A friend of mine drove north to take pictures of the autumnal colors recently, but was thwarted by nature. She had driven four hours to New Hampshire with her new Canon Eos Rebel digital camera, only to lose half a day of photography to rain. Like any rational consumer, she didn’t want to endanger her expensive equipment.

Gadgeteers everywhere – or at least those of us who occasionally venture outdoors – have the same problem. Rain, fog, snow, and extreme cold or heat can turn our favorite toys into useless lumps in our pockets. Weatherproof gear is much too expensive, and hard to justify for what amounts to only an occasional hazard.

Judging from a quick perusal of the device manuals for my home gadgets – an iPod, a digital camera, and a laptop – it seems that electronics and people seem to prefer the same type of weather: dry, not too hot, not too cold.

Fortunately, protecting gadgets from the elements can be pretty simple – and low-tech. At subzero temperatures, the Liquid Crystal Display can freeze, so during colder weather, make a point of keeping your devices close enough to your body to keep them warm. And be careful with chemical warmers. Many skiers are familiar with chemical hand warmers for gloves or boots, but they can hit temperatures of 135 degrees, which is far too warm for most devices to tolerate.

When the time comes for a Caribbean escape from winter, don’t leave your camera out on the beach. The sun will heat the casing until the microcircuits melt and fuse together. Leaving the camera in a bag or under a towel will keep it protected.

Rain can be defeated nearly as easily by wrapping devices in plastic. Photography Web sites recommend freezer bags or garbage bags. Securing the plastic with rubber bands will seal the water out. For cameras, poke a hole in the plastic to allow light to get to the lens.

Those are the homemade options. Lillipod has a waterproof, shockproof iPod case that can be used even for swimming, for $39.99. It doesn’t work for other MP3 players, but there are heavy protective cases from Otterbox and other companies that do. They’re pricey, though – starting at $99.99. For cameras, companies such as Adorama and Tenba make waterproof and snow proof nylon covers for different camera models and sizes, starting at $19.95.

But for casual travelers like me – and my leaf peeper friend – some clear plastic and rubber bands should do the job.