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I need to take a hard drive on a 3hr car drive tomorrow, and I don't have any antistatic bags/bubblewrap.

What's the best way to pack an hard drive for a car trip without antistatic bags/bubblewrap so it doesn't break?

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    Why don't you just buy bubble wrap? It is crazy cheap and can be bought at most post or department stores.
    – Josh Hunt
    Jan 24, 2010 at 0:39
  • I never had to do this without an anti-static bag or the box a hard drive came in, but I will either put it on the back seat floor or toward the front of the trunk. That way if I have to hit the brakes the hard drive wouldn't go flying around and hit the dash, back of the seat or the back of my head.
    – Scott McClenning
    Jan 24, 2010 at 3:17
  • @joshhunt - Yeah, I could have. But it's pretty hard to get antistatic bubblewrap at post offices (I've tried).
    – J. Polfer
    Jan 25, 2010 at 20:59

3 Answers 3

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Wrap some rubber bands around it and then put it in a sock and then wrap it in a towel. You may want to destatic the towel and sock using this method

Make sure you secure it (like in the dashboard compartment). And don't crash.

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    clever "destatic"-ing technique, but it uses a mixture of water & liquid fabric softener. i wouldn't recommend either around any computer components.
    – quack quixote
    Jan 23, 2010 at 23:57
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    Why the rubber bands?
    – J. Polfer
    Jan 23, 2010 at 23:58
  • well, you put only a little on it. And it stays destaticked even after the liquid dries (evaporates)
    – Ritwik Bose
    Jan 23, 2010 at 23:59
  • and the residue/fumes from the fabric softener stays around too. no, thank you.
    – quack quixote
    Jan 24, 2010 at 0:00
  • Also, this entire method is if you need to be VERY careful (like a fragile old hard drive). Rubber bands give it a little bit more protection from both static and impact.
    – Ritwik Bose
    Jan 24, 2010 at 0:00
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Wrapping it in newspaper or bubble-wrap inside a box should be fine.

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  • This was actually what I did. The drive was okay; my lil bro tried it out and it worked fine in his Xbox.
    – J. Polfer
    Jan 25, 2010 at 18:55
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If you wrap the drive and then cushion it in a briefcase and store it so it can't slide off the seat it should be fine.

For further travel arrangements you may consider the Fortress Ultra-Rugged Hard Drive:

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Safeguard your data from a drop-height of 7 feet onto concrete!

Something I must get myself now after the '"Big Freeze" in Ireland!

enter image description here

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    lol. I drop my data from 8 feet on a regular basis, so I guess this not good enough for me.
    – Ritwik Bose
    Jan 23, 2010 at 23:54
  • be nice to your data!! :P
    – Molly7244
    Jan 23, 2010 at 23:59

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