Tip of the day: Protecting your gadgets

Summer vacations can be tough on cell phones, digital cameras, iPods, GPS, and other mobile electronics. How do you keep your portables safe from sand, surf, and other summertime hazards when you head to the beach or pool or hit the showers after a swim?

Some of us here at Consumer Reports have stumbled on a really inexpensive solution: the reseal-able plastic bag, more commonly used to keep food fresh.

Sure, stashing your stuff in a clear sandwich bag may not seem chic—especially given the myriad choices in protective cases for portable electronics. But it is a smart (and extremely simple) way to keep things safe. After all, if that bag can keep your ham on rye dry, it'll also keep your mobile phone moisture-free, too!

What's more, you don't even have to take your gadget out of its clear cocoon to use it in most cases. In one informal trial, a staffer had no trouble answering and talking on her bagged phone. That's a neat trick—literally—if you have to take a call while applying suntan lotion or eating ice cream. Another colleague was able to listen to tunes on his zipped-up MP3 player via Bluetooth headphones.

Scoff, if you want. But some protection is better than none. Right after we talked about this idea in our offices, a friend inadvertently went into a beach shower with her phone in her pocket. When last seen, she was still trying to bring it back to life.

Of course, a plastic bag provides no crash protection if you drop your gear onto a hard surface. But it is a low-cost, easy-to-find, and easy-to-fit-in-your-pocket-or-purse solution for common summer hazards—especially for kids with sticky hands.

For other helpful summertime tips, see our free "Guide to summer health & safety" on ConsumerReports.org.