Same here. Aqua pack holds fob, laminated copy of drivers license
, health insurance card and medical history. It’s been in the water a lot without leaking.
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I’ve used Aquapac for years. Keeps electronics and me happy.
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AquaPac made in England. Better quality than stuff made in China.
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I use AquaPac as well, but my Tacoma key fob went through the washer and dryer twice without a drop of water inside. Very well gasketed.
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Are there any other brands you’d recommend? Aquapac has a little first aid dry bag on Amazon for $18. I was going to buy a small, decent dry bag and then go into my climbing stuff and attach with a locking climbing carabiner or maybe a quickdraw.
Yes the Aquapac is not inexpensive but it is bombproof as far as I can tell. I’ve been underwater with it in my PFD holding my keys and medical info sheet and they’ve come out bone dry. I cannot say the same about my small dry bags…they’re not really made to be submerged for any length of time, like if you’re in the water trying to self rescue.
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I have used drypac brand but it’s not as good. Decent but I had my phone in one and it was leaking.
I was going to put my phone and keys in something and then inside a larger dry bag.
Keep phone accessible in case you need it in an emergency especially if you don’t have a VHF.
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Same here with my 4Runner fob and while it’s reassuring to know it’s still getting AquaPac’d. I sometimes miss ye olde metal key.
Don’t the newer cars embed a metal door key in the fob? Per a 2022 comment I just found on line it states that “most” fobs still contain at least a small key that will open the vehicle door, which means you can leave the starter fob inside when paddling and take the door key with you.
My 2015 Mazda has a door key inside the fob shell – had to read the owner’s manual to know it was there and how to open the fob to withdraw it. Since I discovered that I pull the key out and clip it with a lanyard loop to the snap link inside my PFD pocket.
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Yes, there may be a valet key but…what do you do with the fob? I may have mentioned it earlier in the thread but if you leave the electronic fob in the car, someone can hop in and drive away. In my old car, the ignition would recognize the fob even if it was in a bag in the trunk. Once you got into the driver’s seat you could press the ignition switch and roll away.
For $10 or less you can get a tiny Faraday box for a key fob. Hide it in the car (like in a wadded up fast food bag on the floor) and no worries.
Realistically, I used to date a guy who had supported himself in college by stealing cars to order for chop shops or for the owners who wanted to claim insurance on them. He could break into and start any car so quickly you would have thought he had the keys. If you own a car worth stealing for a pro thief, there is little you can do to prevent that happening despite what the alarm companies and car makers would like you to believe.
But hiding and electronically blocking the fob is going to be sufficient to avoid most random theft and vandalism.
I think you just summarized the plot of the movie Gone in 60 Seconds
Not an expert but try wrapping it in aluminum foil. S/b easy enough to test.
This short article says basically the same thing - and also suggests you can use a metal tin. I compulsively save those so I think I’ll give it a try this weekend. My fob fits well in an Altoids tin that could be hidden in multiple places without any trouble.
Are Faraday Bag key blockers worthwhile? - Ask the Car Expert
We went down a Faraday bag rabbit hole!
Notwithstanding the theft concerns relate to leaving the fob hidden in the car, I’d just say that you should test it at home where you hopefully have a backup fob. Although I didn’t put my fob into foil pouch, I hid the fob in the trunk and could not lock the door with the valet key because the car “saw” the fob inside. Not all cars are like that. I could lock the fob inside the car with my previous car.
Back to the Aquapack. It works. If you’re still concerned about water intrusion, put the fob in a ziplock, then into the AP. Mine is tethered to the inside of my PFD, so it goes wherever I go. If get separated from my boat and the key is in a dry bag in the boat > then I have a different problem.
Just following up on this - the Altoids tin did NOT block the fob signal - I was able to unlock and start the car.
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Interesting, thank you for following up. Not everyone does…