A love for outdoors did indeed inspire the creation of the Waterproof Bible. As explained by Bobby and Anna Bardin:
“As believers in Jesus Christ and a love to be in God's creation and exposed to the elements, we have often desired to have a Bible by our side for reading here and there. Our exploring has led us to mountain tops, river banks, sandy beaches, misty valleys, dark caves, and hot springs, and has caused us to become soaked to the core while backpacking or paddling. I hate to admit that our Bible has not made it with us on many of these occasions for the sake of protecting it and because we don't trust a plastic bag not to puncture. Now we can put an end to all the worrying that we have done in the past about our Bibles and take God's Word wherever our adventures lead.”When the opportunity came about to review the Waterproof Bible, I figured it would be a fun review item even if we didn’t camp. I received a pink NLT version of the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.
This Bible is printed on plastic, so I was for some reason expecting something a little more bulky and stiff. I was pleased at how it felt in the hands. And while we don’t camp, I knew immediately how I was going to first test it: the bathtub.
My son takes regular Epsom salt baths. Being much too old to play in the tub, he grumbles that he’s bored. We’ve tried a number of things, including putting a Kindle in Ziploc bag, but each had some inconveniences with it. So, at his next scheduled bath, I handed him the Waterproof Bible and told him not to worry about ruining it. He was a little surprised, but accepted the challenge with a full-immersion Bible baptism.
Guess what? It even floats!
I was a little worried about it possibly acquiring mold from the dampness, but it wasn’t a problem at all. We just sort of gave it a good shake, fanned it out, and dried off any pages that were still stuck together the next day.
This Bible is 100% waterproof and stain-resistant too!
Not only is it waterproof, it is durable.
For those of you who aren’t aware, my family owns a bindery. Our livelihood depends on the manufacturing books and printed products. It also means that my husband feels compelled to check out any bound book that enters our home. He was so impressed with the durability of the Waterproof Bible that he took it into work to show his salesperson.
An added benefit is that the pages don’t tear. I don’t know about you, but I tend to be a little rough with my page turning and I need to watch out for the typical tissue-paper thin pages of Bibles. And if you have boys, you know they tend to be rough on just about everything.
Also, because the ink does not bleed on the synthetic pages, the print has surprising clarity, which is about perfect for my aging eyes.
Dry highlighters (these are a cross between crayons and colored pencils), pens, and regular pencils all work great for marking and making notes. It is nice that nothing bleeds through to the other side as well. The only item to not use on it would be a marker type product since they rely on the ink being absorbed.
You don’t need to camp to appreciate the durability of this product. I can even enjoy my morning tea while reading and not worry about spilling it.
Overall, I think this is really an ingenious product. I liked it so much that I went ahead and purchased a complete Bible in camouflage for my son (for some reason, he just wasn’t diggin’ the pink). The shipping was very quick! We are also considering purchase of more to send to Zambia with our church’s mission team next year. I’m sure the leaders there will appreciate Bible that can withstand the harsh elements and environment.
The Waterproof Bible is available in five different versions (ESV, KJV, NIV, NKJV, NLT) and several different cover designs. The New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs is available for $24.95 and a complete version Waterproof Bible for $39.95 - $44.95. Both can be purchased at the Bardin & Marsee Publishing website
