Peli cases for storing/transporting large lenses?

StewartR

StewartR

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Stewart
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Does anybody out there use a Peli case for storing and transporting large lenses (eg 300mm f/2.8) or even medium-sized lenses (eg 70-200mm f/2.8)?

If so I'd be grateful if you could share your experience. Are there any non-obvious advantages? Are there any disadvantages?
 
You can use em as a seat.... wish I could afford one..
 
Hi Stewart

I do not have a Peli but do have a B&W (http://www.roofbox.co.uk/ and the disadvantage is the weight, the advantage is when I have packed it properly I feel my kit is very well protected. That, and as Kipax says, it makes a good seat/step with the hard plastic box in place.


Edit: This company were also very helpful when nearly two years after I bought my case I wanted to use it as a backpack instead of as a shoulder bag as I had been doing but could not work out how the straps went on and they sent me photos
 
Just got a 1610, holds all my gear comfortably, including the 300 and 70-200, a bit big for normal use when I put what I need into my back pack.
 
I use a 1510 to carry both the 300 2.8 & the 70-200 2.8. Nice solid case and as said it doubles up as a seat.
 
I've got a 1630 with the intention of keeping a couple of bodies and lenses ready mated incase the weather's dodgy or some other scenario where dust or contamination might be an issue.

Bob
 
Thanks everyone for their input.

The reason I'm asking is that at LensesForHire.co.uk we're thinking of switching over to using Peli cases rather than foam-lined cardboard boxes for shipping our lenses. Whilst that may seem extravagant and expensive, it can take a lot of effort to make cardboard boxes reuseable after they've been through the post/courier system a couple of times - and time is money, as they say.

The trick is finding the right size. I guess a Peli 1510 would be OK for a 300/2.8 with a pair of Extenders, and maybe a 1450 for a 70-200 or 100-400 or similar. can anyone confirm that?

I guess the main thing I'm concerned about is whether there's enough padding to protect a lens in it. Parcels can be thrown around quite a lot in courier depots, especially if they say "fragile" on them! We currently pack all our lenses in cardboard boxes with at least 5cm of foam all round them, and it looks like there might not be room to do that with some lenses unless we go for stupidly large Peli cases. On the other hand I guess the strength of the Peli case means you don't need so much padding...?
 
The Peli foam is very sturdy. I've checked in lenses in a Peli before without about 2-3 cm of foam around.

A downside is that they are very heavy and, when it comes to couriers, weight is money
 
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