Chapter 5 — Protecting and Mounting Your GPS

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FIGURE 5-16: Overlapped tubing covers sharp edges.

Commercial Protection for GPS and PDAs

If you have spent hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars on your electronic equipment, you might choose to protect it with some of the commercial protectors available. Inexpensive cases also exist for your GPS. These cases are similar to cases used to hold cell phones, but they can only be relied upon to offer the bear minimum of extra protection. Nonetheless, these cases are ideal for storing your GPS when at home or in the car, and do prevent scratch damage from keys and coins when in a pocket.

Here is a quick tour of some of the commercial protection solutions available that enable you to take your precious gear out of the safety of your home and into the outdoors.

Storm Case

The Storm Case by Hardigg is the ideal way to package your gear for transportation. These cases can really take a battering while still offering excellent protection to the equipment they contain. Figure 5-17 shows the smallest case in the Storm Case range — the iM2100.

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FIGURE 5-17: Hardigg Storm Case iM2100

These cases are crush-resistant, shatterproof, dent-resistant, watertight, airtight, and virtually unbreakable — everything electronic devices need. They are also equipped with a pressureequalizing valve (see Figure 5-18) that accommodates pressure changes and prevents burst seals when the pressure increases or drops (handy for aircraft travel).

The inside of the case is lined with special shock-absorbing foam (see Figure 5-19) that cushions and protects what you keep inside.

The trick when using a case such as the Storm Case is to pack it so that nothing touches the edges of the case and no items touch one another, as shown in Figure 5-20. This arrangement offers the contents the best chance of survival if worse comes to worst.

For more details on the Hardigg Storm Case range, visit www.stormcase.com.

Aquapac

A great way to protect your GPS or PDA when on the move is by using an Aquapac carrier. A small one suited to GPS receivers is shown in Figure 5-21, while a bigger one for an iPAQ is shown in Figure 5-22.

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FIGURE 5-18: Pressure-equalizing valve

FIGURE 5-19: The cases are lined with shock-absorbing foam.

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FIGURE 5-20: This is a good arrangement that offers good protection when carrying multiple devices.

FIGURE 5-21: Aquapac suitable for a GPS receiver

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FIGURE 5-22: Aquapac suited to an iPAQ

Some carriers are soft PVC cases that have a special closure at the top to prevent water and dirt from reaching your device (see Figure 5-23).

These are very effective and both waterand dirtproof. If you want the capability to run cables to your GPS or PDA, you can get an Aquapac with a special cable port, which is also waterproof and dirtproof. Figure 5-24 shows an Aquapac containing a cable-connected PDA, sealed in safely from the environment.

The Aquapac doesn’t offer much in the way of damage protection, but it does offer a great defense from the environment. It also offers the added advantage that you can still use your device while it is in the case.

In addition, if you drop a GPS inside an Aquapac into water, the whole package will float, giving you the chance to retrieve it before it sinks to the bottom.

These cases come with a lanyard designed to be worn around the neck. Personally, I don’t like this because of the danger posed by the cord snagging on undergrowth and choking you. In addition, if you trip or fall, the device is in a prime position to take the brunt of the fall.

For more details on the Aquapac range, visit www.aquapac.net.

You might also be interested in checking out Voyageur bags, which are similar to the Aquapac. See www.voyageur-gear.com for more details.

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FIGURE 5-23: The Aquapac closure is effective at keeping out water, dirt, and dust.

FIGURE 5-24: This Aquapac has a special cable port that enables you to have a cable connected to the iPAQ while in the case.

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Otter Box

Another way to protect your devices from the elements is to enclose them in a box or case. The usual disadvantage of this option is that normally you can’t use or interact with the device while it’s in the box.

Otter Products have solved this problem with their Otter Box range designed for PDAs. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The Otter 2600 shown in Figure 5-25 is a basic case designed to offer good protection from the elements.

FIGURE 5-25: The Otter 2600

A more sophisticated case is the Otter 3600 case shown in Figure 5-26. This case offers excellent protection from the elements and from damage sustained from knocks, falls, and even being driven over!

The great thing about the Otter cases is that you can still use your device while it is in the case. This is made possible through the use of the thin, flexible plastic film on the face of the case. It is especially useful with a Bluetooth-enabled GPS and PDA combination. Figure 5-27 shows a close-up of the front of the Otter 2600.

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FIGURE 5-26: The top of the range Otter 3600

FIGURE 5-27: The flexible plastic film on the front enables you to use your device while it is still in the case.

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This can be considered a weak point of the case, and an impact in the right (or wrong) spot could break the screen. The Otter 3600 gets around this problem with the addition of a tough plastic cover that flips down over the screen (see Figure 5-28). It can be flipped up out of the way when you need to interact with the PDA.

FIGURE 5-28: The well-armored Otter 3600 has a flip-down polycarbonate covering to shield the plastic film on the front.

The Otter 3600 also has clear windows at the top and bottom on the case (see Figure 5-29) that enable you to send and receive data via the infrared link, and optional extras enable you to run cables into the box without diminishing the protection it offers.

For more details on the Otter range of products, visit www.otterbox.com.