Alternative to pelican cases??

[joealcantar]

Calumet has their version of hard foam paded cases. You may want to walk into a store if you have one near you to compare apples to oranges.
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Digital cameras, lenses and photo gear at calumetphoto.com
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Shoot well, Joe

 

[wgp1987]

So i went to the container store today and checked out that case they have. It is certainly a decent case but you cant compare the quality. My biggest concern was what was physically holding the case together. The hinge and the locks. The hinge was small and seemed to be decent otherwise. The locks that held the case closed looked to be very strong but the grooves that hooked into each other were only a few millimeters of cheap plastic. I cant comfortably store my equipment in it, not my body or lenses but maybe flashes and other items. I think im going to opt for a pelican 1500 series just dont know which one yet. Im debating on the 1514 carry on version with the wheels and extending handle. Not sure if i want foam or dividers. Im thinking that foam cut out specifically to the contour of the items store would be more protection then dividers. The foam also seems to be less expensive. What do you prefer for yours? Foam or dividers and why ??

 

[whiplash23]

Once you decide which Pelican case you want (if you end up biting the bullet and buying one), check Amazon. I bought mine from Calumet, but did so through their Amazon site. I know I got free shipping (which was like $25), and I think I even got the case a bit cheaper than what they had on their main web site.

FYI, I use a Pelican 1520 with foam dividers and store the following gear in it:
Nikon D90
Nikon 18-55mm kit lens
Nikon 55-200mm VR
Nikon 50mm f1.8
Nikon 24-85 f2.8 - f4
2x SB-600s in their soft case
Misc stuff (couple of filters, couple of SB-600 bases, reusable silicon bead thingy, blower, small Rogue flash bender, and on occasion the flash and camera manuals)

I love the case, it was well worth the price (I think I paid around $120 for it with the dividers).

 

[usayit]

btw...

If you travel by plane a lot, you should consider the size of the case very carefully. Mine is the Pelican 1510 w/ divider set which meets TSA regulations for carry on. Twice they checked and I wouldn't be surprised if the frequency increases as they get stricter with policy.



Oh yes... get the divider set not the pluck foam. (Mine originally came with pluck foam.. yuck)

1) You can pack more densely in a divider set
2) The "walls" of the divider set are certainly more durable.
3) Mine left "dust".

 

[wgp1987]

I am certainly going to invest in a pelican. I have been looking at the 1500 series myself. The 1550 gives the largest interior which will be more room but the 1510 does have the built in wheels and extending handle which is very convenient. Id actually prefer to buy the larger case and a folding/portable hand truck that can be used for anything. I have never been on a plane before and and do not travel. I am going to Chicago for the first time in a few weeks but i dont think im going to bring my camera since it is for work. I think the dividers would be more universal then the foam because i could constantly rearrange them but is the foam much better for protection. I feel that if im buying a case that is for serious protection that the foam should be the ideal choice. lost in my thought. I want a 1550 but not sure if i should get foam or dividers!! haha just shoot me plz

 

[wgp1987]

Pelican 1554 Waterproof 1550 Case with Dividers 1550-004-150 B&Hts extra for the orange but id like it to stand out

 

[bobcov]

If you guys bought or own a pelican do you prefer the foam over the dividers?

I used to own a Pelican and I have also owned (and still do) home-rearranged crates for my gear. I liked both the foam and the dividers for different things. The problem with this thread is that you don't say, unless I've missed it, what exactly you want to do. Foam is great (best?) for specific gear while dividers can be adapted for various gear so that both are useful. In different ways.

I got my one and only Pelican case when I got my first 3 strobes. Cut out the foam to fit and they were safe as could be. In the long (longer) run though it was just one more case and it was a pain in the neck. I ended up buying used/wheeled musicians/sound crates that I customized for my photo gear. The rack system used in those made it so easy to make my own drawers to fit in there for MY gear that it was the ultimate pleasure fitting my gear in there.

Now, I did say used. New, those things are way not cheap. However, there are musicians giving up their dream career all the time and they can be picked up used (barely) often enough for fairly cheap (kinda like a yard sale price) if you live near a big enough city.

Those cases come in different sizes and I had a few of them I could pile on top of each other and strap together depending on the job I was going to.

Just something to think about.

BTW, the more precise your question, the better the answers you will get.

I like a broad spectrum of thoughts and answers so i ask open and broad questions. When i desire a direct answer i ask a direct question... thank you for your insight. Ill possibly construct a diagram of what i desire or what i have been thinking about later. Im prepping for a gig tonight and dont have time to do so at the moment.

Love your response. I came by looking for an answer to your question and what I've waded through has been a lot of pompous lecturing from people trying to protect you from yourself. It's okay to offer some advice as to why one might want to reconsider, but I find it annoying when people also don't answer the question.Imagine a message board back in the day of explorers..."You'll fall off the edge of the world if you go that way. You don't want to go across that ocean, dude!" in lieu of answering the question "anybody know how to get to the new world?"