Motorcycle Protection

[richfx]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Has anyone used Pelican protective cases? I'm looking to protect an M9, an extra lens or two and a Panasonic LX-5 while motorcycling on and off road. The 1150 (link below) looks like it will do the job lashed behind the seat. Not sure if it's large enough, however. Any experience or advice would be welcome.

Thanks,

Rich

 

Pelican 1150 Case With Foam - BLACK from Pelican-Case.com

[BenMacPhoto]

I've got a pelican 1400, which I use to hold my x100, M6, and 4 lenses.

It's not a large case, perfect size.

Great case, and I think when it comes to traveling, is the best to use for protection.

[jerryharwood]

I had the 1550 case for my Leica kit; the case is virtually bombproof, water proof, and you can actually drive over it without any harm to the contents ! Do't hesitate to get it, one of the best products devised.

Hope this helps!

[heckel]

Peli cases are standard fare in the TV industry for field deployment.

Superb product. They even have an equalisation valve to account for pressure changes when flying.

Beware of the pick n pluck foam though. It tends to shed, and you'll end up with your gear covered in little crumbs after a while.

 

Much better to use plastazote foam sheets. Lots of companies out there that will provide and laser-cut the plastazote to the shape of your equipment.

 

See here for an example from a company in the UK: Pelicases

[andyedward]

I have a great Nanuk case ( Tough Durable Cases, Watertight, Military, Dive & Photographic Equipment Cases - Nanuk). They are solid, reasonably water resistant, have a pressure equalising valve, and come in a variety of sizes from small to large.

[pico]

We had quite a thread on this several months ago and I pointed to a hard shell motorcycle backpack that had a built-in spine protector. The OP didn't go for it for some reason. I could surf it out again. Let me know.

--

Pico - who once tried off-road on an '81 BMW R100rs. Unsuccessfully.

[richfx]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Thanks, Pico and everyone. No need to pull up the prior thread. I'm leaving in several weeks and am now deciding what to use. Thinking of just using my ThinkTankSpeed Demon belt pack to minimize vibration and make accessing my gear easier. Thought of a magnetic tank bag, but the bike I'm riding in Iceland (BMW G650 Sertao) doesn't have a steel tank.

Rich

[niarfe]

I use a Peli, M9, xPan, x100, across de USA in a Harley Davidson Electra, more than 7000 miles, no problem with vibrations and rangefinders.

[desmocrat]

Remember the old adage in motorcycling "Don't dress for the ride, dress for the crash".

[NikonJeff]

Thanks, Pico and everyone. No need to pull up the prior thread. I'm leaving in several weeks and am now deciding what to use. Thinking of just using my ThinkTankSpeed Demon belt pack to minimize vibration and make accessing my gear easier. Thought of a magnetic tank bag, but the bike I'm riding in Iceland (BMW G650 Sertao) doesn't have a steel tank.

Rich

 

I've ridden for (gulp) 31 years and am hardly without a camera or laptop computer in my travels. Your TT Speed Demon is padded but I don't know if it will really help much with vibration since there is so much wiggle room.

 

I rode cross country from Oregon to NY on my 1997 K1100LT - my Nikon D1x camera was flawless in my heavily padded (modified with more padding) Tamarac bag but my Sony Vaio's hard drive met an untimely death from the vibration even while turned off.

 

I have no idea how sensitive the rangefinder mechanism is, but I'm guessing that vibration and pounding roads would eventually throw it out of adjustment.

 

I think a big enough Pelican case that affords you 2-3" of cushion around each component would be a much safer bet than the TT case - and I love all of my TT gear, just not the right tool for this job IMHO.

 

Does your G650 have hard bags or a top case? I always carry my gear in the top case for easy access and better protection *if* I go down since the gear isn't in the side bags...

Jeff

[richfx]

Thanks, everyone. Based on suggestions and my gear size for this trip (M9 with 35 Lux and a 90 Elmarit M or 50 Lux additional lens) I've decided to go with a Pelican 1300 case with pickable foam insert. The bike I'm renting has a top and side cases. If the Pelican doesn't fit inside the top case (which is doubtful), I'll remove that and lash the Pelican to the top case frame mount. Hope that's as good a place as any for minimizing vibration.

Rich

[richfx]

I've made my decision - I purchased a Pelican 1300 case, and it seems ideal for my M9 with attached 35 Lux FLE plus a 50 Lux FLE or 25 Zeiss 2.8 Biogon and a 90 Tele-Elmarit M. The 1300's interior dimensions (cm) are 25.1 L x 17.8 W x 15.5 H. The M9 and lenses are cushioned underneath by appr. 2.5 cm of foam.

Attached is a photo of the case and M9, with the pluck out foam customized for this equipment. Quite a straightforward task sizing the foam protection to my gear.

I'll report back after the trip with performance information.

Thanks all for the excellent advise and recommendations.

Rich

[NikonJeff]

I've made my decision - I purchased a Pelican 1300 case, and it seems ideal for my M9 with attached 35 Lux FLE plus a 50 Lux FLE or 25 Zeiss 2.8 Biogon and a 90 Tele-Elmarit M. The 1300's interior dimensions (cm) are 25.1 L x 17.8 W x 15.5 H. The M9 and lenses are cushioned underneath by appr. 2.5 cm of foam.

Attached is a photo of the case and M9, with the pluck out foam customized for this equipment. Quite a straightforward task sizing the foam protection to my gear.

I'll report back after the trip with performance information.

Thanks all for the excellent advise and recommendations.

Rich

 

Looks a little "loose" - IMHO, I would reinstall some of that foam so the camera is nestled tightly in there to reduce the bouncing around on the bike. I wouldn't worry about taking out the foam for the Thumbs Up, it will settle into the foam all on its own or you could use an knife to carve out a very narrow channel.