So I finally picked up a 7D Mark II for my trip to the Everglades next month since I really need that autofocus for birding but honestly the battery life is kind of stressing me out. I was thinking about grabbing a battery grip to help with those long days out in the heat. I spent some time looking at the Canon BG-E16 and it seems like the gold standard but man the price for a new one is steep and even used ones are still sitting around $120.

Then I saw the Vello version which is way cheaper like maybe $60 or something. My logic was that a grip is just a plastic box with some buttons so why pay the premium? But then I read some conflicting stuff online about the weather sealing on the third-party ones being basically nonexistent compared to the official Canon one. Since I'm gonna be in a swampy environment I'm worried about moisture getting into the contacts and frying something important.

I only have about $200 to spend on gear before I leave and I still need to buy a fast CF card so I'm really torn here. Is the official Canon grip actually built that much better to survive a bit of rain or is the Vello one good enough for a hobbyist who tries to be careful with their gear? I just dont want the shutter button to feel mushy or have the thing fail on day two of my trip...