[TheOak]

I have a friend who works on fishing boats and resupply vessels and spends most of the year at sea.  His next trip is a 4 month resupply trip across the Pacific from Taiwan to Peru to the Marshall Islands.  He has a large collection of digital movies, TV shows, and music that he listens to on his down time.  I suggested he upgrade his ear buds to good quality cans, but he complains that he has to replace his ear buds after every trip since the salt air seems to damage the ear buds, and doesn't want to spend a whole lot of money on quality phones that won't last very long.

Does anyone have any recommendations for such a headphone?  I was thinking that a pair of IEMs like the Westone UM line would be more closed off to the elements.  If he puts these in a Ziploc bag or dry box when he's not using them, they should be able to last at least a year or two.  Any suggestions or experience in selecting headphones that would meet his needs?

 

[Br777]

Iem's or customs would probably be the best bet.
 
there are a few "rugged" iem's out there.    klipsch makes one.
I have heard of others too.

 

[FearSC549]

Quote:

Iem's or customs would probably be the best bet.
 
there are a few "rugged" iem's out there.    klipsch makes one.
I have heard of others too.

I don't think he would be stepping or yanking on them; it's the salty air that damages his earbuds.
 
The only thing I thought of was H20 Audio's IEM http://www.h2oaudio.com/store/waterproof-headphones.html
 
 

 

[buffalowings]

maybe he should keep his phones with lots of bags of rice or other forms of desiccants 

 

[Uncle Erik]

I'd probably go for IEMs, kept with plenty of dessicants.

Seawater - and air - have a way of destroying anything and everything. At least IEMs are small and could be easily kept in sealed containers with drying agents.

 

[lootbag]

Most important element would be the desiccant pods/packages.
Search up Westone Monitor Saver... that is what I use with my Westone ES5 customs.
It is a simple little case with a desiccant pod inside to soak up any moisture.
You can recharge the desiccant pods, by throwing them in the microwave for a minute or two.
I use my IEMs during the day and whenever they are not in use or at night, in they go.
 
Currently, I am living in Hong Kong which is right next to the sea...
I was worried about using my ES5s everyday in the humid climate.
Big difference compared to my home in Toronto, Canada.
Hopefully, my IEMs will be durable enough to withstand the moisture.

 

[TheOak]

That's all good advice.  Thanks for the valuable input!  I'll review those options with my buddy. 
 
I think the biggest help would be the Deluxe Monitor case from Westone that lootbag suggested.  It looks like a crush-proof dry box with a desiccant and cleaning kit.  For $25, I bet that would be the best investment to use with any IEM at sea.

 

[IMAWolf]

then there's always bone conduction headphones, like Audio Bone