[Heie]

For now

For those that aren't aware, I'm currently in the middle of a move from Germany, where I have been living since December 2010, back to the United States. As such, everything was packed up and because I will be in a training environment starting this weekend, I am unable to bring my gear with me. Yes, all my lenses and camera bodies were packed up and loaded into crates to be shipped across the pond to North Carolina, where my wife and I will call home until the Army tells us to find a new one

To ensure it was protected, I used the same case that I had while I was in traveling around Afghanistan during my deployment there. The Pelican 1510 case.



But, the Pelican 1500 comes in several variations, one of which is the 1514, which allows for the velcro dividers we all know and love in our camera bags.



Not my images, but here's how it looks with a few gear configurations I've found using a Google image search:







That can hold a lot of gear right? Well, while this isn't supposed to be a plug for Pentax, but in case anyone doesn't believe in the size argument of Pentax vs Canikon FF (or APS-C with Canikon FF glass), this is what I was able to fit in the same case as the above images:



Here it is all laid out on the ground in the same manner:



Here is with the gear ID'ed:



All of the lenses have their hoods attached and reversed with one exception - the DA* 55. As you can imagine, it's an extremely tight fit and the 55's wide hood didn't want to fit and I wasn't going to force it. Then it occurred to me - the DA* 16-50 with it's hood (one has a hood, the other doesn't), is much wider and has it attached, so I just put the DA* 55's hood at the base of it which made no difference at all in the 16-50's packing:



Now, you may be wondering how I turned a 2 row case into a 3 row. The original Canon 200 EG backpack I had in Afghanistan starting failing at the zipper (overuse and I don't think it was designed for that type of environment), so I threw out the bag but kept the inner linings/padding. Not a knock on the bag - it really is a fantastic one and I got a new one that has been great ever since - I just don't think it was designed to be carried and abused on combat missions

This is the new layout with all the gear removed:



Additionally, there is the option to forgo the top padding and in its place add a lid organizer.



Here is how I have mine set up:



And with everything laid out and labeled (by pocket) for easier viewing:



Again, the large Rocket Blower is missing, however it is housed in the far right pocket.

Now, this is where I modified the case again. I kept the foam padding that was originally in the roof of the case, but because it was too deep with its egg shell crate, I simply took a scissor to it and decreased the depth of the padding so it was still there as opposed to nothing between the bottom compartment and the lid organizer:



Here's a better look at the case with the lid and the empty padded compartment:



And here is everything in the entire case laid out on the ground:



For those that have been looking for a no bs storage solution for your gear, the Pelican 1510 is an excellent choice. The only thing to keep in mind is what when loaded down, this thing WEIGHS. I didn't weigh it (I should have) when it was full, but it was at least 40 lb (18 kg). I'll let you know how everything fared when I receive the household goods shipment in May, but I'm confident in it. Also, rest assured that I wrote down and identified every model and serial number and had the moving company personally account for everything there.

I hope this helps and you found this useful - I really do love this case and while I don't use it constantly (a small backpack is all I need), for large movements, it is an excellent and secure solution that I initially used while deployed in Afghanistan.

-Heie

---

Last edited by Heie; 04-21-2014 at 05:06 AM.

[GaryH]

Great job Alex. I have a 1510 and a 1450. Now I plan to add more dividers to be able to pack more gear in them.
Have a safe move.

[grhazelton]

Phew! from the title of your thread I immediately thought that you'd been robbed. Glad that it was "only" how you'd backed your kit up.

[dane.dawg]

Thats a great case.

[blackcloudbrew]

Well, I hope I never have to move all my gear like that but, this post does give some great insight. I have a smaller Pelican case which just holds one camera and an extra lens. I use it for my sea kayaking adventures and it works great.

[jlstrawman]

For now

For those that aren't aware, I'm currently in the middle of a move from Germany, where I have been living since December 2010, back to the United States. As such, everything was packed up and because I will be in a training environment starting this weekend, I am unable to bring my gear with me. Yes, all my lenses and camera bodies were packed up and loaded into crates to be shipped across the pond to North Carolina, where my wife and I will call home until the Army tells us to find a new one

To ensure it was protected, I used the same case that I had while I was in traveling around Afghanistan during my deployment there. The Pelican 1510 case.



But, the Pelican 1500 comes in several variations, one of which is the 1514, which allows for the velcro dividers we all know and love in our camera bags.



Not my images, but here's how it looks with a few gear configurations I've found using a Google image search:







That can hold a lot of gear right? Well, while this isn't supposed to be a plug for Pentax, but in case anyone doesn't believe in the size argument of Pentax vs Canikon FF (or APS-C with Canikon FF glass), this is what I was able to fit in the same case as the above images:

Attachment 216774

Here it is all laid out on the ground in the same manner:

Attachment 216765

Here is with the gear ID'ed:

Attachment 216773

All of the lenses have their hoods attached and reversed with one exception - the DA* 55. As you can imagine, it's an extremely tight fit and the 55's wide hood didn't want to fit and I wasn't going to force it. Then it occurred to me - the DA* 16-50 with it's hood (one has a hood, the other doesn't), is much wider and has it attached, so I just put the DA* 55's hood at the base of it which made no difference at all in the 16-50's packing:

Attachment 216769

Now, you may be wondering how I turned a 2 row case into a 3 row. The original Canon 200 EG backpack I had in Afghanistan starting failing at the zipper (overuse and I don't think it was designed for that type of environment), so I threw out the bag but kept the inner linings/padding. Not a knock on the bag - it really is a fantastic one and I got a new one that has been great ever since - I just don't think it was designed to be carried and abused on combat missions

This is the new layout with all the gear removed:

Attachment 216767

Additionally, there is the option to forgo the top padding and in its place add a lid organizer.



Here is how I have mine set up:

Attachment 216770

And with everything laid out and labeled (by pocket) for easier viewing:

Attachment 216775

Again, the large Rocket Blower is missing, however it is housed in the far right pocket.

Now, this is where I modified the case again. I kept the foam padding that was originally in the roof of the case, but because it was too deep with its egg shell crate, I simply took a scissor to it and decreased the depth of the padding so it was still there as opposed to nothing between the bottom compartment and the lid organizer:

Attachment 216771

Here's a better look at the case with the lid and the empty padded compartment:

Attachment 216768

And here is everything in the entire case laid out on the ground:

Attachment 216766

For those that have been looking for a no bs storage solution for your gear, the Pelican 1510 is an excellent choice. The only thing to keep in mind is what when loaded down, this thing WEIGHS. I didn't weigh it (I should have) when it was full, but it was at least 40 lb (18 kg). I'll let you know how everything fared when I receive the household goods shipment in May, but I'm confident in it. Also, rest assured that I wrote down and identified every model and serial number and had the moving company personally account for everything there.

I hope this helps and you found this useful - I really do love this case and while I don't use it constantly (a small backpack is all I need), for large movements, it is an excellent and secure solution that I initially used while deployed in Afghanistan.

-Heie

Thanks Alex. Great post! Very helpful.

[ybo1]

Quite impressive...
Aren't you keeping a camera at hand to document your trip back home ?


You are gonn'a feel naked with anything at hand......

[panoguy]

Oh, what a relief. Enjoy the overseas shipping! (Amazing how much more stuff you have than when you shipped out, huh?)

So let me see here... re-using a divider from an old backpack, and you go from 2 rows with things flopping around to 3 rows holding everything secure. Everything being; 4 camera bodies, 10 lenses, 2 flashes, and a grip, plus lots of accessories!

Send a link to Pelican and tell them to include a third big divider as an option!

[JinDesu]

Great post! And yay, you are coming back!

[aleonx3]

Great post and thanks for sharing how you stow away your gear; I will be looking for something like that. Have a safe trip home!!

[panoguy]

shipped across the pond to North Carolina

Forgot to ask: you gonna get your jump wings while you're there at Ft. Bragg?
(Personally, jumping out of a perfectly good airplane is like "practicing drowning" to me...)

[normhead]

I'm not sure you can really close the lid on that... could you have it shipped to my house so I can verify that all that stuff really fits in there?
I'll send it on as soon as I've checked it, honest.. (Does anyone know if Canada and the US have an extradition treaty?)

[WaveDancer]

Hi Alex
wish you and your wife all the best for the future!
Wave

[Kozlok]

I'm not sure you can really close the lid on that... could you have it shipped to my house so I can verify that all that stuff really fits in there?
I'll send it on as soon as I've checked it, honest.. (Does anyone know if Canada and the US have an extradition treaty?)

Norm, regardless of extradition treaties, Heie may be able to "extradite" you (or parts of you) by other means (lol).

[normhead]

Norm, regardless of extradition treaties, Heie may be able to "extradite" you (or parts of you) by other means (lol).

The Ontario Provincial Police assure me that if anyone turns up at my house with a weapon, they can be there within 40 minutes? What have I got to worry about?