Hard Shell camera case for 2 camera bodies

[Roy Taylor]

Hello everyone, while I joined this forum recently I have not ever posted. I am about to retire this August and start doing some serious travel with my lovely wife and puppy. My kit includes a Canon 5 D MII and a 90D with various lenses. I recently purchased the Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di which is a large lens. I have been looking at Pelican and Nanuk hard shell waterproof cases. I will be bringing both bodies and 3 lenses and my laptop on these travels. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions as to what type of case with 2 x Bodies, 3 lenses and a laptop?

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Welcome Roy!
I've been retired now for 6 years.
I used to travel quite a bit but never with cameras. When I do travel, I try to minimize my camera kit to one camera with an all-purpose zoom. I don't travel with an exclusive intent of taking photos.
In a former life, I knew that Pelican cases were prized for keeping technical gear safe.
Good luck!

You might also expand your search to include sites with more traffic. For example, this link will take you to a search I just did on DPReview's Pro digital forum for the word "Pelican". It returned over 1000 posts that ought to be from professionals (rather than from the dozen or so folks here). You probably would have to establish an account there (it's free) in order to post.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

Hello everyone, while I joined this forum recently I have not ever posted. I am about to retire this August and start doing some serious travel with my lovely wife and puppy. My kit includes a Canon 5 D MII and a 90D with various lenses. I recently purchased the Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di which is a large lens. I have been looking at Pelican and Nanuk hard shell waterproof cases. I will be bringing both bodies and 3 lenses and my laptop on these travels. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions as to what type of case with 2 x Bodies, 3 lenses and a laptop?

No idea about the cases, but Welcome @Roy Taylor!

 

[Gianluca Drago]

the dozen or so folks here

Ouch! That hurts.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Ouch! That hurts.

But it is (alas) the truth...

 

[Bill Brown]

Does anyone have any experience or suggestions as to what type of case with 2 x Bodies, 3 lenses and a laptop?

Roy, First off, welcome to RFF. I think I may be one of the dozen or so that Gary mentioned. In the 80's and 90's I did event and real estate photography that required transporting my equipment on an airplane. My main case was a Zero Halliburton aluminum. I looked them up and a vintage case like mine is priced around $75-150 depending on condition. The biggest drawback with this type of case in present day is everyone knows that some sort of valuable equipment is inside. It can't leave your hand. I've never travelled with a laptop so I have no advice on that. I can't deal with all the airport hassle these days and haven't flown in almost 20 years. Just feels too invasive.

You should probably try something less obvious to transport your equipment. When I'm out shooting I use a canvas lunch case with shoulder strap. Two cases if needed. These lunch cases are water-resistant and low key looking. Best on your retirement and travels.

 

[Pete Askew]

It is, but welcome, Roy anyway.

I have used Peli cases for years and used to use them to carry equipment when imaging cultural heritage sites. Often that involved flights and so I used the smaller cases to avoid checking gear in. They do a range with wheels (and an external ‘tray’) for ease of movement, but you’d probably struggle to get what you want to carry in one. How do you intend to travel? My main advice would be to buy the Velcro dividers rather than foam.

 

[Roy Taylor]

It is, but welcome, Roy anyway.

I have used Peli cases for years and used to use them to carry equipment when imaging cultural heritage sites. Often that involved flights and so I used the smaller cases to avoid checking gear in. They do a range with wheels (and an external ‘tray’) for ease of movement, but you’d probably struggle to get what you want to carry in one. How do you intend to travel? My main advice would be to buy the Velcro dividers rather than foam.

Thanks for the reply ! We are driving to almost all locations now, perhaps going overseas in a couple years. We just want to protect our camera investments and laptops. Thank you...

 

[Paul Taylor]

If a backpack style bag is an option I can recommend this :

Pillbox® Optics Shell-Pack by Hazard 4® - Outdoor, Military, and Pro Gear - We Ship Internationally

Pillbox® by Hazard 4® is new breed of rugged pack - protects optics, electronics and even weapons, by marrying light molded-foam shells and 360 padding for demanding users like press, military, vloggers, surveyors, investigators, etc. A spacious protective thermocap photo-daypack featuring a...

hazard4.com

I have one of these and it is a great bag that can hold an impressive amount of gear for it's size. The "lid" is semi-rigid so it offers more protection than a typical backpack. The only downside is when I bought mine 2 years ago I paid $185 for it - so it is interesting the price increase.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

The biggest drawback with this type of case in present day is everyone knows that some sort of valuable equipment is inside. It can't leave your hand.

As Bill points out, it does indicate a goldmine and you have to stay with it 100%.

Since you are driving, you might want to look at backpack-style options. I have one that I've used a couple of times on car trips. IIRC it's a Lowepro "flipside" but I bought it years ago. You can configure the dividers to suit.