Equipment Cases

[Marissa Foto]

I've yet to find a hard case (or two cases) that will accommodate a 40" tripod, two light stands, an umbrella, and a couple of lights. I also have a collapsible muslin background (26" in diameter when collapsed), but I don't trust soft cases being checked onto a plane. I'd hate to retrieve my background only to find it ruined because of a rowdy baggage handler or someone else's luggage punctured it.

Does anyone have any recommendations or have anything for sale that could work for me?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Big Mike]

Pelican is the go-to brand for good hard cases...but I'm not sure what they have in a longer case for stands & tripod etc.
There are many 'plastic case' manufactures that cater to more industrial clients...I saw several of them at the last Global Petroleum show.

You could also get a custom case made. There are companies that make road cases, mainly for the music and film industries.

You might also check out a hard case for golf clubs. They would be plenty long enough for stands etc and probably have wheels & good handles on them. Shouldn't be too expensive, but you might have to add some foam padding or make sure to pack the gear so it doesn't rattle around.

 

[GeneralBenson]

I would look into Kata cases. I'm not sure if they make hard cases, but I know their soft cases, and much more rugged, tough and protective than most other soft cases. I remember talking to Will Crockett who is a pro shooter that travels alot, and he said that he checks all his equipment in Kata soft cases. All his bodies and lenses, and his Elinchrom Ranger lighting equipment, he just puts it all down below in the plane and said he's never had a problem.

 

[SpeedTrap]

Well you could use a hard sided golf case for the longer stuff, and then pick up a smaller pelican case for the other stuff.

 

[KmH]

The only Pelican cases that are over 30 inches long are weapons cases.

 

[Patrice]

The only Pelican cases that are over 30 inches long are weapons cases.

Go to garage sales. I picked up two beat up pelican gun cases for the very same purpose - tripods, flash stands, umbrellas ... One case needed a new handle and the other had a broken hinge. Home fixes were cheap. The cases were cheap. Threw the foam blocking away and replaced with aluminum dividers riveted in place. Absolute waterproofness is not maintained but is also not required.

Pawn shops might be another viable source. New ones from Pelican are expensive.