DIY Dry Box
My do-it-yourself Dry Box
Just giving in to some queries about my DIY Dry Box I posted here at my Photography Gear Setup. I guess with the onset of the rainy season, for a tropical country like us, a lot of photographers are keen in protecting their gears from humidity and moist. Moist inside your lens and camera body, left alone can damage your gear either with fungus, even rust. Especially now with the rains, there will be a time that our gears will remain longer in the storage than usual. So here’s a detailed look on how I built my DIY Dry Box.
Biokips Airtight Container
There are basically three things you need:
- An airtight, anti-bacterial container
- A desiccant
- A Hygrometer
An airtight container is easy to find. You can easily buy one at department stores and hardwares. I would recommend either Biokips or Lock & Lock since it has a very good quality and anti bacterial construction. Why airtight. Aside from maintaining the temperature and humidity condition inside the container, it’s also a protection against dust. There are various sizes available. I got a big one which can fit several lenses ever 2 camera bodies.
Thermometer and Hygrometer
A desiccant can be a silica gel or a dehumidifier. You can easily buy one at hardware stores. There are also electronic ones which you can buy and those which you re-heat to use. I use a disposable humidifier. A piece is good for more than a month or six weeks use. They are very cheap. You can buy a pack of six at the nearest japan home centers.
Dehumidifier
I guess the trickiest item to find is a hygrometer. I found one in a car accessory shop for around Php 200. You can also a buy a more expensive digital Hygrometer at Infomax for 700+. Some cigarette shops also carry hygrometers if you are lucky. Medical supplies also have those analog hygrometers.
Now in use, just place all your gears inside as well as the Hygrometer and Dehumidifier inside the container and tight it shut. In some cases, like when I just got back from a trip, my Hygrometer would spike up to 80-90 RH%. The ideal RH% would be around 40-60 RH%. Make sure that if the RH% drops below 40 RH% you can open the lid and let some humidity in. A too dry temperature may damage or dry up the liquids and lubricants on some of your gears and lenses. You can also remove the dehumidifier and seal it shut again. The temperature and humidity would remain the same for some time. Even days when not opened.
That’s it. You already got the basic care and protection for your gear. If it’s a hassle for you to getting the items to build one. There are already ready made ones and even electronics dry boxes you can buy. Cheapest I found is at Kameraworld for 1200+. It already has a hygrometer and electric desiccant but the container is a bit small and fragile by the looks of it.
Tags: DIY Dry Box, Do-it-yourself, Photography, Tips
Posted on
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 at 1:58 pm 
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May 27th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
thanks for this ferds! up to now wala pa din akong drybox. i am having a hard time looking for a hygrometer.
May 27th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
wow. this would be very useful to photographers…
May 27th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
heyyyyyy ferdz
nice meeting you kanina sa evening food tour.. hehehe 
nakawin ko mga pics mo ha pag na upload mo na 
yay!
May 28th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Nice one dude! it helps a lot, lalo na sa mga noob like me
May 28th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Great tip re taking care of very senstive equipment, esp in a humid country like Pinas. Here, the humid season is so short and you’re more scared your gear might freeze hehe
May 28th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Thanks for the tips. I knew how to make a DIY drybox but it is so hard to find silica gels here and they are frequently out of stock!
May 28th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
thanks for the tip, very helpful information.
May 29th, 2008 at 9:19 am
one great thing about you is that you are not only teaching us how to take GREAT photos but you are also informing us on how to TAKE GOOD CARE of our equipment, which makes a lot of sense since DSLR and its accessories are not really that cheap. thanks for this Ferdz! and oh yea…it’s been raining a lot lately. but i am happy.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:47 am
very helpful indeed ferdz. thanks for the tips. now i have to check if they have ‘em here in the province. take care
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
looks like i’ll be needing one na din. i just bought a dslr tapos tag-ulan pa ngayon. so basically dyan nakalagay lahat ng gamit mo when not in use or just during the rainy season?
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Hi Ronnie, the Dry box is not only for rainy days. It’s more ideal to store your equipment in a controled humidity. Best also if you take it out on a beach or colder weather to warm. Pag nilagay mo sa Dry Box, you’ll see that the hygrometer spikes up.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:01 am
thank you for the information. got a hygrometer from ebay.ph, P88 dehumidifiers from japan home & biokips plastic containers from ace hardware- ayos nakumpleto ko din. salamat uli.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Hi do you know any shops that sell hygrometers? what is the name of the car accessory shop where you bought it? thanks!
October 5th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Where can I buy that kind of meter with temp and hygrometer?
I already got the lock lock + dehumidifier and silica gel.
What is better to put in the box the dehumidifier or the silica gel?
October 19th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
wow! impressive
November 27th, 2008 at 1:25 am
Good day sir! been planning to make my own but haven’t found the time lately. Just wanted to ask where you got your hygrometer. what car accessory shop did you get it at in particular? thanks for this post.