Waterproof rear lights
 

Any suggestions for waterproof rear lights? I've tried a range of lights that are 'water resistant' and they are ok for a few hours, but invariably after a day (or night) in the rain, they tend to play up.

I do long distance brevet/randonneur riding so if the day is wet, I (and my lights) get wet. Virtually all of my riding partners have the same issue.


thanks in advance...

I use the Planet Bike Superflash, and while it is water resistant, it is not water proof. If I think I'll being encountering wet conditions, I cut a rectangular piece of something like Saran wrap and place it over the light. I place a rubber band around the mounting base of the light and the wrapping film. I use the same trick on the control head of my bike computer. So far, so good. The Superflash on the seat post is most prone to intrusion by water. The one on the seat stay does not seem to get as wet.

This may work as an interim measure until you can find a waterproof light.

I've had problems with the Planet Bike letting water in and corroding the contacts inside, too.

No problems on any of my Cateye blinkies, that have been right next to the PBs during rain showers. As for models, pick one. Or two. Cateye seems to have water proof done right.

Strange. I ride in all weather. I've used many lights, from SuperFlash to Dinotte, and water has never really been an issue. I wouldn't submerge them, but short of that, they should be fine.

I've never had the problem on PBSF under my saddle with backscratcher fender either. I do quite a bit of rain rides. My biggest problem is cover gets loose and falls off on bumps.

I run a seperate battery pack on my rear lights,tucked under my rack.So the rear light has no batteries.I seal them with silicone.

A minute film of silcone grease on the rubber seal helps a lot to improve sealing by creating a hydrophobic barrier. Apply just enough make the gasket shiny. So far, it's done the trick for me.

Put any light in a clear sandwich bag and it's rain proof. Be careful, some of the bags rip easily.

Even though the rubber seal on the Superflash can be well sealed, the led in the middle of the circular lens is not sealed to the lens. A rear fender can also make a big difference.

If you like a semi-permanent clear seal, try GOOP All purpose adhesive. However, if you want something that is less permanent, that is, you can easily peel off later, try Liquid Tape which is an electrical insulator as well. Both have worked well for me.

I've never had a problem with my Dinotte, I have had a superflash fail me in rain however. Now I run a ring of easy to remove tape around the superflash case, so far so good.

My MagicShine has never given me any trouble regardless of rain. I keep the battery in a waterproof pannier,though if I didn't have that I'd drop it into a plastic jar in a bottle cage and run the wire out of the bottom.

Neither of the Dinotte models I own have issues with water.

It should be noted that the Dinotte models that use AA batteries do have trouble with rain. They will operate in the rain but the battery pack gets soaked. That doesn't bother them immediately but after a few rains the cheap battery holder will corrode and become unreliable. Luckily replacements are about $2 at Radio Shack. Still, when I had one, I would buy 2 or 3 of the packs every time I ran out, because I only made it through maybe 3 rainy days before having to throw out a holder.

It's easy to use a tupperware container or a waterproof canoe/boat box drill a hole, seal the wires coming out with RTV.
Places like radio shack and electronic places also some times have cabinets/project boxes.

With my new Dinotte 300r the batteries are sealed inside the light. My old Dinotte has external batteries inside a pack, it sits on my seat post under the seat so while it can get wet, it doesn't get soaked.

Well sure, you can waterproof anything. But I don't think the OP meant "lights that are waterproof if you stick them in a waterproof container." I just thought I'd mention that these lights are not waterproof as shipped.

Interesting. My experience has been mostly the opposite. Yes, the batteries and holder get wet, but I have yet to throw out a holder. I've been using my 140R roughly 50 miles/week since Oct. 2007 (commuting 2x per week plus one other day of riding, year around, in the rainy Pacific Northwest). From Oct 2007 to Dec. 2009 I also used a DiNotte 200L front light. That's two battery holders exposed for over two years. Overall, I'd say nearly half of my ride time is in the rain or wet, and I've never had a AA holder fail on me. I wonder why the difference....

A rear fender makes a world of difference in keeping blinkies alive in the wet.

FWIW, I contacted Dinotte and they confirmed that this would happen, and that I should be careful to dry out the battery pack after any dampness. Maybe we have acid rain here.

I'm beginning to think that this (suggested by a few) may be the best option - along with a thin film of silicon or maybe even fmileto55's suggestion of liquid tape (which I've never heard of before) may be the next steps.

The other thing I am thinking is that over time the lights lose their water-resistance.

If anyone is aware of rear lights that are, and stay, waterproof out of the box, I'm still interested.

thanks for all the responses.

I've never had a problem with any light getting water in the case. I also ride a lot in the rain, and use a rear fender.

Lights I've used that have been waterproof include Cateye TL-1100, Mars 4.0, PBSF, and the Radbot 1000.

I've never taken the batteries out solely to dry things out. Typically, I book-end my week with bike commuting (I work four days/wk). I ride one day, then ride again on the 4th day. I charge my batteries after the second commute of the week. If they get wet on day 1, then they stay wet/or dry on their own. If they get wet on day 4, then yes, I take them out to charge them, not to dry them.

I have done absolutely nothing to deserve the holders lasting so long (3.5 years so far). If I was to guess, a major factor is probably that the batteries are mounted on top of my rear rack. The rack is protected from spray by a fender. Naturally, the rack is behind me, the rider. They probably don't get very wet most of the time.

I have used them perhaps 15 to 20 times with it mounted by the rear wheel on a bicycle child trailer. In that set up, the battery pack is close to both the ground and the trailer wheel. A few times while doing this, I've been rained on pretty hard, and they probably got soaked.

I also ride with fenders, and the pack doesn't get really wet in a light rain, but if it's really coming down hard they get soaked, and that's when I find the pack malfunctioning within a few days afterward.

I have used tape - wrapped around the seam of various PBSF and Vista/Cat-eye lights. Of course the hassle is that you have to re-apply when you change out batteries, but it does seem to make a difference.

As far as the 4xAA setups - I think you really should "bag it up" in plastic or sooner or later you'll get corrosion.

There is simply no way that moisture and electrical contacts/connections will play nice.

I've been using the Ultrafire WF-501B from DX about a year now. I also bought 3 of them for my friends, one of whom commutes to work everyday in any weather conditions, including rain. I twice rode under torrential rain with two of these on. These flashlights are awesome, very bright, so bright in fact, that I stick a Kinder Surprise plastic shell on it at night! The shell from the egg fits well, really tight.

I'll upload some photos later. I use the universal bike mount, zip-tied to the rear rack.