You can’t trust weather reports. Many times, heavy rain caught me by surprise. Fortunately, I use a rainproof pouch to carry my GR III. Read on, better be safe than soaked and sorry…
The Ricoh GR III isn’t weather sealed
The GR III and GR IIIx aren’t weather sealed. If you’re not careful, water could penetrate your camera and damage it. Dust also poses a threat to our lil’ cameras. You can read here how I’m protecting my GR III against dust. Although this solution protects the sensor against foreign elements, it doesn’t make it weather sealed.
Better than your pocket
You’re taking out your GR III for a walk. Suddenly, it starts to rain heavily. You have to protect your $1K camera from being damaged. If you put it in your pocket, it will get as soaked as you are.
The solution to carry safely your GR III without carrying a big camera bag? A small rainproof pouch! It’s the solution I’ve opted for after a lot of thought.
I carry my GR III inside a waterproof pouch
While searching for the right small bag, I was looking for three main things: waterproof, small, and discreet. I ended up buying the compact (19 H x 13.5 W x 5 cm D) Buckle Money Pouch by Rains.
I’m using it as a crossbody bag with the supplied shoulder strap. You can also wear it on a waist belt. The pouch has one main compartment I use to store my camera in. An extra battery and a microfiber cloth are kept in the front zip pocket. After months of use, I can say it’s pretty solid and well-built.
Small, solid and reliable
It’s not cheap though at around 40€ but it protects well! I’ve taken huge unexpected showers in the street of Paris and my camera didn’t get wet! Although this bag isn’t deep, the GR III/IIIx can slide inside easily.
It was a bit tight for My GR III with the GA-1 adapter plus filters mounted on it. To accommodate the extra bulk, I added old loyalty cards wrapped in bubble wrap at the bottom. (Why not?) This helped to loosen up the pouch and add a touch of shockproof. (At least to the bottom.) These are, for me, the only downsides for the Buckle Money Pouch: it’s not shockproof and the space is quite limited inside.
Protect your camera
Weather can be unpredictable at times. Who hasn’t been caught off guard by a sudden rainfall? Better be safe than soaked and sorry. Protect your GR III from water damage. A waterproof and discreet pouch of your choice will help you protect your camera. Your pocket probably won’t.
