I take a lot of gear when I go cruising, and while most of it is essential for my safety and comfort, only two things are irreplaceable: my photographs and my notes. Decades after a cruise, those images and words are often all that remains after I’ve sold the boat I’d used and updated all my gear. Although I have a sturdy watertight, crush-proof case for my camera gear, a drybag is all I’ve had to protect my journals and notebooks, pens, and pencils. That’s fine for writing at day’s end when I’m in camp or at anchor, but it’s awkward during the day when I want to make notes while I’m underway. The Clampdesk measures 14" x 11" and weighs just 24 ounces when empty.
Photographs by the author
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What’s your experience with durability of the ClampDesk? Reviews on their website are mixed…
I too looked at the reviews before buying the Clampdesk. The reviews are mixed, but skewed heavily toward the positive. On the Rite in the Rain website there are 23 5-star reviews to 3 1-star. On Amazon it’s 177 to 4. Many of the negative reviews report problems with the zipper. It’s a nyloncoil zipper, the same type and size that has lasted for decades on pants and coats that I wear. The zipper sliders on the Clampdesk have to negotiate its tight corners, and I can feel the resistance at those points, so I don’t force them.
I haven’t had my Clampdesk for long so I can’t speak for durability. While my hard-shell waterproof camera equipment case is tougher than the Clampdesk, I treat my writing and photography equipment carefully. I didn’t subject the Clampdesk to any destructive testing because I don’t expect to subject it to that kind of hard use while I’m cruising. I expect to get my money’s worth of use out of the Clampdesk and I’m hopeful it will last many years.