When I bought my last pin, the seller later told me it started raining an hour after I left. I'd like to have some quick and easy way, that I could have on-hand, to protect a pin from the rain just while loading or unloading to/from an SUV, not for transporting in an open vehicle. I've seen guys use plastic wrap, but that seems like a lot of work (and expense for a whole roll of wrap?) just to protect a machine from the rain on a dolly on the way to/from the vehicle. Has anybody found an inexpensive large bag you can keep in the vehicle in case of rain? (I have a plastic tarp, but I hope someone's discovered something better.)

Thanks for the posts, they mostly show how to get/do wrap. I've seen that done enough that I'm sure it does a great job. But by any chance has anyone found a large bag to just slip over the cab before moving it with a dolly from a garage to the SUV? (I'm an EM guy, so it doesn't even have to cover a folded-down head.) I was hoping someone found a quick, reusable, "just in case" item to easily keep in the vehicle. I don't feel comfortable just letting a pin get even a little wet. I would certainly wipe it off if it did. Maybe what I'm hoping for doesn't exist...

I don't think they'd be large enough to cover the full height & width of a cab, especially in the back.

But if they were big enough, I guess one could be cut to make a "tube" to extend another one with packaging tape for the full cab length. That would allow for a foldable, easily brought along, "just in case" rain cover like I'm looking for. Now the question is whether an inexpensive large bag like that exists. It would have to have an opening much wider than a standard garbage bag.

BTW, Travish, I hope the storm doesn't cause you too much trouble.

My SUV is a Ford Escape, and I don't think the spare tire cavity has room for a big tarp, I have a big tarp that I've taken, but I'm hoping for something less cumbersome.

Now there's an idea. Those bags would probably be more durable, too.

I'll have to check that out. I just knew someone had to have tried a bag solution. Thanks for the info.

As for letting a pin get wet, I've just done my first cab stencil and repaint, and I'd rather keep something like that looking nice if I ever have to move it in a rain situation, I put in too much effort to risk messing it up.

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I have used dowels in the past to roll a pin in and out.

I'm just looking for an emergency quick rain cover, it probably wouldn't be used very often (I've had close calls, but haven't ever yet had to load or unload a pin in the rain). I can only move one pin at a time (although someone at an expo trying to sell me a second pin was trying to convince me I could fit 2 in an Escape....)

There's something I hadn't considered. Thanks.

This sounds better to me than wrapping it up around and around for just a short trip on the dolly. If the plastic sheet is big enough to quickly throw over the cab (like maybe a paint cover), then just use a strap near the bottom like a belt to hold it on, that sounds quick, easy, and inexpensive, as long as the whole cab is protected.

That certainly sounds big enough to quickly pull out and slip over the cab. Thanks for the idea.

I'm only planning to use a cover for a quick trip on a dolly to my Ford Escape, so it won't be going 70 mph until it's safely inside the vehicle. Instead of bucking up for a roll of wrap, some of these posts have led me to look for and find what I think I'm looking for, 5 heavyweight plastic storage bags that look big enough for $6.95: https://www.unoclean.com/Warp-Bros-Coverall-Plastic-Storage-Bags-618195.aspx

Thanks for all the ideas everyone, this helped me hone in on what I think is exactly what I'm looking for. I wouldn't want to use these for hauling a pin in an open trailer or pick-up truck, but I knew there had to be something cheaper, simpler, and more compact than the wrap-rolling method just to keep the pin dry while just loading it.

And nothing against all the wrap-rollers. Your method is far superior for multiple pins or open vehicles.

Thanks again for all the help!

Thanks for the offer fumbleflippers (it sounds like you saw me playing a pin when you chose your Pinside name), but I'm planning to try the storage bag method. It's cheap enough, and it looks like I can order them at will (although I may never even use the 5 bags in the package).

Thanks, erak, that sounds like a doable backup plan. I have used those shower curtains other than for the shower before.

Instead of ordering the bags on-line, I found them locally at Ace Hardware, 4 bags for $7.99. Easy pack to just take along.

So if the machine is ready to go into the SUV and it is raining...

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Just tear off a bag, which has nice thick plastic, slip it over the cab, and voila, instant protection for taking it on a dolly out to the SUV.

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This is what I had in mind, faster and cheaper than wrapping it up just for a short trip on the dolly. I was going to get the smaller "regular" size bags, but I'm glad I got this size. I wasn't sure the smaller bags had a large enough circumference, and these "large" bags seem to fit an EM cab just right. There's also a "giant" size, which might be big enough to handle a solid state with a folded-down head, but if not, there's also a "jumbo" size that I think shows a Christmas tree in one on the package.

Thanks again to everyone for the input!

Just had a thought, maybe the manufacturer should market these as "pinball ponchos"!

Update: I have discovered that the “Large” size storage bags I previously bought can handle a thinner pre-Spirit-of-76 Gottlieb EM cabinet (such as the Snow Derby in the above photos), but not other cabinets. I just went to a hardware store and got the “Giant” size bags that can handle probably any EM. I imagine a more modern cab with folded head would need the even larger “Jumbo” size that can contain an entire artificial Christmas tree!

Again, I just wanted something to quickly protect the pin on a dolly on the way to the vehicle in case of rain, and I’ve found it very convenient just to toss a pack of bags in my Ford Escape if there is any rain in the forecast (like there is for the next couple days during PATZ, so now I’m prepared).
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I guess I never looked closely enough at the package to notice before, but what better place than Chicago for a company that produces bags that can keep pinball machines dry!