OffGrid Faraday Bags, by Thomas Christianson

Faraday bags offer both privacy and protection. They protect sensitive electronic equipment from damage that might arise from EMP or Carrington-like events. They also provide privacy for equipment that can be traced or surveilled electronically. The bags block electromagnetic signals, rendering the equipment untraceable and unreadable as long as it remains encased in the bags.

OffGrid Faraday Bags is a cybersecurity company that makes Faraday bags for a wide range of electronic equipment including mobile phones, tablets, notebook computers, key fobs, passports with RFID chips, and similar items. Their bags are designed for the military, law enforcement, intelligence, and personal security markets.

I recently tested OffGrid’s Premium and Utility bags for mobile phones. I found both bags to be effective at blocking electronic signals. They were also impressively water resistant.

The Utility bag is made in the USA, while the Premium bag is made in mianland China.

At the time of this writing, the Premium bag cost $32 at offgrid.co while the Utility bag cost $28. If you have any sensitive electronic equipment that you want to protect from damage or surveillance, you might want to consider using an OffGrid Faraday bag.

Background

OffGrid Faraday Bags recently contacted SurvivalBlog Senior Editor James Wesley, Rawles (JWR), inviting SurivalBlog to test some of their Faraday technology. JWR forwarded their kind offer to me.

After examining their product line, I readily agreed to their proposal. I requested a sample of a Faraday bag designed for a mobile phone. OffGrid generously sent me samples of both their Premium and Utility Faraday Bags for mobile phones. Before long, I found a padded envelope containing those samples in my mailbox.

First Impressions

The padded envelope had been sent via USPS Ground Advantage from OffGrid, 421 N. Milpas St., Santa Barbara, California 93103-3138. The envelope contained a packing list and the two Faraday bags.

The Utility bag is rated as wear-resistant, while the Premium bag is also rated as water and dust-resistant.

The exterior dimensions of the Utility bag are approximately 8.25 by 8 inches when fully opened. It is sealed by folding the top of the bag over twice to allow two velcro strips to engage each other. The interior dimensions of the sealed bag are approximately 7 by 4.5 inches. The shell of the bag appears to be constructed of a heavy Cordura or similar material, with a rip-stop, conductive fabric forming the lining.

The exterior dimensions of the Premium bag are approximately 9.5 by 8 inches when fully opened. It is sealed by folding the top of the bag over once to allow two velcro strips and two magnetic strips to engage each other. The interior dimensions of the sealed bag are approximately 7.75 inches by 5 inches. The shell of the bag appears to be constructed of a finely woven treated nylon or similar material which is thermo-welded at the seams. The lining is composed of a rip-stop, conductive fabric similar to the one used in the Utility bag.

The directions accompanying the bags state that when the bags begin to show signs of friction wear on the outside of the bag, it may indicate a loss of effectiveness. They also recommend that the user avoid placing sharp or rough objects in the bag.

There was also some advice about spot-cleaning the exterior fabric rather than placing the bag in the washing machine. That reminded me of The Jetsons “Test Pilot” episode, when Jane destroyed George’s “indestructible” suit by putting it through the washing machine. I previously referenced that episode in my review of a Predator Armor Plate Carrier.

OffGrid indicated that the bags block RFID, FM radio, GPS, cellular, Bluetooth, and Wifi signals. They also protect from EMP/HEMP, RFID/NFC, EMF, Adware, key fob cloning, surveillance, man in the middle, and geofencing.

Signals Testing

I used the following process to test each of the bags’ effectiveness at blocking cellular and wifi signals:

• I placed my mobile phone on our kitchen table. That is a location that receives a good cellular signal, and a powerful wifi signal, being located near our wireless router.
• I placed the phone in the Utility bag and sealed it. I then called the phone from our landline. The phone did not ring. The call went straight to voicemail.
• I removed the phone from the Utility bag, placed it in the Premium bag, and sealed it. I then called the phone from the landline. The phone did not ring. The call went straight to voicemail.
• I removed the phone from the Premium bag and placed it on the table. I then called the phone from the landline. The phone immediately rang.

The Shower Test

Next, I tested the two bags for water resistance. I placed a dry paper towel folded into the size of a mobile phone into each bag. I then placed the bags in the bathtub and sprayed them with cold water from the shower head for 1 full minute. Next, I shook off the excess water, dried the outside of each bag with a towel, and removed the paper towel from each bag. Both paper towels came out completely dry.

I was surprised and impressed. I thought that the Premium bag would manifest some degree of water resistance, but not the Utility bag. I was pleased to find that both bags were at least highly splash resistant.

The Immersion Test

Next, I placed a paper towel in each bag, sealed the bags, and put them both in the bottom of the bathtub. I closed the drain, and began filling the tub with cold water. As the water rose, I put a mug full of water on each bag to hold them under the water. When the water rose high enough to cover the bags, I turned off the faucet and left the two bags completely submerged for more than 10 minutes. I then removed the bags from the water, shook off excess moisture clinging to the outside of the bags, and dried them with a towel. I then opened the bags.

I found the paper towel in the Premium bag to still be perfectly dry. The paper towel in the Utility bag, on the other hand, had a slightly damp spot in one corner.

So perhaps the Premium bag is a Baptist, since it is ready for full immersion. The Utility bag on the other hand might be a Presbyterian, since it is only ready to be sprinkled.

What is a Faraday Bag?

A Faraday shield is an enclosure constructed of conductive material that prevents certain electromagnetic fields from penetrating the enclosure by distributing electrical charges around the enclosure rather than allowing them to penetrate into the interior of the enclosure.

Faraday bags are constructed with flexible metallic materials to provide easily carried enclosures for protecting devices from certain electromagnetic transmissions.

The enclosures are named after Michael Faraday, who demonstrated the effect of a Faraday shield in 1836 by lining a room with metal foil and demonstrating that high-voltage discharges from an electrostatic generator outside the room did not influence the readings of an electroscope enclosed in the room.

Who was Michael Faraday?

Michael Faraday was an English scientist who lived from 1791 to 1867. He was largely self-taught, but became one of the foremost scientists of his day and of all history. A large number of significant discoveries related to electricity, magnetism, and chemistry were the result of his efforts and insights. He was an earnest Christian who saw his scientific endeavors as a means to better understand God’s creation. He declined a knighthood on the basis that the Bible forbade the pursuit of riches and earthly reward, and likewise refused to participate in chemical weapons research on moral grounds.

His discoveries provided the basis for applications as diverse as the electric motor, the Bunsen burner, and coal mining safety.

OffGrid Journal

OffGrid provides a host of helpful cyber-security articles on their journal page ( https://offgrid.co/blogs/journal ). The articles include such topics as password management, protection against stalking, SIM swapping attacks, geo-fencing, EMP, and keyless car theft.

These articles provide a good background about how Faraday bags might be usefully employed in a variety of real-life situations.

Conclusions

OffGrid Faraday bags do a good job of protecting sensitive electronic equipment from electromagnetic radiation. They are available in a wide variety of sizes, are reasonably priced, and many of them are manufactured in the United States. As a bonus, they provide a certain amount of protection from moisture and dust as well.

Disclaimer

OffGrid provided me samples of their Premium and Utility Faraday Bags for Mobile Phones for testing and evaluation. Predator Armor provided me with a sample of their plate carrier and plates for a previous review. I tried not to allow the kindness of these vendors to interfere with my objectivity, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.