Pelican cases

[John McCain]

A few notes on Pelican cases (I'm a fan). There are a some pretty good deals out there (writing pre-Christmas 2018). I just got a new Pelican IM2500 from a big retailer selling on eBay for $130 shipped with the pick-and-pluck foam. This is a lot of protection for instruments I don't want to buy again.

I recently got a 1605 which fits SSP and BP sets in one case.

Speaking of the foam, I very much like using it. If you search the web, including YouTube, you'll see a DIY spray treatment of the foam which will form it into, essentially, one piece with a product called Plasti-Dip. I'm planning on trying it once the weather warms enough.

The bottom layer of my first IM2500 is pictured below:

[pancelticpiper]

Very nice there John!

An issue with the Pelican 1510 is weight.

Pelican has come out with a redesigned 1510 called the 1535 Air which is 40% lighter, but sacrifices some interior depth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKuGzF_Xuf0

[pancelticpiper]

Originally Posted by Hebridean Society Piper

May I suggest this low cost alternative: http://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-x...ase-69318.html. Put a humidier in there with some foam stock protector inserts. Save your money

Incidentally I just came across this video, a guy comparing the Harbor Freight Apache case to the Pelican case.

They perform the same until he runs over each with his humongous pickup (skip to 5:08)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcB_UoZsmiI

In this video no case does very well, each being crushed by a 17 tonne fire truck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-idxvKuBuY

[John McCain]

Originally Posted by pancelticpiper

Very nice there John!

An issue with the Pelican 1510 is weight.

I haven’t used a 1510 so I wouldn’t know about it’s weight

[piper Q]

A little earlier in this thread, the question was raised about theft of the cases.

There are many ways you can attempt to defeat would be thieves. Pelican Cases as well as rifle cases can be padlocked and a simple bicycle cable can be used for securing the case to a few locations. Just don't do that in Airports or Bus Terminals then head off to Charbucks for a pumpkin spice whatever. It will attract unwarranted attention from authorities due to security concerns.

In other methods you can also have RFID trackers attached internally to the cases, as well as using cell phone tracking technologies to help recover stolen pipes. Though I have been told of pipers leaving vehicles unlocked and discovering more pipes tossed in upon their return.

But as Pelican Cases are a desirable item. Painting a current address inside under the removable foam padding along with an offer of reward may assist in recovery. But for those with pipes of rare and valuable providence, cell phone and RFID tracking technologies would be a valuable addition.

[el gaitero]

Originally Posted by piper Q

A little earlier in this thread, the question was raised about theft
Painting a current address inside under the removable foam padding along with an offer of reward......

Ditto writing the last 4 digits of your social inside your zippered bag, maybe your initials too, as well as a name I.d. tape inside the bag cover where not readily seen. Scratch your #’s onto the top of a few bag stocks.
On your whatever case add a few brilliant safety color slices of tape or neat 2” dots of spray paint at the ends and on the bottom...to be easily spotted when it’s walking away on someone’s else’s shoulder in a crowd.
Tells to help easily reclaim it if the PD gets involved.

[bob864]

Originally Posted by el gaitero

Tells to help easily reclaim it if the PD gets involved.

My Dad tells a story about a guy in Vietnam who had cleverly hidden several $100 bills by wrapping them around the tubes in his radio. Someone stole them. My Dad was the officer acting as judge in the dispute. The guy accused another guy of having stolen them, and the other guy said that no, they were his. But then the first guy produced a slip of paper from his wallet with the serial numbers of the bills. Case closed.

I put stickers on my pipe cases, and yes, writing on pipe bags with permanent marker is a good idea.

[pancelticpiper]

Originally Posted by John McCain

I haven’t used a 1510 so I wouldn’t know about it’s weight

Here's a comparison, it appears that the 1510 is a bit lighter than the im2500.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/compa...REG_415674-REG

BTW there were two distinct companies, Pelican and Hardigg.

Pelican makes the Pelican 1510.

Hardigg made the Hardigg Storm im2500, a very similar case to the Pelican 1510 just from one of Pelican's competitors.

But in 2009 Pelican bought out rival Hardigg. Pelican has continued to make the Hardigg Storm im2500 but re-branded "Pelican".

Since I have both (a pre-buyout Hardigg Storm im2500 and a Pelican 1510) I thought I'd share pics of them side by side:

The 1510 (black) has a separate dedicated top handle, a very nice feature. With the im2500 (grey) you have to use the telescoping handle as the top handle meaning that the case is off-balance.



Here you can see the separate top handle of the 1510. The 1510's side handle is better padded. The latches are different: the 1510's just snap shut and pull open, the im2500's have a release button you have to push to open the latch. Both cases have pressure release valves. The handles are only around halfway up here, to fit them in the photo.



The biggest differences are in the back. The im2500 has a full back piece which holds both the telescoping handle and the wheels. You can remove this assembly and have a lighter simple case. The 1510's wheels are held in separate small assemblies on each bottom corner.

The im2500's handle has a release catch with a metal spring mechanism, the 1510's release catch is just a portion of the plastic handle that flexes, a surprisingly cheap-feeling feature in an otherwise high-end case. Also the 1510's wheels are the same hard plastic as the case while the im2500's wheels are nicer, having separate tyres giving smoother rolling especially across brick etc.



Now for the horror show, how I use the inside! No elegant cut-out foam where each drone-piece is protected from the zombie apocalypse! I just toss the pipes in there like an ordinary old-school case. The case bottoms do have thin, dense foam linings cut from a Yoga mat. Both sets are plain-Jane somewhat beat-up 1940s pipes that sound great. Yes I keep the sheepskin bags wrapped in plastic, a habit I picked up from my Bulgarian piping teachers.

Both cases have the mesh zip pouch assembly made by Pelican for the 1510, which has thick bosses on the inside of the lid to accept the screws that hold the thing on. The old Hardigg im2500 lacks the bosses, so I had to drive the screws right through the lid, ruining the case's seaworthiness yes I know.

[Matt Willis Bagpiper]

As I shared in the most recent post on these Pelican cases, here is my review on the Pelican 1510 case: https://youtu.be/q4_q2wbT4s0

Spoiler: I think they're great!

[super8mm]

Thanks Matt, great video