I paid full price for one of these a couple years ago. It works very well with the Garmin 76 series. It's almost like it was made for it. Only dowside is mine cracked during use in some very cold weather. I was able to fix it with Aquaseal and it's still going strong. I may get another at $11 as a backup because it works so well. It has built in flotation too.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Product.aspx?baseno=1041W&cdf=TopSeller
Hubby loves it
He uses it for his cell phone and it shows no wear yet but again we haven’t used it in very cold weather which would probably crack the plastic when it hardens from the cold. We put a little piece of paper towel for any condensation which might creep in when bringing phone in and out while paddling. (kids calling !!!) Paid full price at the time we bought it…
Garmin 76CSx is waterproof!
Since the Garmin 76 is waterproof and floats, I see no need for a case. Would be good for a cell phone and maybe a small camera.
common misconception
Here is from the spec sheet:
“Fully gasketed, high-impact plastic alloy, waterproof to IEC 529 IPX7 standards”
But, IPX7 standard is actually the standard for dustproof, not waterproof. IPX8 (or equivalent) is considered to be waterproof. IPX7 is good is the unit may accidentally get splashed or rained on, but not something you would want to swim with, play in surf/white water with, roll with, etc.
Garmin has replaced an IPX7 GPS for me (a different model) once under warranty due to water intrusion, and another friend has had 2 replaced. But the warranty is only a year - after that you are on your own…
I now keep my GPS in a bag like the one shown.
Wrong, 7 is immersion to 1m…
… up to 30 min.
8 typically goes a bit beyond that. Deeper or longer - depending on mfg spec (standard is not fixed like the other levels). The lower numbers are various levels of splash protection, and dust/particle intrusion.
Look it up.
The 76 series are immersible (but check the battery compartment regularly)
I swim with my 76
I carry it in a non-waterproof pouch that fastens sungly to my pfd. It hasn’t failed yet, but my swims are short and shallow. I always inspect the battery compartment soon after.
But I use a case just like that one for my cell phone. It works great.
YMMV
Hey, your mileage may vary, but the experience I and others I paddle with have had with Garmin units has lead us to believe they should be in dry bags.
Your are fine for the first year, as they do seem pretty readily to warranty units that had water ingress, but good luck if something happens after the warranty runs out.
Dustproof is different
A dustproof rating uses a number in place of the X. IP68 has the highest dust rating and the highest waterproof rating. Sometimes a third digit is used to give a rating for mechanical stress.
I understand
I may have a different attitude about it, because I 1)never pay anywhere near retail for my gps, 2)use it almost daily under a wide range of conditions, 3)use it for work and therefore claim a deduction and 4)am always looking for an excuse to upgrade.
But seriously, the only unit that I’ve seen a seal failure on was one that had the “click stick” - which had a worn out seal over the stick. I went to the 76 series specifically because they don’t use the click stick.
My 76C fits right in that bag.
It may not technically need the bag, but have had a Garmin Rhino 110 get some saltwater intrusion into the batt. compartment in the past and would like to avoid that in the future. I try to take the 76 out of the bag daily and let things dry out in case of condensation buildup in the bag.
Have you folks heard about the idea of opening up batt. compartments, etc. when the unit is not in use so that the gasket doesn't take a 'set' and stays 'springy' so that it seals? This can apparently make the gasket lose it's ability to seal faster than it might otherwise. Just an idea I've heard. Anybody have personal experience with the properties of these seals for all these electronic devices that might be able to shed some more light on this thought?
Won’t work
for storing your banana.
Jim
I do, but for a different reason
Started doing this after had moisture get inside a Pentax Option W20 (which is JIS8, similar to IPX8) on a 1 day trip. The camera was living in my PFD pocket up until that point. The moisture only fogged the lens, and cleared up with the compartment open and the camera sitting in the sun. Since then, I have left my waterproof electronics gear stored with compartments open so they can allow any moisture that may have gotten in a chance to escape.
OK…spill the beans-what’s the story-nm