I've put mine through the wash a couple of times, and it came out filled with water each time, requiring it to be disassembled (tricky even indoors in good conditions) to dry out. That's extreme, but I agree, they aren't waterproof... as far as I can tell, the gasket is there for decoration.<br><br>I carry mine daily, but I have to admit that for the price I'm mostly disappointed in it. I was advised to look at Colibri instead before I bought it, but I believed the Windmill reputation and ignored the advice. If I lose the Windmill, I won't be buying another.<br><br>http://www.colibri.com/Colibri/Colibri_2/CX_Gear/cx_gear.html<br><br>http://www.colibri.com/Colibri/Colibri_2/CX_Gear/QTR_9440/qtr_9440.html<br>