I’ve had an iPad of one sort or another for a couple of years and have always thought it would make an excellent tool for coaching kayaking. The fact you can video and then have instant play back is very appealing. Obviously the biggest issue is that water and tech don’t mix. Thankfully a Whanganui from Aquapac landed so I could test out my theory.
From Aquapac:
This is our largest submersible case. With plenty of room to store all sorts of valuables.
You can also use this case with popular tablets incl. the Apple iPad and iPad2, the BlackBerry PlayBook, the Motorola Xoom, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Their capacitive screens work normally through the TPU material.
As well as being 100% waterproof, it also protects your gear from dust, dirt and sand.
Like most of our cases it’ll float if you drop it in the drink.
It comes supplied with a shoulder strap.
The seams are high-frequency welded to form a super-strong bond.
The Aquaclip® (a patented, ultra-secure, rustproof, injection-moulded plastic seal) opens and closes with a simple twist of two levers, and everything stays in one piece even when open.
Fascinating Fact: The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. So now you know!
The seal on the Whanganui is super simple to use. Three grey “switches” are turned 90 degrees to lock/unlock and thereby seal the Whanganui. I must admit I was a little nervous when I loaded the iPad into the case as I knew the next step would be to take it into the water. From looking at the seal I am unsure how it actually works but the important thing is that it does work and kept my iPad safe and sound despite being submerged in the water on a number of occasions.
I am very happy that the case does its job well and would be happy putting my passport, phone, car keys or indeed anything else that I need to keep dry/clean whilst on the water within an Aquapac case.
The iPads touch screen was able to be used “as normal”. As the Whanganui has a grey non translucent back I use the front facing camera during the coaching sessions and the quality of the images captured were certainly high enough to make using it worth while. The folks being coached appreciated the fact they were able to see (whilst still on the water) what they needed to do to improve their paddling. Sometimes being able to see what you are doing wrong is better than being told what you are doing wrong. The combination of the Aquapac case and the iPad allowed me to exactly that. Following a couple of days of extended use I have a smaller case on order to use with my iPod Touch as an interface with my GoPro whilst on the water.
the aloksak bag also work with touch screens. which would you recommend? aloksak or Whanganui
For something as valuable as a piece of tech I’d use the Whanganui. The seal is super easy to do up and do up correctly on the Whanganui.