Protect your Gear. The Ruggard 80L Dry Cabinet for your Camera Gear! (Video)
By Steve Huff
My quick video overview of the Ruggard 80L
Well this is something different! This came to me for a review and to share my thoughts on it and I personally never knew a product like this existed. Is it needed? Well, that all depends on where you live. The item I am looking at today is the Ruggard 80L Dry Cabinet which is basically a De-Humidifer for your camera gear. This model, the 80L comes in at only $249 and is very well made, has digital humidity controls and LED Lighting inside. The glass cover/door makes for a cool protective display of your gear. Seeing that I live in Arizona where the air is dry as a bone, I really do to need a Dehumidifier but I can still get use out of this unit as it also keeps dust out of your gear. Usually my cameras and lenses are on a shelf or in a glass cabinet in my office. Dust collects on them over time and sometimes there is a lot of dust, and I hate dust. By keeping my cameras in the Ruggard I am also keeping them dust free.
THIS MODEL, the 80L is the larger of the two and can hold and protect quite a bit of gear.
Here are the details from the B&H Photo website:
“Protect your lenses, photographic and optical equipment, mobile electronics, and other valuable accessories from excessive moisture, dirt, and dust with the Ruggard 80L Electronic Dry Cabinet. The cabinet’s fast-acting TE Cooling Wafer regulates the interior’s relative humidity from 25-60% to help prevent fungus and corrosion that can damage your gear. Humidity adjustments take place over a 1 to 3-hour period.
Fully-featured, the cabinet has a lockable, rubber-sealed glass door, with 2 two keys, and a front handle. A large, dimmable LCD displays ambient temperature (in Fahrenheit or Celsius), relative humidity, and other settings. Interior LED lights make viewing and finding gear easier. Both the base and the adjustable sliding shelf are padded to help guard against scratches.
The Electronic Drying Cabinet is powered by an included multi-voltage power supply. In addition to being near-silent, without a fan or compressor to make noise, the unit is also dripless, eliminating the need for a water tray. The bottom front of the cabinet has two adjustable leveling feet.”
THE SMALLER 30L – Comes in at $139.95!
If I lived in a humid environment, let’s say FLORIDA for example, I would own two of these to hold ALL of my camera gear and lenses. This could be a lifesaver for your gear in that kind of humidity. Keep your lenses free of fungus and moisture and your precious electronics free from moisture as well. At the price point, I find this to be a bargain. The smaller 30L which is usually IN STOCK at B&H comes in at $139 and looks like a great unit as well, you just lose some size. But $140 for a dry cabinet to protect your gear that is well made, has a 5 year warranty, a glass door, LED lighting and electronic humidity control? I’d say it was more like a steal (again, if you live in a humid environment).
This Dry Cabinet can also be used to “dry out” your gear if you have it exposed to high humidity when out. Attractive, well made and affordable.
You can see more details or order this Dry Cabinet at B&H Photo using the links below.
The model I have here is the 80L, and can be seen HERE.
I too lived in Phoenix and preferred evaporative coolers to air conditioners in the summer so I could keep doors and/or windows open.
Evaporative coolers create a higher humidity, of course.
Am I missing the sponsor link for the book? I’d go straight to Amazon, but I want you to get credit for it.
The link is in the YouTube video description. Thank you.
Ordered, thx. I think it would be a good idea to cross-post sponsor links here – I was viewing the video embedded, which means I saw no description. Cheers!
I use waterproof/airtight storage trunks from The Container Store, toss in a rechargeable dehumidifier and a humidity gauge from Amazon. You need this not only if you live in Florida, but also by the beach in Los Angeles.
Each trunk is bigger than this cabinet, but the cabinet is a much prettier product.
I would like a full size cabinet with glass doors etc, but the one Steve reviewed is still way too small for all my gear.
You must have a ton of gear! I could fit 10-12 Sony A7’s on the top shelf, and probably 20-23 lenses on the bottom shelf for said A7’s. It has much more room than it seems!
I spent a bit of time in Puerto Rico . Electronics just stop working down there from so much humidity. Cell phones , TVs you name it. Most people I worked with always purchased the insurance plan for if your phone gets wet because of the humidity.
Good idea re: those rechargeable dehumidifier packs. You can also get industrial indicating silica gel desiccants for very little money and just pour them into a small open container (don’t eat them). As far as living by the beach in LA… it’s still low humidity most of the time.
OMG !! my lord … Geek world has no limit
if someone would say that drinking beewax would be helpful making better pictures, i’m certain plenty would drink a litter right now
Buddha said once ” possession and the feeling of possession is against happiness …useless ” … you don’t possess anything but your belongings possess you
lol true true..
Seems over the top a little until you start buying older lenses and realize just how many have at least a little fungal growth. These, or some type of protection, are a good investment if you keep your lenses for a long time and live in an area with moderate to high humidity.
Preordered mine from B&H too. It’s still sitting in the shipping box, as I haven’t had time to unpack it yet. Can’t wait!