Pelican 1614 Hardshell Storage Case - Mini Review

[airbutchie]

First and foremost, if any mod can add this to the ongoing list of "Camera Bag Reviews", I would greatly appreciate it... Thanks!!! Onto the mini-review...

With all the research I've done on Pelican hardshell cases, it can easily be said is true... Rugged, waterproof, and secure while storing your most valued items... Initially, all my camera gear was stored in two units: Lowepro Micro Trekker 200 & Domke F-804 Super Sachel Messenger Bag... Add all the cables, memory cards, batteries, and various nick-nacks can overwhelm anyone... On top of which, my wife hates to see camera gear laying around the office... So she said I need to organize all my crap or she'll do it for me; hence my research for finding a storage unit to suite my needs... I did a quick search on online and found several positive reviews regarding Pelican cases... The difficult part, of course, was finding the right one the will suit my needs now and down the road... After all that was said and done, the 1614 (with lid organizer) was the one for me... I found a local vendor and purchased it the same business day... Onto the sample pictures...

On the truck, ready to go home:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican-1614_00.jpg

Samples of the exterior of the 1614:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican-1614_01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican-1614_05.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican-1614_02.jpg

Samples of the interior of the 1614:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican-1614_07.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican-1614_13.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican-1614_17.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican-1614_19.jpg

To be continued on the next thread...

- airbutchie

[airbutchie]

Continuing the review with pictures... The next two are labeled appropriately with the pictured items...

Picture of my camera gear using the padded dividers:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614ItemBreakdown-Dividers.jpg

Picture of the miscellaneous items using the lid organizer:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614ItemBreakdown-LidOrganiz.jpg

There are a few pieces of glass that's missing... On loan to a fellow photog is my Canon 580EXII Flash, my Tokina 12-24 f/4, and my Canon 180L Macro... From my initial organization of my gear, I think it won't be difficult to add these three items into the 1614... Nonetheless, I hope this illustrates the flexibility of what can be stored... I'm sure in the near future, I'll be re-organizing it for any new "additions" to the family... If you have any questions, comments, and/or concerns, please feel free to post on this thread or PM... Thanks for looking at my mini-review!!!

- airbutchie :D

[SYS]

Thanks for the review, and I'm sure this would be quite useful for others considering the purchase. Did the lid organizer come with the case or did you buy it as a separate item? When I bought my 1614, it didn't come with the lid organizer.

[airbutchie]

^ SooYoung... The lid organizer was an additional purchase... Total for both the Pelican 1614 and lid organizer was $260...

- airbutchie :)

[Jim G]

Ah... Very handy. I'm looking at picking one of these up myself, thanks very much for posting this :)

[Pinto]

The case is deep enough for the 70-200 to stand on end. That would give additional space for some of your on-loan items.

[SYS]

The case is deep enough for the 70-200 to stand on end. That would give additional space for some of your on-loan items.

The reason why I don't recommend folks to get the Pelican smaller than 1600 series for home storage is exactly that. Being able to store your long lenses like 70-200 and 100-400 in vertical position makes a huge difference in storage room.

[ben_r_]

The reason why I don't recommend folks to get the Pelican smaller than 1600 series for home storage is exactly that. Being able to store your long lenses like 70-200 and 100-400 in vertical position makes a huge difference in storage room.
Yes it does, thats one thing I love about my 1614!

Great review! See that it gets put in the sticky!

[blonde]

i would be all over this one if i didn't think that i would get in trouble trying to get this thing on flights.

[Pinto]

i would be all over this one if i didn't think that i would get in trouble trying to get this thing on flights.

If you mean carry-on, then yes it might be a tad large to try an stuff under a seat or in the overhead.

[blonde]

i do mean carry on but i might just buy this one for home storage and to throw in my car on my birding trips...

[Pinto]

i do mean carry on but i might just buy this one for home storage and to throw in my car on my birding trips...

Can't go wrong with that.

[SYS]

I was thinking about ordering the lid organizer for my 1614, but it turns out that you'd have to take the top foam cover OFF in order to use the organizer... That's too bad that you can't use both. I suppose you could place only soft things inside the organizer so they don't grate on your gear or damage them.

[Pinto]

I was thinking about ordering the lid organizer for my 1614, but it turns out that you'd have to take the top foam cover OFF in order to use the organizer... That's too bad that you can't use both. I suppose you could place only soft things inside the organizer so they don't grate on your gear or damage them.

I don't think it's of much concern. The only thing that even comes close to the organizer in my case is the rear lens cap on a 70-200. But if you are concerned, just place a thin sheet of closed cell foam between the organizer and your gear. Problem solved.

[airbutchie]

I was thinking about ordering the lid organizer for my 1614, but it turns out that you'd have to take the top foam cover OFF in order to use the organizer... That's too bad that you can't use both. I suppose you could place only soft things inside the organizer so they don't grate on your gear or damage them.

SYS, I actually have the cover foam inbetween the lid organer and my camera gear right now... It locks up just fine... Now if I stand up my 70-200 2.8L IS, then I can see where it can be a problem... Nonetheless, the cover foam sits nicely between the lid organizer and my camera gear...

I'll take a few pictures of it, as well as the details that 1000arms is requesting... Be back in a few...

- airbutchie :D

PS. If any mod would like to post this review in the "Camera Bags Review" sticky, I would greatly appreciate it... Thanks in advance!!!

[SYS]

SYS, I actually have the cover foam inbetween the lid organer and my camera gear right now... It locks up just fine... Now if I stand up my 70-200 2.8L IS, then I can see where it can be a problem... Nonetheless, the cover foam sits nicely between the lid organizer and my camera gear...

I'll take a few pictures of it, as well as the details that 1000arms is requesting... Be back in a few...

- airbutchie :D

PS. If any mod would like to post this review in the "Camera Bags Review" sticky, I would greatly appreciate it... Thanks in advance!!!

Thanks. I think I'm going to order the lid organizer for mine, then. Do you (or anyone) know the best place to order it from? Is there a model number for the one that fits the 1614? I know that Amazon.com carries one but it's for 1650, and I don't know whether the lid organizer for 1650 would fit 1614.

[Pinto]

Lid is Pelican 1609. Got my case from Optics Planet. Excellent pricing.
http://www.opticsplanet.net/pelican-1609-photo-lid-organizer-for-pelican-1600-1610-1620-case.html

[SYS]

Lid is Pelican 1609. Got my case from Optics Planet. Excellent pricing.
http://www.opticsplanet.net/pelican-1609-photo-lid-organizer-for-pelican-1600-1610-1620-case.html

Thanks!

EDIT: Just placed the lid on order from the Optics Planet. It seems about $10 cheaper than other vendors. They offer free shipping for combined orders of $29.99 and over, and because the lid's cost was about a dollar short of this to quality, I just added a Desiccant Silica Gel for $13.94 to my order to get a free shipping. Yea, I've been using those small gel pouches that you can get for free, but this looks pretty effective not only for the Pelican cases but for those situations when I'm taking my gear to humid places.

[Pinto]

Thanks!

EDIT: Just placed the lid on order from the Optics Planet. It seems about $10 cheaper than other vendors. They offer free shipping for combined orders of $29.99 and over, and because the lid's cost was about a dollar short of this to quality, I just added a Desiccant Silica Gel for $13.94 to my order to get a free shipping. Yea, I've been using those small gel pouches that you can get for free, but this looks pretty effective not only for the Pelican cases but for those situations when I'm taking my gear to humid places.

Glad I could help.

[airbutchie]

As promised to 1000arms, here are several detailed images of the Pelican case...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614-Details_03.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614-Details_05.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614-Details_07.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614-Details_09.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614-Details_08.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614-Details_04.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614-Details_10.jpg

- airbutchie

[airbutchie]

And for SYS (SooYoung), here's a couple of images with the foam inbetween the lid organizer and camera gear...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614-Details_01.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/Pelican1614-Details_02.jpg

It closes and locks easily without any fuss and/or problems... Of course if you have glass that's upright, then you may have a problem doing this...

- airbutchie :D

PS. If it's not too much trouble, could a mod please add this to the "Camera Bag Reviews" sticky... I would greatly appreciate it... Thanks!!!

[SYS]

Thanks, airbutchie, for the photos of the foam between the organizer and the case. The place where I ordered the lid from has sent me an email recently that they were out of the organizer as well as the silica gel box, so I'll just have to wait longer.

By the way, you'd need to PM directly to the mod who's handling the "Camera Bag Reviews" sticky in order for your review to be up there.

[airbutchie]

^ Thanks SYS for the info... I'll talk to a mod about it...

- airbutchie

[airbutchie]

^ No problem fellas... Let me know if you need further pics/info... I'm glad I can help ya out...

- airbutchie :)

[dannylim]

that case is too large for carry-on for flights, correct?

i have the 1510 and its fantastic. love the pelican. doubles as a suitcase in a pinch, a seat, a desk, and its pretty much unbreakable.

[Pinto]

that case is too large for carry-on for flights, correct?

i have the 1510 and its fantastic. love the pelican. doubles as a suitcase in a pinch, a seat, a desk, and its pretty much unbreakable.

I think the 1510 you have is the max size for carry-on with most airlines.

[yokotas13]

yeah my 1510 works like a champ on carryons :)

[airbutchie]

^ Yup... What he said... Hehhehehehhe...

- airbutchie :)

[mhthomps]

Will this case fit under a standard height bed?

[Laramie]

Will this case fit under a standard height bed?

I have a regular bedframe on my queen bed and there's no way even close it would fit under. Seems like closet is a better space.

[airbutchie]

^ Just confirming what Ty said... It's a bit too high to fit underneath your "standard" bed height... Mine is actually on the floor in my office, although I should heed Ty's suggestion and put it in the closet...

- airbutchie

[dandig]

The Peli cases are heavy but i think the 1610 has the best capacity to weight ratio. I have just made a video about the lighting gear i keep in mine. Great case!! http://vimeo.com/3568981

[wcameron]

The 1510 does fit as a carry on but it is waaaay to heavy. Airlines are getting stricter and stricter on carry on and even checked bag weights. US carriers all charge $15.00 just to check a single bag now. Most domestic carriers have a carry on limit of between 20 and 22 pounds. The 1610 weighs 22.3 pounds empty! If you rely on using it as a carry on you better be prepared to check it because you WILL be checking it soon. The upside is that the Pelican is bomb proof but it might be worth looking at a lighter case for carry on and reduce the risk of having to check your equipment.

[GilesGuthrie]

Yeah, but surely if you've stashed your stuff in a Pelican, you don't need to worry so much about checking it...

[airbutchie]

I re-organized my Pelican to this new configuration (labeled appropriately)...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v467/airbutchie/Various%20Images/New-Pelican-Setup.jpg

It should remain like this unless I get new gear in the coming months... But I highly doubt it (knock on wood)... Anyhoo, I just wanted to share its flexibility and configuratibility...

- airbutchie ;)

[Rudi]

The reason why I don't recommend folks to get the Pelican smaller than 1600 series for home storage is exactly that. Being able to store your long lenses like 70-200 and 100-400 in vertical position makes a huge difference in storage room.

I already have the 1514 for carry-on (or at least my best chance of carry-on :)), but am considering another larger Pelican for those times when I want to pack absolutely everything, but don't need to fly to get there. This case looks perfect... except I'm in the process of reacquiring a 300mm f/4 L IS (just sold my 100-400L), and I wondered if that would fit standing on end - it's just under an inch longer than the 70-200/2.8 IS. I don't mind keeping the organizer pocket above the lens empty if I have to (with just a little padding to protect it), just wondering if it would fit. Looking at the specs, there should be enough room, but I thought I'd ask...

[darosk]

Nice looking piece of kit there...

[airbutchie]

Nice looking piece of kit there...

Thanks Daros...

And to Rudi asking about having the 300mm f/4L IS standing in an upright position (like my 70-200 2.8L IS), I honestly don't think it'll be safe... There's room for it in and upright position, however there's barely any room if you close the case... i'm sure you can add some padding between the lens and the case, but maybe not enought to keep it safe and secure... Just my two cents, Rudi... Perhaps I'll take a picture of how much the 70-200 2.8L IS sticks out from the bottom half of the case... That way you can have a visual representation of what I'm talking about... BRB... Pictures to follow...

- airbutchie ;)

[sherijohnson]

thank you SO much for this thread. I am seriously considering this particular item for my gear.

[w8jy]

The 1614 case is one of the best investments I have made. It stores all my lenses, etc. at home, and travels in my vehicle on trips.

It is a little bulky and heavy, but it sure is nice to have everything at my fingertips.

I strongly recommend the cover insert, and of course, the dividers are well worth the price over foam.

[myjunk]

this is really cool. The case that is.

[myjunk]

BTW, what about option of storing them in dry cabinets? Is this much better alternative?

[Tanden]

Can anyone tell me if the 1614 will accomodate a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII standing vertically up?

I'm trying to make an informed decision on which model to buy, but I'd like to have this lens standing vertically with nothing touching the top of it (lens cap).

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

[BBrat]

Can anyone tell me if the 1614 will accomodate a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII standing vertically up?

I'm trying to make an informed decision on which model to buy, but I'd like to have this lens standing vertically with nothing touching the top of it (lens cap).

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!


according to the specs from the pelican site it should accomodate it standing up.

[Tanden]

Yes, thanks! I looked at them very closely, but I don't think they include the dimension after the padded dividers are put in...