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The takeaway: Tactacam REVEAL trail cams are built tough–but can they stand up to months of use outdoors?

You’re likely leaving your Tactacam REVEAL trail cameras out in the field for months at a time–meaning that you need to know if they are able to withstand severe weather. Let’s look into this in more detail.

What Is the Difference Between Waterproof and Weather Resistant?

While these terms can be used in many settings, for the purposes of trail cams:

  • “Weather resistant” means the device can withstand normal outdoor conditions such as rain, snow, humidity, and dust, but not direct or sustained water pressure or immersion. This is more of a general term about durability.

  • “Water proof” means the device can resist water ingress to a certain degree, and assignment of an IP rating means the standard can be measured. The standard of quality here is a rating known as IP66.

  • What these terms do not mean: These cameras cannot be fully immersed underwater either temporarily or long-term.

What Is an IP Rating?

IP ratings are an official international standard for measuring how well a product is sealed against things like dust and water.

“IP” stands for ingress protection. The two following numbers represent two different things. The first number explains the protection level, with 0 being none, 1 for large objects roughly the size of hand, 2 for medium objects the size of a finger–and all the way down to 6, which stands for complete protection against dust. The second number describes water protection, ranging from 0 for none, 1 for vertical dripping water, 2 for lightly angled light rain, all the way to 9, which is high-pressure, high-temperature jets of water such as experienced during industrial washing. 6 means protection against powerful water jets, such as a hose or very heavy rain.

Are Tactacam REVEAL Trail Cams Weather Resistant or Water Proof?

All Tactacam REVEAL Trail Cams currently for sale from Tactacam have an IP66 waterproof rating. This includes the REVEAL Ultra, REVEAL Pro 3.0, and REVEAL X 3.0. This means you can count on exceptional protection from the elements and long-term durable performance. In fact, REVEAL cameras are so tough one even survived a brush fire in Texas.

What this means:

  • REVEAL trail cams can withstand heavy rain, sleet, and snow, strong wind-driven rain, direct water sprays when being hosed off, dust storms or dust kicked up by passing vehicles, freezing temperatures, and rapid temperature swings.

  • For a period of about a week, REVEAL trail cams can withstand constant exposure to outdoor elements including multiple rain cycles, high humidity, and heavy dew, as well as days where the temperature reaches highs in excess of 100F, and short contact with puddles or melting snow. Risks increase if the camera is mounted in a spot where water pools around the seals or antenna port, or the rubber gaskets dry out, or condensation builds inside the body after repeated wet/dry cycles.

  • When deployed for a month or more, REVEAL trail cams will continuously work through rain, snow, mud, and dust, can withstand temperatures below 0F and above 122F, and can handle repeated wet and dry cycles as long as the housing is not physically damaged.

Things to consider:

  • UV exposure can harden rubber gaskets over time.

  • Scratches or warping on the door seal can let moisture in after months of freeze-thaw cycles.

  • Nesting insects, if not periodically removed, can cause additional problems.

Maintenance tips:

  • Wipe seals clean

  • Check the battery door gasket

  • Keep the camera slightly angled downward to shed water

  • Inspect the camera periodically

  • A mount location facing north will protect somewhat against UV damage

Read this blog to learn more about the differences between the different REVEAL trail camera models.


Want tips on how to best position your trail cam? This blog explains trail cam placement in detail. Want to learn more about trail cam maintenance? This blog has all the answers.