Glad Wrap Laptop Cover

[Terry Tyler]

I thought id share a little secret that i use when im out chasing storms to help protect my laptop from water damage. Sometimes, when im out on a big storm. I have to get out of my vehicle, or roll down the window just to take a picture. This happened on 12/9/08 and i lost a $500 dell machine because it got covered in water. When i opened the door, rain water just flew in the door, covered the computer and went beneath the keys which ruint the computer.

After that costly mistake, i started thinking of ways i could prevent it from happening again. One night, i was laying in my bed ready to go to sleep and the idea came to me. If i wrapped my laptop in plastic wrap, maybe i could type and use the computer, while at the same time protect it from harmful influences. So, i took a section of plastic wrap, wrapped it around the computer and i was very pleased with the results.

You can type with ease, it doesnt mash the keys together. On top of that, you can even use the mouse-pad without a hitch. I used this same very technique a few days ago with alot of success. This time, when i got out of my truck. All the rain just beaded up on top of the wrap, which when pulled off left a bone dry machine beneath it.

Just figured id share that solution if anyones had a similar problem. If i did this last year i wouldent have had to buy a brand new computer.

 

[Joey Ketcham]

Good way to keep the water off, if you do this make sure you aren't blocking the vents on the laptop as that could lead to the laptop overheating causing it to shut down automatically or cause damage to the hardware.

 

[GPhillips]

You've probably already thought of this, but if not, make sure you have holes on the bottom or side, wherever the cooling vents are. Otherwise you could have a whole different problem.

Edit...Joey beat me to it.

 

[Jason Boggs]

Nice idea Terry! I like the idea a lot. It's simple, cheap and probably works very well. I'll have to try it this year.

 

[Dan Robinson]

That would be useful in hurricanes. I had a cop once pull up beside me in TS Ernesto, and when I rolled the window down to talk to him, my laptop got soaked. It survived, but a couple of keys stopped working.

 

[Tim Stoecklein]

Good creativity! I would add one more cautionary thought though......I'd remove the wrap when the chase is over, or you might also be trapping moisture beneath the wrap only to have it condensate when running the A/C or leaving the computer in a cooler environment.

 

[David Drummond]

That would be useful in hurricanes. I had a cop once pull up beside me in TS Ernesto, and when I rolled the window down to talk to him, my laptop got soaked. It survived, but a couple of keys stopped working.

Not so much. We tried that and we couldn't keep in on every time we opened the door to get in/out.

 

[George Kourounis]

That's the exact same technique I've seen used by scientists studying seismology on the slopes of Mount Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. It was the end of the rainy season and they were gathering data from an array of seismometers. They had to work outside in the tropical rains for hours at a time.

It was low-tech but worked.
Sometimes the easiest solutions are the best ones.

 

[Jason Foster]

I've never had an issue with water getting on my laptops while chasing....except one time when Chris Collura forgot to loop the coax coming into the truck....and when we entered into and HP storm....the water just came pouring in. Very funny video...have to post it one day.

I would be hesitant to do the plastic wrap thing myself because of the aforementioned issue of overheating, and keeping the wrap on with high winds.

Having a Jotto style laptop desk in the middle of the vehicle seems to cut down on a significant about of rain inside the vehicle. Then, I keep a couple of wash cloths with me, and if see the laptop get some stray rain drops, I just whip it off quickly.

Some laptops are more in danger of breaking with water infiltration than others. Buddy of mine drops a whole cup of fruit cocktail just on his Dell and after replacing the keyboard (too sticky to use), the computer worked fine. But that is one case out of thousands, so take that as it is...just one case.

If I was really worried about moisture, and you have the time and skill, I could see fabricating a plexiglass shield that can flip in and out of the way for use......or invest in a laptop that resists moisture like the Lenovo (former IBM laptop) Think Pads, or similar. Or at the very least, do a test run of the wrap prior to chase time....to see if heating, ease of use, etc. will actually work.

 

[Stephen Locke]

what about solar radiation?

When I bought my Hewlett Packard a couple weeks ago the only color available was black. I actually wanted to get a white computer to reflect sunlight. My concern is sunlight will overheat the computer. The only color they had other than black was pink. I was not feeling man enough to pull that off.

Is direct sunlight a problem?

 

[David Drummond]

When I bought my Hewlett Packard a couple weeks ago the only color available was black. I actually wanted to get a white computer to reflect sunlight. My concern is sunlight will overheat the computer. The only color they had other than black was pink. I was not feeling man enough to pull that off.

Is direct sunlight a problem?

Window tinting really helps with that.

 

[Jason Foster]

Pink.....it's the new Black.

.......The only color they had other than black was pink. I was not feeling man enough to pull that off.

You should have gotten the pink one and then slapped a big "Skyporn" sticker on the middle of it .....that would have been priceless.

 

[Adam Lucio]

Window tinting really helps with that.

Of course depending on what state you live in. I thought about that too but here in Illinois its illegal to have ANY tint what-so-ever on your front windows...whereas the back windows you can go as dark as you want. So that idea got quickly scrapped.

I just blow the AC vents on it.

The wrap idea looks pretty good, I may have to try that one out. Ive had a laptop get soaked before, it survived but I know what can happen. I would try cutting a piece that is the size of the keypad area and tape it to the sides that way the vents are free.