Which Pelican Case is Best for You?By Sy Harris
From L to R, Top to Bottom; Pelican 1520, 1560, 1510, 1610, 1620
Protecting your gear with a solid carrying case is tantamount to keeping your gear in perfect condition. When buying a case size, weight and flexibility must come into consideration. Remember, your case will not only protect your system, it will be luggage as well. You want to select a case that will expand with your system, but not be so large that it goes over the airline's weight restrictions. Other considerations would be whether it rolls or can be considered carry-on luggage, or if the case has Velcro cushioning or pick and pluck foam. Velcro is flexible and all of our generic cases come standard with it, but when buying a video system, companies such as Light and Motion offer their packages in Pelican cases with customized foam. Below are the Pelican cases we recommend.
1620
Weight: 26lbs.
Dimensions: 25"x20"x14"
Carry-On: No
Rolling: Yes
Price (w/ Velcro): $340
Price (w/ Foam): $224.95
What it will fit:
This case will fit a complete SLR housing system; 2 strobes, arms, sync cables, a variety of ports and still have room to spare. It's a little bit deeper than the
1610 and has a second tier Velcro compartment that can fit all of your accessories or a back-up point and shoot system. The 1620 will also fit the FX1 housings. The largest video housings out there.
Pelican 1620 with Subal D200 and Olympus point and shoot system.
1610
Weight: 22.5lbs.
Dimensions: 25"x 20"x12"
Carry-On: No
Rolling: Yes
Price (w/ Velcro): $275
Price (w/ Foam): $200
What will it fit:
This case will fit a complete SLR housing system; 2 strobes, arms, sync cables, a variety of ports and still have room to spare. This case does not have the second tier Velcro compartment of the 1620. This case is a little too small to properly fit the larger video housings.
1560
Weight: 20lbs.
Dimensions: 22"x 18"x10.5"
Carry-On: No
Rolling: Yes
Price (w/ Velcro): $195
What will it fit:
This case will fit a basic SLR housing system, but with no room to spare. It's tight but the trade-off is it's smaller size and weight.
Pelican 1560 with Subal D200 system.
1510
Weight: 13.6lbs.
Dimensions: 22"x14"x9"
Carry-On: Yes
Rolling: Yes
Price (w/ Velcro): $200
Price (w/ Foam): $158.50
What will it fit:
This case is a little bit deeper than the 1520 but narrower also. The neat thing is it rolls with an extended handle and can be easily carried onto an airplane. It will handle only point and shoot camera systems and video housings.
1520
Weight: 9.35lbs.
Dimensions: 19"x15.5"x7.5"
Carry-On: Yes
Rolling: No
Price (w/ Velcro): $158.50
Price (w/ Foam): $128.50
What will it fit:
This case will fit only the smallest point and shoot and video systems. It's what the
Top Dawg and most of Light and Motion's small Bluefin and
Mako housings come in. It's one of the only cases useful to an underwater shooter that can be carried on an airplane.
Pelican 1520 with custom foam for a Light & Motion HC3 Bluefin.
Pelican 1520 with adjustable velcro.