Storm(r) Shelter…
I don’t know about you, but I end up fishing in the rain more than I care to. Too often, that rain is Northern Pacific, gutter-filling, stream-bank-overflowing heavy—the kind of rain that makes you wonder why you got out of bed, much less left the shelter of your car or cabin.
The problem is that often enough that kind of rain coincides with some pretty good fishing, and if you want to take pictures of the fish you need a waterproof camera or a way of protecting the one you have—whether it’s a point-and-shoot or a phone.
Last fall I was fortunate to fish out of Venice, Louisiana, and I had one day of offshore scheduled. The targets were blackfin and yellowfin tuna. The only problem was that my offshore day also had bad weather scheduled.
Arriving at the port at zero-dark, skipper Peace Marvel said it looked like the storm was going to keep us on shore. Not only was it a large one, but also the radar said that the rain it dumped was heavy. And it was, kinda, like an Alaskan rain.
But Marvel looked at the storm’s progress and the wind velocity, and he decided we could make a run ahead of the really bad stuff as the storm had stalled onshore. He expected us to get wet, though, so cameras and phone stayed locked away in the boat’s cuddy.
So I didn’t get shots of blackfin running up the chum slick to the side of the boat with their dorsals out of the water. And I didn’t get shots of my friends with their fish or me with the big blackfin I landed on spinning gear and a saltwater Rat-L-Trap. I’ve got the memories (and the tuna), but the photos would have been nice if only to give my buds a bad time about what I did and what they didn’t.
Stormr has a fix for that. Its Waterproof Smart Phone Cell Jacket is large enough to handle most Smartphones and some of the smaller point-and-shoot cameras.
This isn’t a blinged-up zip-lock, but rather, it’s a two-part envelope that will keep your electronics from getting wet and allow them to function at the same time.
The envelope is a clear, heavy-grade TPU plastic that has sealed seams on three edges. The closure of the fourth is what makes the case stand out. The closure forms the fourth side of the Jacket.
There are three black plastic bars that work in concert to keep moisture out. All have rare-earth magnets incorporated into the plastic. The polarity of the two outermost bars is complementary and firmly closes the Jacket. While the magnets are visible, they are on the outside of the material of the envelope, and they firmly compress the two sides of the Jacket together.
That closure probably is enough to make the Jacket pretty much waterproof, but it’s the third bar that really seals the deal. The two outermost bars fold down and connect magnetically to the third, making the closure waterproof. The neat thing about the Jacket is that the TPU material is thin enough to let you work your camera or phone without taking it out of the case. You also can shoot photos through the TPU, but the quality probably won’t be quite as clear as if the camera (or phone) was outside simply because you’re shooting through the plastic. While I’ve not tested the fact, Stormr says the Jacket lets you use your camera underwater. If you’re doing that or taking your phone with you while diving, make sure that the device, whichever one it is, can take the pressure of the water.
One more thing, the Stormr Waterproof Smart Phone Cell Jacket comes with an adjustable lanyard that can fit around your neck or attach to a D-ring on your vest or jacket. You should also note that the magnets don’t interfere with electronics, credit cards, memory cards or the like.
For more information, go to: www.stormrusa.com.