I'm looking for a case for a new PD-170. I have used Pelican 1500's for my VX's, but they are a bit small for the PD due to the extra length of the microphone. I have noticed a new case from Pelican with wheels, the 1510. It's designed to be carry-on size for airplane travel and it has wheels for rolling around the airport. It is a bit larger than would be ideal, but the extra space would give me room for my wireless mikes and some other accessories. I have a couple of questions for the community:
1. Has anyone used one of these for a camcorder case?
2. Do the wheels work well? They look a bit small in the picture.
3. Should I not consider this style due to the extra pounding and vibration the camera would get as it was wheeled around vs carried?
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Here's a link to the case in question: http://www.casesbypelican.com/app-1510.htm

I don't know about the size but I wouldn't regularly wheel my cameras around on small hard wheels. I don't even put my cameras in their Pelican cases on the floor of the car or the trunk. They always ride on a seat to give them that extra insulation from vibration.

Overly protective? Maybe. But constant vibration will finally tear anything apart.

It would be instructive to put a shock meter in one of those case and pull it around an airport. I think the shock loads would surprise us.

I was also looking those models when someone directed me to this:

www.stormcase.com

I now have both a Pelican and a Stom Case. In a side by side comparison I always favor the Storm Case. The Case has reinforced length long hinges, the material used for the case feels like a heavy duty resin, and the seal around the lid has a larger surface area. They have a PDF that shows all the models and I would recommend looking at the iM2720 as it is wheeled. Just my suggestion.

Hi

In June I got a second hand (great shape/low hours) PD150 allong with a Pelican 1500 case.

I threw away the existing (cut up) tear apart foam and bought a piece of high density foam at a fabric store. Since then I took the time to layout the equipment and started carving.
Presently I have the PD150, two extra batteries(950'S), remote control, 10 tapes in there quite comfortably. I found that if I turned the eyepiece at 90 degrees it fit well.

Almost forgot... I also have in the same case a SONY 828 digital camera, extra battery and a spare memory card. Also three 58mm closeup add-ons for macro work.

I admit the whole package is a bit heavy, but it is well protected and very convenient for travel.

If there is a way of putting a picture on this forum I would be glat to show the layout.

Martin

I have a PD150 and a Pelican 1510 case.

How much you can fit in there all depends on how much cushioning you want.

The case is small, but I got it because it can legally be used as a carry-on dimension-wise, and I don't want to hassle with airport security and take a chance that I can't get it on the plane and have to check it (GASP!)

I was not able to fit everything that I wanted in there and still get adequate padding.

I was able to fit the following in the case WITH adequate padding:

- The camera itself (with the small eyepiece) w/ the battery attached
- The larger eyepiece (cup) - I placed this seperately because it just works out much better this way.
- The remote control (basically standing on end slipped into a slot)
- The AC adapter and cable
- The MIC

That is pretty much everything but the composite video cable, which I will rarely, if ever, take with me anyway.

If I get extra lenses & stuff, they will have to go in a (still) camera lens bag or something.

The way that I got the mic in there was (it was removed from the mount, obviously) because of the way that I laid the camera in the case.

The camera is in there on it's side (looking at it from the top) with the strap-side on top. IOW, when I open the case, I can grab the camera by the hand strap and pull it out. It is situated such that the mic attachment thing sticks out a couple of milimeters above the foam (which is fine cause there is foam in the lid too).

I then laid the mic in there in such a way that the end of the mic lays on top of the camera, between the mic attachment ring & the hand strap. I didn't want the mic cable loose in there, so I routed it through some of the foam squares, and then placed the XLR connector in on it's end (like the remote) in a good spot.


IOW, the case is JUST big enough to fit all of this stuff in there with enough padding between objects, but NO MORE room.

I strategically place MINIDV tapes (when I use them) around the camera in places where they can rattle around and do no harm, and are not too loose.

I think that the PD170 is slightly larger that the PD150, but I am not sure by how much or in what dimensions. It should still be OK.

I DEFINITELY would NOT go smaller!

When I get new mics, I will just remove the std mic, and place the new mics in their own seperate case.

I like the wheels and the pulling bar. Much easier than carrying it through the airport! In rough ground I will just carry the case, but in many places I am on smooth concrete or carpet, etc.

BTW, Igot my case on eBay, brand new. The cheapest online place that I saw was www.casesbypelican.com and it was around $125 + S/H for the 1510 w/ picknpluck foam. On eBay there was an auth. reseller selling them new (something like SS Scuba or something like that - a dive shoip based in Fla.)

I got the case there for $113 + S/H and the S/H from them was cheaper than the other online stores.

Alex F

I definitely recommend the Pelican 1510 as well. Just got a pair of them, one for a PD170 and one for a VX2000 with a Canon WD-58H.