Pelican dry case

[Dwarak]

I feel the need to get a dry case for my lens and gear was looking online and found pelican 1600 for 150us just wanted an opinion is it really good read some good reviews

[MarkW]

I use a 1550 Pelican for storage at home or when travelling by car. They dont store gear very effectively with the pick and pluck foam in terms of how many lenses you can fit into one box. The padded dividers might work better to fit more gear in but then there is a lower protective value. I'm considering getting the box re-foamed with a higher density foam specially cut to fit my gear by a company that specialises in this field.

The cases are as tough as but generally too heavy for plane flight unless its for checked luggage and I wouldn't let my lenses go into checked luggage. Carry on is only 7Kg so when your case is 4-5kg, it doesn't leave much left.

[dsaini]

If you are set on Pelican cases, try checking Bunnings, they had similar cases to pelican but way cheaper.

[pgbphotographytas]

If you are set on Pelican cases, try checking Bunnings, they had similar cases to pelican but way cheaper.

These cases were only a limited offer and most stores I think have now sold out of them.

Jaycar sell some cases like this which I have used with good results

[phild]

Jaycar sell some cases like this which I have used with good results

I second the clone case comment, I've have a couple and compared them side by side with Pelican casess, I found the clone case to be as good as the Pelican at a fraction of the cost.

[Dwarak]

Thanks guys I take it these are not designed to control humidity out like a dry cabinet to store lens and other gear

[MarkW]

The cases are airtight with a rubber seal running around the perimiter and Pelican manufacture a small canister with holes in it that contains sillica gell crystals but thats it. It doesnt actively dehumidify inside the case like a cabinet will.

[terry.langham]

Rosco Canoes (and probably other similar shops) have waterproof cases at reasonable prices. Not sure how big they go to though.

[mikec]

Any particular reason for gettin one? I couldn't justify one and my gear is always outdoors. A standard bag with a big enough dry bag is probably fine 95% of the time....

[Tricky]

Any particular reason for gettin one? I couldn't justify one and my gear is always outdoors. A standard bag with a big enough dry bag is probably fine 95% of the time....

The big dry bag will be soaked with moisture within days... unless you have a sealed environment (ie something like a pelican knock-off) and regularly dry out the silica in the oven, then you might as well not bother...

There's a few threads on AP about this...

[mikec]

The big dry bag will be soaked with moisture within days... unless you have a sealed environment (ie something like a pelican knock-off) and regularly dry out the silica in the oven, then you might as well not bother...

There's a few threads on AP about this...

I'm talking about a dry bag as in, a sealed stuff sack that you can drop your camera bag into when you are outside and it looks like its about to bucket down or if your doing a lot of creek crossing etc...

I look at Pelican cases as a way to protect gear in harsh enviroments eg. rain, dust, knocks not as a low humidity storage solution. I'm sure they'd work for that though. It was why I was asking what he wanted the case for since Pelican cases are marketed as protection for harsh enviroments and not so much storage solutions.

[Tricky]

I'm talking about a dry bag as in, a sealed stuff sack that you can drop your camera bag into when you are outside and it looks like its about to bucket down or if your doing a lot of creek crossing etc...

I look at Pelican cases as a way to protect gear in harsh enviroments eg. rain, dust, knocks not as a low humidity storage solution. I'm sure they'd work for that though. It was why I was asking what he wanted the case for since Pelican cases are marketed as protection for harsh enviroments and not so much storage solutions.

Hi Mike, well, it's easy to check if the dry bag is working... use a silica gel that goes from dark blue (dry) to pink (saturated) and watch how long it takes to go pink... In my Bunnings pelican knock-off, the gel stays blue for ages, maybe a month if rarely opened, maybe 2 weeks if opened quite a few times. If I use a normal camera bag, the gel turns pink in just a few days... All to do with the pelican case being a sealed environment, ie the gel has a fighting chance to dehumidify the air trapped in the case, rather than a cloth bag which is not air tight.

I use my pelican knock-off almost entirely for storage at home. Only occasionaly have I used it outside of the home, eg when going on a drive interstate and putting the case in the boot. For most outdoor duties, I use a normal camera bag. So long as you don't leave your lens in conditions which are above >70% humidity for more than 24 hours straight, then you won't have a problem.I have seen Pelican cases advertised with a silica pack included in the price, so I think its quite a normal approach.

[carioca]

Hello there!
I bought a $69 case from Bunnings last August and returned it a few days later to get a Pelican 1450 case instead. Forget the price, but around $150 I believe...

I ordered the case with lid foam only, then took a fish filleting knife to some very clean high-density mattress foam leftovers to arrange bottom foam, another piece with cut-outs for camera plus lens, and it works a treat! Mainly use the case for safe storage at home (it also has twin RSA-type locks and one of their silica moisture absorbing boxes - only needed drying out once in the past 7 months!).

Next job will be to add a cut-out for the coming 100mm macro lens...

Cheers,

LMH

[JonnyL]

Jaycar have a new one too at a reasonable price

[umajo]

i have a bunnings case went to the foam place and bought a peice of high density foam and cut out the shapes with a knife i just found taking bits out all the time the pluck foam kept falling apart. but love it keeps everything dry and dust free. i have seen them at a rural store just today it was a crt store in several sizes

[eldean]

Any reason to get this??? I live in canberra, and it's pretty dry here.. Is it worth to get it?

[Paul G]

Where can you get the colour changing silica from? At the moment in my backpack I'm just using the little packs that come with new shoes or boxes of bolts

[umajo]

you can buy it at camera shops usually 2 bags in a pack about 4 times the size of what you have

[Tricky]

Where can you get the colour changing silica from? At the moment in my backpack I'm just using the little packs that come with new shoes or boxes of bolts

This is the fella you want...

http://www.soggyphone.com/index.php?...od&productId=2

[peterb666]

Jaycar have a new one too at a reasonable price

I had a look at the Jaycar cases and wasn't impressed by the build quality, particularly around the sealing edge. Quite frankly, something like the Pelican 1450 would be a better buy.