,

http://www.aquapac.net/ukstore/erol.html

Or one of the Drybags from here, this is the cheaper option and should work just as well...

http://www.gear-zone.co.uk/eshop/Ortlieb.html

Hope that helps

Alex

[johnnybfan]

I like the look of the 1510's but the OP is taking them canoeing and I don't think they would work for that too good.

The nice thing about the Pelican cases (no matter which one) is that they can handle everything. Even though the 1510 might be a hair - or 2 - large, it will protect your gear from all that your trip has to offer.
I think that that kind of protection is cheap at any price.

[bones]

I would invest in the pelican cases. They are also guaranteed for life. I would recommend you checking at a local scuba dive shop....they sometimes have them and usually cheaper. They may also have knock off pelcans. Good luck.