Ppc And Pda That Broke While Caching

[+Alan2]

OK. We keep hearing how these are so sensitive but I'm curious just how big a problem it is. Who's broke theirs while caching and how did it happen?

[+PDOP's]

Put Palm m100 in my back pocket and then sat on it. Ruined the screen.

[+blindleader]

Speaking only for my iPAQ 2215. It doesn't like being dropped, handled roughly, or getting wet. It was never meant for those conditions.

 

My hand held GPS receivers have been rained upon, dunked in the mud, dropped, sat upon, and suffered any number of other indignities without harm. If I were relying on a PPC based GPSr, I'd have given up or gone broke long ago.

[+Alan2]

Thanks blindleader for your post but it doesn't address my question. Theories abound about that you shouldn't take it into the field. The topic is who had and who's broken theirs. No theories.

 

(PS I have the same ipaq you have and use it all the time in the field. I'v fallen on it once or twice and dropped it twice and except having to reload the program (once) it sill works.

[+blindleader]

If you just wanted to start an argument, why didn't you say so in your original post?

 

signing off

[+Miragee]

I have my Palm M500 in a hard case I got at BigLots!. I have dropped it several times, and without that case it would have broken.

 

Here is a log by someone who did break their PDA.

[+Alan2]

If you just wanted to start an argument, why didn't you say so in your original post?

 

signing off

I'm sorry if my words were argumentative. I just want know what problems and no problems encountered in the field with these devices. I should have been more diplomatic in the way I stated it.

Alan

[+Team Trail Walker]

I trashed the screen of my Palm Tungsten T2 this fall while hiking for several hours in a rain snow mix. Everything in my fanny pack was wet including the T2 that was in a zip-lock bag that wasn't completely sealed. I replaced the screen myself and saved some dough but it was still an expensive mistake. I now cache with my old Visor. Not as nice and much slower, but I don't worry about trashing it. I haven't popped for a waterproof box yet but I'm thinking about it. Probably cost as much as the Visor!

[+oneeyesquare]

Nope... Not in the last 3 years, 4 different PDA's... Always in an Aquapac , slung around my neck, when out caching, NEVER carry it naked when out and about caching. Same goes for daily life, ALWAYS in a case, I use a zippered case which gives great protection for the times I have dropped it. Scares the bejeeber's out of me when I do(drop) too!!!!

[+The Source]

Ive had 2 differant PDAs and Ive had hard cases for both. I have dropped both and I carry them in my back pocket also even when I sit down. With the hard case I have never had a problem. I use mine every day and I take it out in the field with me when im caching.

 

J

[+NWMOhunter]

NEVER carry it naked when out and about caching.

I just want to say Thank You now! In case I do ever see you out caching somewhere by chance, that is one thing I won't have to worry about!!!

[+I.R. Geonut]

I use an HP rx3715. I'm pretty nervous when I take it out but I have had no problems. With winter in Michigan I'm a pretty conservative cacher on the trails. Nothing to treacherous. I do keep it in my inside pocket of my jacket in a leather case. I have never dropped it or submerged it yet this winter.

[+daiichi]

I'm using an HP iPaq 2795... but I bought an Otterbox 1900 (www.otterbox.com) to hold it. Yes it's expensive, but the peace of mind it brings me is worth every dime.

 

I've never dropped mine though (knock on wood)... when I'm out caching, it's usually attached to my bike using a RAM bike mount specifically made for the Otterbox case. Very convenient because the HP/Otterbox just snaps in and snaps off.

 

I'm very interested in this thread--so if anyone has broken their PDA while it was IN a hardcase, I'd like to know about it.

[+oneeyesquare]

Nope... Not in the last 3 years, 4 different PDA's... Always in an Aquapac , slung around my neck, when out caching, NEVER carry it naked when out and about caching. Same goes for daily life, ALWAYS in a case, I use a zippered case which gives great protection for the times I have dropped it. Scares the bejeeber's out of me when I do(drop) too!!!!

Lets change that wording slightly....

 

snip/ never carry the pda naked /unsnip

 

Although the original wording has relevance too....

[+gcslim]

Never dropped mine and I am pretty careful about keeping it covered when its wet out. I did, however, bust my CF GPSr one time. I was caching in a local park, let my kids go over to the playground while I went to a pavilion and started hunting. All of a sudden I hear my girls start screaming, so I shove my Axim into my pocket and ran over there to find a wasp had stung them both. Once I got back home, I took my PDA out and saw that the CF GPS card had folded when I was running. If I held it at just the right angle it would still work, but I took advantage of the opportunity to replace it with a bluetooth GPS.

 

Anyway, I imagine that had there been no emergencies while caching I would still be using that CF GPS.

 

Of course, the worst part of it all was the DNF.

[+Amazon Annie]

I have a Sony ClieSJ22 (no longer made) and it was left out in the snow for over 24hrs until it was found by another local cacher. It continued to work perfectly until I added a bit too much moisture while trying to put on a new screen protector a few months later.

 

The replacement ($50 on ebay) has been dropped, used in the rain and snow etc and is still chugging along just fine.

 

I want a new Palm T|X but I'm afraid I'm too abusive toward my PDA's. I'd get a hard case to protect it for sure.

[+DocDiTTo]

I was on a caching trip with 3 others, we ended up going for an unexpected swim, and because of it 2 digital cameras, a cell phone and 2 PDAs all stopped working. I think one or two of the items did end up working after being disassembled and dried out though. IMHO, there's no quicker way to kill a piece of electronic equipment than to stick it under water for a couple minutes.

Edited January 4, 2006 by DocDiTTo

[+Klemmer]

Palm Tungsten T3 in a Rhino Skin case has been sat on in my pack, dropped several times, and I even STEPPED on it once (at home!). No damage. Good stuff.

 

Water not a problem in SoCal. I just stay home (5 times a year or so)

[+Greymane]

I use my units all of the time (Axim x50v, Axim X30, Axim X5 and Holux GPSmile 60). Not one broken or damaged yet. (Knock on wood.) For light duty, I use an Aquapac. For more rugged use, I use an Otterbox hard case. Both work great, keep my PDA dry and dirt free, and let me use the unit without opening the case. We have damaged a few units in the office or in the car over the years, but never in the field.

[+Night Stalker]

I have an Ipaq 3955 that I carry in a padded case. I have had it fall out of my fanny pack several times without any damage. I suspect this would not have been the case if I did not keep it in the padded case.