Which Pelican case for the FS100?

G

ghosteater

Member
I would like to get either the 1500 or 1600 Pelican case. Would the 1500 fit the body with the included accessories + a few lenses? I see the dimensions appear to work, but not sure how tight it is. Does anyone use the 1500? I can spend more for the 1600, but I'd prefer to spend less and not have too huge of a case if not necessary. Thanks!
 
ghosteater said:
I would like to get either the 1500 or 1600 Pelican case. Would the 1500 fit the body with the included accessories + a few lenses? I see the dimensions appear to work, but not sure how tight it is. Does anyone use the 1500? I can spend more for the 1600, but I'd prefer to spend less and not have too huge of a case if not necessary. Thanks!
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I bought at first the 1550 from Nalpak. It fits nicely my fs, attached baseplate, manual follow focus, two batteries, lens support, attached 18-200, the mic, the 16mm and wide adapter, all cables and charger and a G3 kit....

Then I bought the 1650 with foam for the bigger setups where I need better sound. It holds camera, three mics, two G3 kits, the mixpre-d, the tascam dr-40, a couple of xlrs, the 16 and wide adapter, and the lit holds all cables, batteries and what not.

The good thing about the 1550 is that its suitable for flight cabins.
 
I've got the 1560 (I think) that is suitable for carrying on in a plane. I actually have TWO of them that carry my kit sometimes. One case gets the camera body and lens package and the other rails, mb, filters, monitor, ff, battieries, cables and etc.

If I was using only the kit lens I believe I could get nearly everything into one of the cases.
 
Go for the Pelican 1510. They are the best to travel with on an airplane and not as big and bulky as the 1560.Pelican FS100.jpgFS100 Case.jpg
 
Raster,

Do you pack bricks in your 1510? My setup weighs about 35lbs and is never over 40lbs which is way under all the major airlines limits.
 
35lbs is about double what's allowed on most Australian airlines. Remember this is CARRY ON luggage we are talking about not checked luggage.
 
Wow i've never had my carry on baggage weighed, but even if it was, most carry on baggage is limited to 50lbs in America.
 
Searcher said:
35lbs is about double what's allowed on most Australian airlines. Remember this is CARRY ON luggage we are talking about not checked luggage.
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Yep, check with your carrier first, rules are changing .. avgas goes up weights come down, especially for international travel.

Some tips: when you're carving out the pick n' pluck foam, plan carefully and take it sloooow .. and know where you can get more in a hurry if you screw it up.

According to our local dealer, there are more than 5 grades of PnP foam available .. stay well clear of the elcheapo stuff. It doesn't last, crumbles into weanie bits and hides in your gear.

Put the heaviest items (camera) closest to the Pelicans hinges so when the case is standing up the weight is at the bottom .. keep some fresh silicagel in there.

Stay off the bright colored Pelican cases, they attract unwanted attention. Don't even put loud stickers on the black ones. TSA combination locks are best.

Back at base, a dustbug is good for the foam and all the gear after a wild windy day out.

Cheers.
 
i have a 1510 at homebase, and the FS lives in that, but i'm on the road these days, we have been in 8 countries in 5 continents in 6 weeks, today on my way from Tamil Nadu to home via Zurich today, 4 airports in 3 continents in 1 (long) day.. i'm packed like this;

1) LowePro "Stealth Reporter" bag = FS body, 16-35, 28-70, 70-200, 35/50/85 primes, 2 x G3's, H4, short Sony mic, Senhiser 416, cans, 4 x batts, french flag, short vf, monopod, small tools, blower brush, 15" MBP, power supply
2) backpack = bottom holds clothes & toothbrush, top compartment holds the rails, ff, mb, led lamps, power adpts, extension cable, batt chargers.
3) Tripod case = manftroto 503, legs, light stands, gels & scrims.

and have not had a issue with carring on the LowePro, although it's over 35lbs, the rest of the kit is pretty light, no probs once they know it's an expensive camera...
 
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If you want to take your camera as hand baggage, may I put in a shout for ThinkTank bags... especially the Airport Acceleration II. THanks to Dan Chung for bringing these to my attention, have been using them for years now, both EX1s and FS100.

So, at moment, my v2 holds FS100, 5 lenses, EVF, batts, chargers, mics, XLR cable, wireless mics, cables, 17" MacBook Pro, hard drives... as a backpack through miles of airport corridors around Europe and Middle East. Only Gulf Air decided to weigh it - their limit is 6Kg on cattle class. I had to hand carry the EX1 and laptop and check the rest in (it was fine).

Also Scott-e-vest Fleece 5 jacket (with arms removed) - holds a 3 lens DSLR kit. ;-)

I have Pelicase trunks (well, the Hardigg Storm ones as the catches a nicer), but whilst great for road freight, they are expensive to fly with as their weight limits the amount of gear I can pack inside them. If I were renting my kit out, they'd be in Pelis, but when I travel with my gear, its ThinkTank all the way.
 
I have spent the past six years flying with lightweight cameras, starting with a DV100b.For many years prior I used to carry on my Iki in a Portabrace and put it overhead, the rest went with baggage. My DVX and then HMC150 flew with me in their Thermodyne cases made for the cameras. These cases were made to carry-on specs. Since 90% of my work requires me to travel, a case for the FS was/is an issue. I did the research in Canada and the USA and folks are right the specs are very tight and getting tighter. I chose to go with an IM2500 from Pelican/Storm. I carry my camera,4 lenses,baseplate lens adapters short rods and handles (when they arrive from Berkey) Charger, batteries and short shotgun fit. The rest will be in the belly of the plane.
Due to increasing baggage limits and the high cost of overweight and extra baggage charges, I am now going to start using two Storm im 2750 cases as luggage and gear transport, I divide one in half and put my clothes in there and gear in the rest.
I should also mention that like many of us I have a large collection of "bags" from Petrol, Portabrace,LowePro etc. My reason for going with first the Thermodyne and now the Storm rather than the soft bags, which are lighter is simple. The soft ones can't take the beating, when the guy across the aisle is jamming his oversized carry-on into the overhead and bashing your bag to make his fit. I used a lowepro commercial awdv bag on one shoot with my GH1 and ended up having to replace a lens hood that got squished. I love the look and weight but not enough protection for me.
 
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I'm thinking of getting the 1510 and I'm wondering how safe the lenses are in the case while rolling it? would the vibrations from the wheels transfer to the lens? i think i might be over paranoid but i would like to hear your guys opinion.
 
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It'd be OK if you leave as much PnP foam around each piece as possible .. for the average lens, at least 2 squares and 3 at the sides of the case, more for heavy lens.

Keep all the foam off-cuts to pack underneath each piece. You can get suitable glue to spot tack them into place ... don't rush it, take regular breaks.

Cheers.
 
And .. to plan your gear layout in the Pelican if you Google 'Pelican foam cutting' you'll see a few different videos, but here's how I do it.

I tape a piece of clear Gladwrap flat over the PnP foam in the case.

Using a non permanent black Sharpie pen, position each lens vertically in place and draw around its outline on the Gladwarap leaving suitable PnP foam squares between each lens. When I'm satisfied I copy this onto the foam and cut the squares out using an Xacto hobby knife with a new blade each time.

Write your name and details on some tape and fix to the inside of the lid, under the foam.
This is gaining more approval here ..

http://www.home-security-action.co.uk/alpha-dot-security-marking.html

Cheers.
 
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