Hard Case suggestions?

[Stix]

I'm looking for a hard case that can hold the basic paintball stuff, marker, tank, barrel and some other small items. I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions. I plan to fly around with this case, so I'm looking for something that will stand up to the abuse of travel. I don't want to spend too much, but I will say $150 isn't OTT if it's a quality case. Thanks in advance.

[Dryden]

Well, for proper transport without any movement, you'll be best off getting a full foam case that you can customize. Either a Pelican Case or a Cabbage Case will do the trick.

http://www.pelicancase.com/
http://www.cabbagecases.com/

Pelican Cases are virtually indestructable and affordable, but a bit dull and cumbersome. Cabbage Cases are darn near nuke-proof and beautiful, but can be pricey. I've used both to haul PC equipment all around North America, and neither has ever given me any problems nor have I ever had sensitive laptops or projectors damaged, even after 100,000 miles on Northworst Airlines. ;)

I would point out though that you will have issues with air transporting your compressed air cylinders. I'd suggest getting a separate small case for the tank and USPS Priority Mail it to your destination two to three days before you leave.

[MicroMiniMe]

Dosko Sport XL (http://www.cases4less.com/detail_seal_tight_exlg.html)
More affordable version of Pelican. Maybe not as good as Dryden's for lots of air transport though.

[Dryden]

Dosko Sport XL (http://www.cases4less.com/detail_seal_tight_exlg.html)
More affordable version of Pelican. Maybe not as good as Dryden's for lots of air transport though.Wow, those are about a full $100 cheaper than Pelicans! I don't have any experience with the Doskos, but it looks like a Pelican knock-off without the bleed-valve for air cargo pressures. Might be a good choice to look at.

I would point out - again, without claiming any firsthand experience with Doskos - that the hinges on the lids of Pelicans are indestructible. Believe me, I've abused Pelicans long enough and really made an effort to try and destroy one, but they'll take any abuse you can dish out. I would question whether or not the Dosko is as well constructed, but that can't really be measured until you understand the difference between the abuse your luggage will take between 10 flights as opposed to 100+. A Pelican (mid/large laptop sized briefcase Model TM1550 DF (http://www.pelicancase.com/hand1.htm)) will run about $170, and will last longer than you ever will.

I guess it goes towards the purchaser to decide how much air travel is enough to justify a Pelican, but I would stand behind one.

Heh heh, reminds me of the old Yogi-ism ... "Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel." :)

[SpecialBlend2786]

look into these?

http://www.actvil.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/BrowseCatalog-Start;sid=noVY4bTszoCM4vRAhb9q56BAG-BVZTnLJeU=?CatalogCategoryID=im%2esFAY7PnUAAAD3nOC lA_2r

[Dryden]

look into these?

http://www.actvil.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/BrowseCatalog-Start;sid=noVY4bTszoCM4vRAhb9q56BAG-BVZTnLJeU=?CatalogCategoryID=im%2esFAY7PnUAAAD3nOC lA_2rThe Rufus Dawg cases are awesome for the money, in fact I own one myself for my MiniMag ...


http://www.bininger.com/paintball/rufus_dawg_1.jpg

http://www.bininger.com/paintball/rufus_dawg_2.jpg

http://www.bininger.com/paintball/rufus_dawg_3.jpg

The problem though is evident in the third picture. While the top tray and lid uses rigid egg-crate type foam, the bottom isn't padded at all. Even if you wrapped your gear in towels, there is still the problem that the hinge pins are plastic as is the "reinforcement" for the carrying handle. The Rufus Dawg case is absolutely perfect for getting your gear from point A to point B in the back seat of your car, but it'll get positively destroyed in one trip through a luggage carousel at an airport.

The Rufus Dawg will fit as carry-on luggage for either stow-under seating or overhead on a 5-across aircraft or larger (DC-8 & 9 or 737+). But if you get stuck on one commuter puddle jumper, a 50-seat Embraer ERJ Regional or 727, the Rufus Dawg will have to be checked.

You won't see it in one piece when you land.

[Evil Bob]

I have used the Dosko brand for hauling around my markers for years, I still own one from 1992 (when they were known as Doskocil), it's been around the world many times.

The Extra Large will hold your marker, barrels, air source, and several tools, etc. quite easily. You will have to stash your mask and clothing elsewhere, but having your marker and air source seperate from your clothing means you dont need to show the world your underwear (unless you're into that type of thing) when security asks you to open the case up.

The foam on this one was in two layers. I put a cardboard box between them to help support the weight of the marker, glued it right to the upper layer of foam. The foam is the little square cells so you can tear them out in shapes so that your marker and gear fit snugly inside.

Mine does have a pressure vent as can be seen in the upper right corner, this vent is located on the bottom of the case.

If you want to lock it, there are holes on the corners that you can thread a lock through, I used a Master Sesame lock (4 digit combination) so I didn't have to rummage around for keys in my gear when asked by security to open the case.

These are a great alternative to the Pelican cases.

-Evil Bob

[magmonkey]

my vote is either for pelican or another company called alumasport

I have one of each and the both are nice

[Stix]

Thanks for the suggestions guys... on that Dosko brand, do you think just a large size will do? Also I recently was told that they no longer allow tanks onto passenger planes anymore, and that I'd probably have to ship it to myself. Is there any truth to this?

[wyn1370]

walmart sells pistol cases for like $8, keep your marker in there and put everything else in a gear bag. I've got a half dozen of these cases and they work great. I can leave the gear bag packed with everything and just grab whichever marker I feel like using/bringing.

[cphilip]

Wow, those are about a full $100 cheaper than Pelicans!
I guess it goes towards the purchaser to decide how much air travel is enough to justify a Pelican, but I would stand behind one.



Not sure I agree with the pricing on that link. I bought my big Pelican ones with the rollers and flip out handle foam and everything for like 150 - 160 bucks delivered. I posted the site I bought it from and pictures of it here long ago. Search for me and Pelican and probably will come up. Good place to deal with...

[Dryden]

Not sure I agree with the pricing on that link. I bought my big Pelican ones with the rollers and flip out handle foam and everything for like 150 - 160 bucks delivered.According to the link posted to the Dosko, that case is only $65. The same dimension case from Pelican runs about $169 (though you can get them down to ~ $140 if you order more than one).

I think the best buy for a Pelican though is to buy a used one off of eBay from a company that is liquidating their supply, then just order a new block of foam from Pelican direct.

Regardless though, after seeing the pics of the Dosko from Evil Bob, it appears to be a very sound alternative.

I have two of the large Pelicans for work. Each holds a digital projector, two spare lamps, two laptops, about four books, a hub, and cables. Fully loaded they weight about 65lbs each. I love pushing my way through the crowds at the luggage carousel and grabbing the Pelicans off of the conveyer. When I swing one, people move out of my way. ;)

EDIT: Here's the old thread I think cphil mentioned:

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5730&highlight=Pelican

[TTCosmo]

I have been using that extra large case from Dosko (same one as those pictures above) for several years now. It is very durable and will hold plenty of stuff. It was able to hold my gun, tank, barrels, hopper, AND my mask. It seals well and is perfect for bad weather. I have also checked it in on many airplanes. It also has a set of holes to put a lock on it, although that is a bad idea for airline travel. The four latches are VERY tight and will not budge when banged around.
I picked it up at Cabellas for about $65.

All you have to do is tell the security at check in what is in the case. They will open it and poke around a bit. They will also check to make sure that any tanks you have in there are completely empty.

The only downside of a hard case is that they tend to be heavy and don't have wheels or shoulder straps.

[Evil Bob]

That would be one of the main reasons why I would go with one of the wheeled Pelican series, it makes it alot easier to get around once you're outside the airport and can no longer use the airport carts. When I originally bought the Dosko extra large case, the Pelican wheelies were in the $350+ range and I simply could not justify it, but you can get the large wheelies for under $200 these days. The Dosko Extra Large does get heavy when you have to haul it around by hand.

As to the travelling with cylinders restrictions, that seems to be on an individual air line basis, some will allow it if you let them know before hand, others flatly refuse to have anything to do with it. I would contact your air carrier before hand and discuss it with their security rep to get the final answer.

-Evil Bob

[cphilip]

Love the wheels and handles...

Thats a real old post. Most of my pictures are gone though.

[Evil Bob]

I have to admit, before the NW quick disconnect came along, after buying my warp feed, I was out shopping around for a much larger hard case to haul my marker around in, it was such a pain in the tail end to have to manually remove the warp and reg to put it into the hard case I currently had. The NW fixed that nicely. I was looking at the Pelican 1600's and thinking about how nice it would be to have wheels.... *sighs dreamily* "Ah... wheels..."

But alas the wife didn't want me buying anything else so I was stuck with my older Doskocil cases, still got them, still using them, still dreaming of wheels in my old age... *sighs*

-Evil Bob

[Snowball]

http://www.casesbysource.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=ALF i got myself one of these...they are light weight and u can choose between a wide variety of sizes and depths...i got mine 8"deep with foam for 85 shipped...

[SpecialBlend2786]

http://www.casesbysource.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=ALF i got myself one of these...they are light weight and u can choose between a wide variety of sizes and depths...i got mine 8"deep with foam for 85 shipped...
Those look pretty promising.....