Quote Originally Posted by btaylor
Have a look at Storm Cases as well for your next buy. They are very similar to Pelican cases in construction but I find the latches to be a lot more user friendly. i.e the good old Pelican "knuckle buster" latches can be a pain in the... finger if they get a bit tight.Pelican actually bought out Storm a couple of years ago and started selling them as Pelican Storm cases so they must be the goods. I've got a couple at work and they're just as robust.

I was looking for a case for carrying on a plane, and debated the Pelican 1514 (1510 with dividers) vs. the Storm im2500. One of the things I hate about buying cases/bags online is that you can't test the fit of your gear. Both the 1514 and the im2500 meet the airline requirements and have very similar exterior dimensions. But the internal dimensions (more important for obvious reasons) are a bit different - the Peli is 0.4" deeper, whereas the shallower Storm is 0.5" wider and 0.75" taller. While those don't sound like much, 1/2" can make the difference between a lens upright vs. on its side, or a gripped body not fitting.


I decided on the Storm im2500. To be honest, part of the decision was that it comes in yellow (which matches my Peli 1600, but also stands out better than basic black or desert tan). The latches are much easier than the Pelican (even after they updated them to the double-throw style). As it turns out, that 0.4" of height makes a difference - the 5DII is a very tight fit in the im2500 lying on its side (it wouldn't fit upright in either case without removing the grip).


My first thought was, "Should I return this for the Peli?" But then I thought some more - about why I want/need the case. The only other time I've traveled with my gear by plane (Boston to San Francisco), I simply put it in my Lowepro Flipside 400AW and carried it on the plane, and around town in the same pack. That was a direct flight, and we had a car once we got there. For our trip to China, I'm facing the realistic possibility that I'll have to check the bag at some point - thus the hard case (and a set of Tamperseal locks). But, traveling around China, I'm not going to take a hard case with me walking around! So, if I pack my gear in the hard case for the trip, what do I do with the Flipside 400AW that I'll need to carry it around during the day? Fill it with socks and underwear and check it? Seems a little silly...


The solution is obvious, and Bryan suggested it in one of his hard case reviews - remove the dividers and put the padded camera bag(s) directly in the hard case. Here, the 0.5" of width is definitely in the Storm's favor - the loaded Flipside 400AW is a tight fit for depth in the empty im2500, but it turns out the limiting dimension is width, and while I can get it into the Storm, I think it wouldn't fit into the slightly narrower Peli.


So, thanks for your suggestion of looking into Storm Cases, Ben - I think the im2500 will work out well! Once I round out my lens collection for the trip, I'll do a test-pack to make sure it all fits, and post some pics.