The great case review

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I’ve been intending to write a “case review” for a while. There are lots of questions about brands of cases, and I’m certainly not an expert, although I’ve beaten quite a few to death.

I believe that luggage, and ATA-compliant cases used for camera gear, is a consumable, just like tires on a car. The main function of these cases (and luggage in general) is to give up their lives to protect the contents.

We’ve used a couple of different brands of ATA-compliant cases over the last decade and have a preference for them over non-compliant cases. Essentially, Air Transport Association-compliant means that the case will live through 100 average transport shipments. There’s other considerations, too. So below, I’ve written about my experiences with each brand, and included a purely subjective rating of each case type:

Durability: how much physical abuse can the case absorb?
Protection: how much of that abuse makes it to the contents?
Customizable: can you spec a particular size, configuration or accessories?
Environmental protection: how waterproof or airtight is it?
Weight: a big worry with current air travel.
Price: well, nothing comes cheap, does it…

Thanks for bearing with me; here’s hoping it helps someone make a good decision about how to plunk down their hard-earned dollars.

All the best, James

 

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Pelican Cases

A mainstay for photographers, and just about everybody with something delicate, these became popular because they were much less expensive than Zero Halliburton, and were truly water tight.

Pelican cases come with pick-and-pluck foam, an excellent way to customize the foam protection inside, and the foam is a nice density, not to hard, not too soft. If you have CAD drawings of your items, Pelican can make custom cutouts for you (for a price, of course). The foam is pretty much the only thing you can change, though; it’s not like you can order a Pelican case to a particular size or shape.

They are truly watertight. Enough that a trip in an airplane will have the case “burp” out sea level pressure, and you’ll have to use the screw-in vent to open the case.

As long as it’s kept warm, the case material is pretty durable. When cold, it can fracture if heavy and dropped. I’ve fractured a lid this way, and had hinges broken after a flight.

These are still an excellent choice for smaller cases. I use a 1520 for my computer when I travel to teach a class; it’s peace of mind to know the computer, and the presentations on it, will make it there.

Larger Pelican cases seem to have pushed the material limitations a bit too much. The bare case is very heavy, and will eat up over half your precious weight limit. Impact damage to the case will happen eventually, most often to the wheels, it seems. And, while the smaller cases are fairly inexpensive, the larger cases get pricey fast.

The case latches are well-renowned as knuckle busters. The newer, larger cases come with a double-action latch that is lots kinder. Also, the cases are very easily secured with a lock or ziptie.

As far as I can tell, large Pelican cases are not ATA-compliant.

Ratings (1=bad, 10=good)
Durability: small cases 9, large cases 4
Protection: 8
Customizable: 2
Environmental protection: 9
Weight: small cases 7, large cases 4
Price: small cases 8, large cases 4

 

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Hardigg Cases

Hardigg cases do not enjoy the instant name recognition that Pelican cases do…unless you are in the business of shipping lots of delicate stuff around the world, to inhospitable places.

Hardigg cases are made from a different plastic, that has a little more “give”, and is lighter than that in Pelican cases. The walls are just as thick, and the sealing sills are thicker. This material does not become brittle in the cold, and takes an incredible amount of abuse. These are very popular for military shipments of fragile goods. We have two that have been way, way more durable than the Pelican cases.

The cases close with quite a few twist-closed metal latches, which are very secure, but a PITA if you are going to be in-and-out of the case often.

The cases are air and water tight, and are my first choice for shipboard use, like on a live aboard where they are stored on deck. The sealing gasket is thick and reminds one of a camera housing’s gasket. Depending on the source, they can be had with just about any accessory you want: dolly wheels, roll-aboard type wheels with retractable handle, heavy foam, pick-and-pluck, hinges, no hinges, etc. The carrying handles are spring-loaded affairs that are similar to StarCase handles; they have a “stop” in them that makes them very stable. And the cases are built with enough handles to make two-person lifts easy.

The handles are now made from plastic, and are way stronger than they look. They’re a great improvement over the standard metal handles, which would eventually corrode after a lot of sea time and abuse. You can still get the metal handles, and even in stainless, for a bit more money.

They are expensive. Prices are comparable to StarCases, and a bit more than Pelican cases. These are easily found on eBay new or almost new, quite a few of which are military surplus. The average price on eBay is $70 almost new.

Weight is surprisingly light for the protection and size. My older film housing (Aquatica A3), two Ike 300 strobes, two ports and several extensions, charger, tools and the camera itself, (and the case) all weigh in at 49 lbs. The wheeled case with my wife’s Nikonos stuff is about 28 lbs, and with a D100 and housing & strobes, 40 lbs.

Ratings (1=bad, 10=good)
Durability: 9
Protection: 9
Customizable: 8
Environmental protection: 9
Weight: 7
Price: 4

 

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StarCase

Also produced by another manufacturer as “Anvil cases” or colloquially known as “roadie cases”, these have been around for a long time.

The cases are custom built to your sizes from a variety of thicknesses of plywood. You can spec the interior dividers and foam, plywood thickness, outer skin color and material, wheels, special handle placement…anything. The ABS outer skin is a good inexpensive choice, although the fiberglass is like another layer of armor.

Toughness is these cases’ strong suit. Ours have been impervious to the insults of baggage handlers, UPS, FedEx and Viking Freight. The corners are dented, but that’s it. There is no doubt that something inside a StarCase will arrive intact; these cases will give up their lives only grudgingly. I’ve personally seen a StarCase resist an attempt to spear one with a forklift. In line at customs, they are great benches, too.

All of the hardware is absolutely top-notch. The wheels and retractable handle that we have on two cases are better than any luggage or case we have, and the outside lock is TSA-friendly.

Nothing’s for free, though. These cases are expensive. The size we have was $400, custom sized with the wheels and retractable handle. And, they aren’t air or water tight; plus, salt water exposure will corrode the standard fittings (unless you spend the $ for stainless steel).

And heavy. Unless you’re on an expense account, I would skip these for modern airline travel. The red case you see below is 30 lbs by itself, and the blue one is 21 lbs.

Still, they are very, very protective, and just about the only choice for custom-sized cases.

Ratings (1=bad, 10=good)
Durability: 10
Protection: 10
Customizable: 10
Environmental protection: 4
Weight: 3
Price: 4

 

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SKB Cases, PH model

This case uses a rather thick molded polyethylene skin. The sealing surfaces are aluminum, and the PH models I’ve used have built in locking pull handles and roller blade wheels; the handle is internal, and a good one.

This case is ATA-compliant. This was a surprise to me, because it is sooo lightweight. For example, the case below is half the weight of the Pelican 1620 next to it (empty weights). However, we use ours to transport a field-deployable MS/GC valued at $130,000, and baggage handlers, Fed Ex, and most especially, our Fire Fighters have been unable to damage the case or it’s contents.

The handles are similar to the metal Hardigg ones, and the hinge is full-length and heavy-duty. The latches are locking suitcase type, which is to say, useless in today’s TSA environment; and, there’s no external locking hasp so you can use zipties or a cheap lock. The retractable pull-handle is excellent and rivals the StarCases for durability and locking action.

The weight and protectiveness of the case have us getting two to travel with our parachutes.

The PH model has enough bare aluminum and steel that I really worry about corrosion from shipboard use, and, the case is not watertight. But it is sturdy, and a great way to have wheels and light weight protection.

SKB does make a model with the same skin, anodized aluminum, twist-lock stainless latches, and gaskets, but it has no wheels. It’s even lighter than the PH case. This is the Heavy-Duty ATA case; I’d feel pretty good about taking this on a live aboard, but we’ve sworn to only have wheeled cases from now on.

Ratings (1=bad, 10=good)
Durability: 7
Protection: 7
Customizable: 6
Environmental protection: 4
Weight: 9
Price: 8

 

[alcina]

This is an excellent addition to the information on this board.

Thanks so much for taking the time to compile it complete with photos. I have found the first two installments very helpful already, and I am not even looking for more cases right now!

 

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Storm Cases

The little-known case that competes primarily with Pelican, these cases have lots going for them.

These cases feel just as rigid as Pelican cases, and are just as water and air tight (which is to say, very!). The plastic of Storm cases is not as brittle as Pelican cases; this seems to make them more durable, especially to being dropped.

When hefting similar sized cases, the Storm case has always seemed just a bit heavier. Still, they are similar enough that it’s not a big deal. For the longest time, I would have bought a Storm case just for the latches; they are that good. Certainly not the nail-breakers that Pelican cases had. Now, Pelican has the double-action latches that they’re putting on everything, so this is a wash.

The handles on Storm cases are sweet. Very grippy and soft. The handles on larger cases don’t have the “standout” that other cases do, though, and are sometimes kind of awkward with heavier loads (compared to the Hardigg or StarCase handles, the best of the breed).

Storm cases are just a bit more $ for similar sized Pelican cases. And the pull handles, just like Pelican, are external and easily damaged, as are the wheels.

If you are looking for a small case, do yourself a favor and look at these. For larger cases, I’d pass on them, but then I’d pass on the larger Pelican cases, too.

Ratings (1=bad, 10=good)
Durability: small cases 9, large cases 5
Protection: 8
Customizable: 2
Environmental protection: 9
Weight: small cases 7, large cases 4
Price: small cases 7, large cases 4

 

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Zero Halliburton

The original “protective camera case”, made from aluminum and very techno looking. The laptop case is very trim and exudes panache.

These are essentially suitcases that have been made from pressure-formed aluminum; the camera versions are filled with foam. Their strong suit (looks aside) is weight. Lack of weight, to be precise. These are the lightest weight cases I’ve found that can actually protect the contents.

They do seal up well, although not water or air tight. Very nicely made. Actually, for their intended purpose (taking a beating), they almost seem too well made, like taking a Porche Cayenne seriously off-road.

The downsides are size, price, and beatability. Size; they are only available in “suitcase” sizes, not the larger size cases. (Yes, I know that ZH makes aluminum shipping cases for industry and military; I’m not speaking of these hideously expensive, hard-to-find, heavy beasts here.) Price: the most expensive of this review, and then some.

The last, “beatablity”, deserves an explanation. These cases are certainly durable, and shrug off daily dings and smacks. There seems to be an upper threshold, though; cross the line, and wham! the door seal is dented, and stays that way. Or the side is caved in. Sure, it’s aluminum, and can be bent back out (kind of), but it’s never the same.

And, the aluminum acquires small dings and scrapes really easily, and quickly looks well-used. Considering the price of the contents, maybe that isn’t a bad thing, as it looses the screaming “steal me” look.

There’s a niche for the Zero Halliburton cases, mostly centered around weight.

Ratings (1=bad, 10=good)
Durability: 4
Protection: 7
Customizable: 2
Environmental protection: 5
Weight: 10
Price: 2

 

[Swarth]

As an owner of SKB, Anvil and other cases for music/recording gear I can say I never lost a piece of equipment that was properly packed. However my intrest was aroused by your mention of a field deployable GC/MS. Wow who makes that unit and what technologly does it employ? I used to work for Finnigan and wrenched on the old Quadropole filter/Ion beam units. Massive beasts with oil vacuum pumps.

 

[Dee]

Great series....thanks for taking the time to compile it complete with photos. Would make a great article for the main page!