Modify Pelican 1010

[OBXDIVEGUY]

Has anyone here every modified a Pelican case for diving. I think Pelican advertises 30' or somethink like that, but I took it down on a test dive to 15' and it immediately flooded. Any ideas what I can do to modify a Pelican 1010 case to withstand up to 150'?

 

[ClayJar]

Other than installing an inflator fitting to pressurize the inside, there's not much I can think of. I don't think it's as much a matter of strengthening the sides as it is the manner in which it seals. With the rubber "tray" providing the sealing surface, under sufficient pressure, it probably just blows in.

If it flooded at 15 feet, however, you were doing something wrong. Could've been something on the sealing surface (doesn't take much) or not snapping it closed correctly. Regardless, 150 feet does not seem attainable.

The OtterBox 1000 is slightly smaller, and the OtterBox 2000 is slightly larger (but a bit thinner top to bottom). Both of those are rated to 100', much more than the Pelican 1010. They have a real O-ring seal (in a groove) instead of the rubber tray concept of the Pelican.

If you go with OtterBox, however, I would caution you about the snap closure. Under pressure, it becomes quite easy to open the snap (since the halves of the case are pressed together). I use a small zip tie (or two) through the "lock rings" next to the clips so that in the event of inadvertent closure opening, the case will remain sealed. It's just insurance.

I have an OtterBox 8000 that I used in Bonaire for my GPS receiver, phone, and such. It had no problems at all going (slightly) past 100' for multiple dives all week. I didn't go to 150', and I'm not sure how much pure pressure the case can take. Somewhere down there, there's enough pressure to implode the case, but I'd guess you're a lot more likely to have a dry OtterBox after a 150-foot dive than you are to have a dry Pelican 1010. The Pelican 1010's just not designed for that.

Oh, by the way, if you're going to do an empty box implosion test, you may want to put a zip-top bag of water inside to take up a good amount of the air space. If it catastrophically implodes, having less air inside will make the implosion "smaller". (I had a tech diver tell me about coming across an unimploded light bulb on a deep dive once. It didn't click at first what it was, and as he was handling it, it imploded. Apparently, it rather hurt.) I don't know if an OtterBox would fail via "crack and leak" or "ka-POW!", but it's worth thinking about if you plan on testing it. :biggrin:

(I've used a Pelican 1010 and an OtterBox 1000 (clear), but never to those depths. The OtterBox, sadly, was cracked in a top-side crushing accident.)

 

[OBXDIVEGUY]

Thanks for the info. I was hoping to try the Otterbox, but it is too small from top to bottom for what I need. And in order to get the height, I'd need to get a huge box that isn't practical for just the one thing I want to put in it - which is a SPOT satellite messenger.

 

[ClayJar]

I wanted to get a small box for my GPS receiver, and I ended up having to go all the way to the OtterBox 8000 (with room for the GPS receiver, a phone, a nice beverage, and a few after dive snacks). It was just a bit annoying having such a large box on my side, but it basically came down to that or fabricating something (or finding a camera housing of similar dimensions). I'm tempted to make a tank mount system for it next time.

Anyway, you could always start a write-in campaign with OtterBox, Pelican, maybe Storm, and so on to see if they have any interest in a small 150' case design for divers' phones, GPS receivers, etc. If they made one that could mount directly on 2" webbing, they'd have a product. (Make it top-opening, too, while you're at it.)

 

[FredGarvin]

I wanted to get a small box for my GPS receiver, and I ended up having to go all the way to the OtterBox 8000 (with room for the GPS receiver, a phone, a nice beverage, and a few after dive snacks). It was just a bit annoying having such a large box on my side, but it basically came down to that or fabricating something (or finding a camera housing of similar dimensions). I'm tempted to make a tank mount system for it next time.

Anyway, you could always start a write-in campaign with OtterBox, Pelican, maybe Storm, and so on to see if they have any interest in a small 150' case design for divers' phones, GPS receivers, etc. If they made one that could mount directly on 2" webbing, they'd have a product. (Make it top-opening, too, while you're at it.)

A few weeks ago I was looking into the same issue, i.e. some way of taking a few items to a reasonable recreational dive depth and not having either leaks nor implosion. I found that OMS sells 3 sizes of clear plexiglass tubes for this purpose. One is the size of a large cigar, sells for about $8.00 and is good for about nothing except carrying a few dollar bills and maybe a rolled-up xerox copy of an I.D. The next size sells for about $40.00 and is marginally more useful yet will not hold a small Epirb/PLB nor a marine radio. The largest size is about $150.00 and is designed to hold the small ACR PlB. Rated to a depth of 300 FSW(I believe). McMurdo Pains Wessex, makers of much fancy marine stuff, has an solid aluminum tank or can rated to 500 FSW at a cost of $300.00 but it looks like a brickhouse. See: McMurdo
I wanted to take a ResQFixTM 406 PLB by ACR with me to Palau and was looking for a reasonably inexpensive way of maintaining a waterproof pressure protected environment for the PLB. Finally, Ikelite makes a small waterproof/pressure resistant cannister but its size is, I believe, too small for the items you and I want to take underwater. I called Ikelite inc. and suggested they consider making a bigger unit. I believe I heard the requisite snickering on the other end of the line when I suggested the new product idea... seems no one in interested in suggestions anymore... or maybe it is just me.

Garv