The Pelican 1624 Case for Wedding Photography

haha, i have definately been in those kinds of neighboorhoods where you don't want to even stop at the red lights!
thanks for your thoughts on it. my truck is a tundra 4x4 and i think the off-road package makes it a little rougher ride. but i agree, if i put it towards the front, it should be good. especially in a good padded case like this.

Today our used Pelican 1650 arrived. Wow. Bigger than I thought! Lol! The first thing I said to my husband was, "We're gonna have to buy more gear." Seriously, it may be overkill but we figure better a little big than too little. Anyway, going to look carefully at the setup pics so thoughtfullly supplied on this thread, but one thing we're wondering is, how do you keep your smaller lenses from bumping around in all that space? We have the foam divider system and the top lid organizer. This thing is so deep we just wonder how the little 50 1.8 and my Lensbaby are going to be kept snug & safe.

Congrats on the new case.

There's no lateral movement at all if you place your dividers tight enough. I actually place mine so as to create slight trapazoidal shapes instead of rectangles which helps to hold the lens more tightly to one end of the space. Vertical movement is not an issue since the case never gets to 90 degrees upright. It's usually down and, of course, it's horizontal when my assistant and I are carrying it up stairs, etc. When pulling it on wheels, it' stays low enough for the lenses to want to stay put. Even when it's at rest on wheels up on it's side, it's still less than 90 degrees vertical so the lenses tend to remain right where I put them.

im saving for the 1510 Congrats on the case Michelle!

Thanks for the nice review.

I am so close to ordering a 1624, 1614, or 1654. I want to be able to pretty much have two bodies, six lenses, flash, triggers, batteries, and more on hand all the time when I'm out on assignment, with ample room for my kit to grow.

Trying to decide if I'd like or dislike the two-tier tray system in the 1624, vs. single like the 1614.

I can see the appeal of a 1514 for airline carry-on, but I can get by with my existing backpack for that, albeit with less equipment in it.

Would be nice to squeeze in an Alien Bee or two, too, but that's probably pushing it. Perhaps a 1440 down the road for 2-3 Bees and a Vagabond.

The ThinkTank Airport Security would fit all that too Todd, but not the AB. Just another option to make the decision more difficult

tim wrote in post #11253711
The ThinkTank Airport Security would fit all that too Todd, but not the AB. Just another option to make the decision more difficult

Yeah, that's all I need...more options beyond the 4,583 Pelican models out there!

tim wrote in post #11253711
The ThinkTank Airport Security would fit all that too Todd, but not the AB. Just another option to make the decision more difficult

Close, but not quite. I started with the TT Airport Security 2 and couldn't make it work for me. It's not as deep by a considerable margin. That and quite a bit of space is lost to the handles and wheels. I found the case a little too limiting with respect to laying out my gear the way I would want it. I very much wanted to like the TT and I know a number of photographers here are very happy with theirs, but it really was a bit smaller and less adaptable. That said, the TT is much lighter, easier to transport, and meets airline regulations. It's that inevitable trade-off.

Todd, the 1614 is a couple of inches less deep than the 1624. I wanted that additional depth so I could not only store a 70-200 2.8 IS or even a 100-400 vertically . . . I could do it on camera, no less. The two inches you give up is partly that little bit of extra depth for the deepest pockets plus the tray. For me to give up the tray, I'd want the lid organizer. That would work, but I love the ready accessability of an open tray (and it probably holds more and is more customizable anyway). Leaving the foam in the lid, items in the tray stay in place.

It might work for Todd, it might not. Just giving him options

Thanks, guys.

1624...hmm..I wonder if the full-height portion in the dividers (that is, the portion that is not part of the two-tier system, which in Robert's 1624 is on the left side in the photo) could accommodate a couple of Bees. How wide is that part?

Away from them now, but the AB site says 9 x 7.5 x 5.5 inches. I assume that is with the black shipping cap, not the reflector. Perhaps the mounting sockets on the bottom of two of them could be overlapped in the case. I think that would be the 7.5" dimension, and the case is 16.4", so maybe that would work. The width of the Bees should also use about 6" of the case's length, leaving about 15" for the rest of the gear in the two-tier.

I also kind of like the idea of storing a camera with lens mounted, lens pointing down, camera LCD pointing up. That's how it goes in my backpack now where the camera is in the main "T" compartment.

ToddR wrote in post #11254956
How wide is that part?

The rectangular pad that makes up the perimiter of the taller compartments is about 5" wide. The dividers that carve that space up are adjustable so you can place them as needed.

I have the Calumet Genesis lights. Don't know how they compare to the Bees in size, but it looks like my lights could just fit in that compartment from a width perspective. However, these lights have a very large cover for the modeling light which would make them a little too tall. The solution may be to store your lights horizontally, and possibly in the lower section depending on the other lenses and gear you need to carry.

Peacefield wrote in post #10937468

That space between the side handle (which is on top when the case is standing on end, as above) and the pull-out handle looks like a great place to lash one's tripod and/or monopod if a lengthy walk with the case was needed.

So close to ordering one of these tonight. Need to play with the tape measure and my trunk again.

Does the lid rotate freely through 180 degrees and beyond, eventually resting on the surface the whole case is placed on? A lot of the pictures seem to stop just past 90.

If so, does the inside of the lid become a suitable spot upon which to place the upper tray while getting into the lower compartment?

ToddR wrote in post #11255776
Does the lid rotate freely through 180 degrees and beyond, eventually resting on the surface the whole case is placed on? A lot of the pictures seem to stop just past 90.

If so, does the inside of the lid become a suitable spot upon which to place the upper tray while getting into the lower compartment?

Actually, the whole tripod/umbrella holder is one of the advantages that the TT offers over the Pelican, much to my frustration. I've yet to come up with a way to lash something on in a way that keeps it secure whether the case is upgright, traveling, or down on the ground. I keep thinking of installing some sort of cup along the back side that would serve as a holder for the feet and find some other way to secure the rest. But for now, I'm able to lay small umbrellas across the top and I just carry my tripod. Definitely one of the negatives.

The lid opens just a little past 90 degrees as you see. Enough to keep it open under it's own weight, but it doesn't continue opening until it hits the ground. Nor does it open enough to store the upper tray; I always need to find a place to put the tray down which is sometimes a challenge as you certainly don't want to introduce a tripping hazzard or risk getting things trodden on. I usually just find a chair somewhere to place it.

Thanks again.

After all this hand wringing trying to decide, I finally ordered the 1624. I think there are three or four models that would work nicely, but I had to jump in somewhere.

Maybe I'll need a golf bag cart for the long stuff...light stands, tripod, boom arm.