Conclusion
All things considered, I have to recommend the Otter Box. It proved itself to be waterproof, and though it's not completely indestructible, it'll protect your valuables even after its structural integrity has been compromised. After getting hit by a car, the box looks a little battered, but the lid still opens and shuts smoothly, the latches still work, and it still protects my PalmPilot from the usual jostling inside my knapsack. That's some impressive engineering.

If you work in an environment where it's difficult to keep your electronic equipment from getting wet, you should get yourself an Otter Box. Don't just take my word for it, however. Tori Murden, the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean, offers this testimonial in her voyage log: "Otter Boxes are the best new item on board. Had I known about Otter Boxes on my last journey, I might not have lost communications eight days from shore." I know what she means. Halfway down that Log Flume, I was thinking the exact same thing.

Janine Sutphen (1946-2003) was a Durham, NC-based freelance writer and cellist. Sadly, she was murdered in the early part of 2003. She will be missed.