# Travel case



## oilbeefhooked (Mar 18, 2011)

This is not Canon related but can any one recommended a travel case thats safe for air travel. I've been looking at the pelican cases and have heard good things. I need something that will accommodate two bodies and a couple of large lenses and some other odds and ends. And do I go with the foam that comes with the case or get the special order padded dividers? Or is there other products out there that would be an option?


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## payluder (Mar 18, 2011)

Funny I just got my new pelican case from amazon from ups. Its the pelican 1510 with foam for $135. This case looks and feels very reliable, even have a pressure relieve valve and is weather sealed. I bought this case because its rated so you can carry it on the plane and put it in the over head compartment. This case is heavy empty thank goodness it have wheels. I wont be taking this to any hiking trip. The case is also great idea for storage, like I would store my equipment in this case during the winter season because its moisture sealed. I wonder if this case can withstand being thrown in the ocean like the picture in the flyer that came with the case. I would recommend this case to get to where you going. but not for bring it on dirt road, for that I have the lowepro 300 flipback.


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## gene_can_sing (Mar 18, 2011)

I have quite a bit with both Pelican case and soft backpacks. I recommend Soft backpacks. I have a Lowepro Vertex 300 AW (I think that's what it is). It can fit a lot of stuff in this large-ish pack, you can carry it on the plane (important) and it's much easier to deal with than a Pelican case. 

Pelican cases can be a pain to lug around while traveling. Heavy and hard to carry.


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## dwward (Mar 18, 2011)

gene_can_sing said:


> I have quite a bit with both Pelican case and soft backpacks. I recommend Soft backpacks. I have a Lowepro Vertex 300 AW (I think that's what it is). It can fit a lot of stuff in this large-ish pack, you can carry it on the plane (important) and it's much easier to deal with than a Pelican case.
> 
> Pelican cases can be a pain to lug around while traveling. Heavy and hard to carry.



I will second Gene's comment. I don't see the need for a Pelican for ordinary air travel. In fact, I think it's over-kill. 

I have the Lowepro wheeled backpack that fits in the overhead compartment. The Lowepro can easily accommodate two bodies with large lenses, the odds and ends, a separate padded laptop compartment (up to a 17" laptop) and space to spare for the misc stuff you want to carry on the plane with you and meets the 45 linear inch requirement for carry-on luggage. 

On the other hand, if you plan on shipping your gear to Africa for a safari, than think about the Pelican.


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## Admin US West (Mar 18, 2011)

Pelican is known for their hard cases, but they make soft ones as well. I have one, and keep most of my grar in it.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 30, 2011)

dwward said:


> I will second Gene's comment. I don't see the need for a Pelican for ordinary air travel. In fact, I think it's over-kill.
> 
> I have the Lowepro wheeled backpack that fits in the overhead compartment. The Lowepro can easily accommodate two bodies with large lenses, the odds and ends, a separate padded laptop compartment (up to a 17" laptop) and space to spare for the misc stuff you want to carry on the plane with you and meets the 45 linear inch requirement for carry-on luggage.



The Lowepro roller bags do not fit under a seat. The OP is looking for a bag to carry 2 bodies and a couple of large lenses, and I really doubt that any bag sufficient to carry those will fit under a seat. 

For that reason, I strongly recommend a hard case for air travel. Almost all airlines charge a fee for checking even one bag on a domestic flight, so many people try to avoid checking luggage. Airlines have also cut the number of flights on most routes. What does that all mean? Fuller planes and more people carrying on rollerboard luggage. Overhead space is limited. I fly pretty frequently, and on most flights (I'd guess 12-15 of the ~20 flights I've taken so far this year), the overheads have filled up, and people with carry-on bags that won't fit under a seat have been forced to check those bags (and they aren't 'gate-checked' in the sense that you get them at the destination gate - they come out on the baggage carousels like other checked bags). So, unless you fly first class or have an elite membership that allows you early boarding privilages, your carry on soft bag full of your expensive camera gear may very well end up as checked luggage. If you've ever watched the exposÃ©s on how airlines handle checked bags, you'll know that with your gear in a soft bag, while you might have usable equipment after the flight, or you might have bent metal and glass shards, or you might not even see your gear at the other end...

Bottom line - get a carry-on sized hard case for air travel. Plan to carry it on. Be prepared in case you are forced to check it. Personally, I recommend the Storm im2500 (equivalent to the Pelican 1510, but Storm latches are easier to open). Get yourself a pair of locks for the case - I use these. 

I agree that a soft case is easier to deal with (altough not necessarily easier to carry, unless it's a roller case). But given the very real possibliity that you'll have to check your gear even if you planned to carry it on, a hard case is the way to go.

Now, while a hard case is best for the flight, one big downside to hard cases is that once you get to your destination, a hard case is not a very convenient way to carry your gear. Tough to take on a hike, for example, or a walk on the beach. Also, if your gear is in the hard case, and you want to bring a more convenient case for use at your destination (a backpack, for example), what do you do with/put in the photo backpack for the flight? My solution to that problem is to put the backpack inside the hard case. I use a Lowepro Flipside 400AW to carry my gear - a great bag with sufficient capacity for a gripped body, two big white zooms (70-200 II + 100-400), 3-4 more black L lenses (or a second body and 1-2 black lenses), and a flash. The loaded Flipside 400AW fits inside the Storm im2500 hard case (snugly, with the padded dividers removed, obviously). That's another reason I went with the Storm over the Peli - both are carry-on sized, but the dimensions are slightly different, and the Flipside is a better fit in the Storm case. With that setup, I have the best of both worlds - the protection of a hard case during the flight (if necessary) and convenience of a backpack when I get where I'm going.


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## bvukich (Mar 30, 2011)

Not to be an echo chamber, but everything neuroanatomist said is dead on.

I use a Pelican 1510 with padded dividers. Ample room, and easily fits in the overhead compartment. Then I put my (empty, flattened) Canon 200EG backpack in my checked luggage.

Also, on some airlines a backpack counts as a personal bag, and doesn't count as your one carry-on. So that's something to keep in mind too.


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## bvukich (Mar 30, 2011)

neuroanatomist said:


> The loaded Flipside 400AW fits inside the Storm im2500 hard case



Just added both to my Amazon wishlist.

I'm in the market for a new backpack, and that sounds like a killer combo.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 30, 2011)

bvukich said:


> I'm in the market for a new backpack, and that sounds like a killer combo.



It's a great pack, IMO. If you're not carrying as much, the Flipside 300 is an option, but I prefer the security of a rain cover option, and also the hip belt on the 400AW is a 'real' hip belt (i.e. padded nearly to the level of my internal frame pack, and load-bearing so your hear is supported mostly by your hips not your shoulders), vs. the thin, lightly padded hip strap on the 300.

I really like the security of having the opening against your back, and the process of flipping the pack around to your front works - the open pack serves as a changing platform, and I can change lenses without setting the pack down (which I really appreciate when I'm hiking in muddy terrain).


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## ronderick (Mar 31, 2011)

neuroanatomist said:


> I really like the security of having the opening against your back, and the process of flipping the pack around to your front works - the open pack serves as a changing platform, and I can change lenses without setting the pack down (which I really appreciate when I'm hiking in muddy terrain).



Just wondering if Crumpler's C List Celebrity amounts to the same thing? In addition to the backside opening, it seems to have room set aside for a laptop.


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## bvukich (Mar 31, 2011)

ronderick said:


> Just wondering if Crumpler's C List Celebrity amounts to the same thing? In addition to the backside opening, it seems to have room set aside for a laptop.



Do you have that one? Does it stick out as far in the back as it looks like it does (pictures on Amazon and B&H)?

After a _small _incident I had at a winery, involving their display of bottles with ribbons around them (making them top heavy, and unstable), I'm very conscious of the distance things protrude from my back.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 31, 2011)

Based on the specs, that Crumpler is about 0.5" deeper than the Lowepro Flipside 400AW (not counting the tripod hook on the Crumpler - and where does that get stored when not in use? - the Lowepro's tripod holder tucks neatly away and adds no bulk).

I've found the Lowepro to be reasonably compact, as long as the tripod isn't hanging on the back - if it is, winebottle displays beware!


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## awinphoto (Mar 31, 2011)

Not to parrot what everyone else has said but I have a pelican 1510 I used on my trips to the UK and back and also have a lowepro backpack. The backpack is far more convenient and ease free should I go camping or hiking or just a stroll around town. However as someone suggested on my future trips abroad I would probably still bring my pelican possibly with the backpack inside it. Now I'm not sure why, but with the backpack and the padding, I can almost fit more in the backpack than I could the pelican with the foam, just the way it's constructed and designed, but the pelican is what I would probably feel more comfortable with should something go wrong and I need that extra protection. Turbulence anyone? Lastly, do not be surprised to have A LOT of flight attendants question you about your pelican case as you wheel that puppy on board. I've had a lot ask me if I wanted to check it instead or store it in the coat closet. There was even one airplane it just barely fit the overhead compartment. Just some food for thought.


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## ronderick (Mar 31, 2011)

bvukich said:


> Do you have that one? Does it stick out as far in the back as it looks like it does (pictures on Amazon and B&H)?



No, I haven't seen that one myself (I've seen more than enough of the X million-dollar home series at local shops, but still have yet to spot the C List Celebrity). 

I personally have reservations about the Lowepro bags, after encountering a strap problem with one of their models...

Used to love my TTP Rotation 360, but the rotating belt pouch of that bag would not fit camera bodies with attached grip and lacks a place for my laptop. Really wished they came out with a bigger backpack using the same design concept...


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## gene_can_sing (Mar 31, 2011)

I have a pelican case that is very similar in size to my Lowepro 300 AW Vertex. And I can safely say that you can fit a LOT more stuff in the Lowepro backpack than the Pelican case. Both fit within the size range of a carry on, but the Lowepro 300 is much easier to deal with in almost every way.

I use the Pelican for my 16mm Eclair ACL motion picture camera.

With the Lowepro, I can fit 8 lenses (including the huge 70-200L and 2 bodies and a laptop and all my filters and misc. stuff. It's the way to go if you're doing a carry on. If you're going to check it into the cargo hold, then go Pelican.


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## -hh (Apr 1, 2011)

neuroanatomist said:


> The Lowepro roller bags do not fit under a seat. The OP is looking for a bag to carry 2 bodies and a couple of large lenses, and I really doubt that any bag sufficient to carry those will fit under a seat.



There's a lot of stuff that won't fit under a seat anymore. Even my bland (and not oversized) rolling laptop/briefcae bag won't always fit anymore. My basic rule of thumb for under-seat is small and soft. 



> ...What does that all mean? Fuller planes and more people carrying on rollerboard luggage. Overhead space is limited. I fly pretty frequently, and on most flights (I'd guess 12-15 of the ~20 flights I've taken so far this year), the overheads have filled up, and people with carry-on bags that won't fit under a seat have been forced to check those bags (and they aren't 'gate-checked' in the sense that you get them at the destination gate - they come out on the baggage carousels like other checked bags). So, unless you fly first class or have an elite membership that allows you early boarding privilages, your carry on soft bag full of your expensive camera gear may very well end up as checked luggage.



Well said. Given the cost of photo gear, the potential cost of extra flight for a "mileage run" to get/retain one's Elite status may be worthwhile to consider. 



> Bottom line - get a carry-on sized hard case for air travel. Plan to carry it on. Be prepared in case you are forced to check it. Personally, I recommend the Storm im2500...



This is the route I'm going now, although I'm currently using a different brand, namely Think Tank http://www.thinktankphoto.com/. Expensive, but its many nice touches includes integrated TSA locks and tons of foam inserts for customization. 



> Now, while a hard case is best for the flight, one big downside to hard cases is that once you get to your destination, a hard case is not a very convenient way to carry your gear...



Agreed. But before concluding on a hardside, also be aware of what percentage of your travel may be (USA) Domestic versus International, because carry-on size limits vary. The Think Tank bag I currently have is the "Airport Security 2", which is sized for Domestic and while it barely fits everything I want to carry-on (I'm packing an underwater dSLR system, complete with housing, 8" dome and dual strobes), it is technically too big for International carry-on. 


-hh


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