Eva-Dry E-500 RT Compact Dehumidifier

When I moved from the West to central Illinois, I knew I'd be dealing with more potential rust than I was used to. But I didn't fathom how violently rust attacks in the Midwest. I didn't expect to see nice, 6- and 7-year-old trucks with the side panel above the wheelwells eaten through. In Utah, it takes 20 to 40 years for that to occur.

When, a few days after arriving in the state, my 870 shotgun began showing light speckles of red, I headed to the nearest Gander Mountain store and purchased a couple bags of dehumidifying compound for my safes. The bags are housed in little cardboard boxes that have a humidity-content color strip on them — when the strip turns from purple to pink, it's time to stuff the bags in the oven and dry them out. Every couple of months I notice the color has changed, and I get them out of the safe in the morning and my wife removes the bags from the boxes, heats the oven, and dries them out during the day while I'm at work, and she replaces them in the boxes before I get home. Easy for me, right? And for the most part, my guns have remained rust-free.

There's an easier and better way. Eva-Dry builds a plastic unit that houses beads of a moisture-absorbing, colorless, odorless, nontoxic material; sports a small window that signals when it's time to restore the material's thirsty qualities; and, best of all, has a simple two-prong plug that taps directly into a wall outlet to heat and dry out the unit. No cord: It just folds out to use and then folds discretely away when finished. The latest version, the E-500 RT, features a Realtree camo finish.

I've been using them since before Christmas, and for simple, easy, hassle-free use, they can't be beat. My guns don't rust, either. Each E-500 RT unit runs $45 and will keep 500 cubic feet dry. Best yet, they carry a full 10-year warranty. 877-382-3790

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