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I'm planning to attend some demonstration these coming days. However, winter is upon us, and there's going to be rain. And the placards are made of paper; thick paper board, but still paper, which will not withstand anything more than a light drizzle.

Now, you must be thinking: "Use a large umbrella". But the thing is, I need both hands to hold my placard. (Plus, an umbrella is rather unwieldy, and makes you a more attractive target to opponents of the demonstration.)

So, what would you recommend as a solution for keeping my demonstration placards(s) dry and visible?

Notes:

  • If you suggest using a different material, note that poster longevity is generally low because the police often tears them up or confiscates them. Also, assume there is currently a set of posters that I need to work with and they're paper.
  • The location is Israel/Palestine, and the temperature is low, but markedly above zero.
einpoklum
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3 Answers3

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You could wear rain gear to protect yourself and warm clothes underneath.

For the poster board you can try a clear acrylic spray paint or even get large sheets of thermal laminate to cover your poster board.

With the laminate you can use a simple household iron to seal it and it would be waterproof with the added benefit of being much harder to tear and destroy.

matt.
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    Can you be more specific about the kind of spray paint you mean? And how that protects the paper? Anyway, lamination is an interesting idea; although I wonder how much time that would take for each poster. – einpoklum Jan 29 '24 at 19:37
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    @einpoklum Any clear polyurethane or acrylic cans of spray paint. Not sure what brands you have available in your location which is why I didn't name any specifically. I would go to a local home improvement or hardware store and grab a can, bring it home, make up a sample poster and try it out in the shower. I am not sure how posters you have but laminating would probably go fairly quick. – matt. Jan 29 '24 at 20:00
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    You could also try a corrugated plastic for your poster boards and then a clear poly or acrylic over top, that would work great too! – matt. Jan 29 '24 at 20:10
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    More difficult to sketch posters on corrugated plastic, plus it's much more expensive, but I suppose I'll have to consider it. – einpoklum Jan 29 '24 at 20:20
  • @einpoklum, matt: spray paint in the shower? Apart from speckling the walls with paint, it would be hard avoid breathing the rebound. No reason to do even a quick test inside. – ariola Jan 31 '24 at 17:34
  • Reading comprehension goes a long way. I didn't say go spray the paint in the shower. Paint the poster and put it in the shower to test it. – matt. Jan 31 '24 at 17:53
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Options:

  • Cover the placard with cling film, wrapped round to the back.

  • If the film isn't wide enough, use more strips vertically to make it rain proof.

einpoklum
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Weather Vane
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Partial answer for keeping yourself dry:-
I have one of these...

Umbrella hat

to keep my head dry and both my hands free. They are very effective and very cheap.

Chenmunka
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