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How to cut your own custom case foam for camera and audio gear storage

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When you need to travel with gear that you want to keep safe, it can be a pain. Sure, you can just throw a bunch of stuff in a backpack, but if you’re going somewhere rugged and it’s being thrown around a lot during travel, a hard case like a Pelican or Nuprol case is often much better. But they’re not always that easy to organise. They usually come with pick and pluck foam or generic dividers that don’t really do the job as well as you’d like.

The best solution for hard case storage is custom foam. There are a number of services out there that’ll do this for you but you can also do it yourself. There are a bunch of different foam options out there, but Jonathan at Shadow Foam in the UK has put together a complete tutorial showing how to plan out, cut and build your own case interiors – including a very cool charging dock that’ll charge up to 16 batteries at once.

How I restored this beat up old Pelican case to its former glory

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In a previous blog post, I mentioned I was embarking on a Pelican 1550 repair project. I was looking to buy one, but someone offered the case for free, and I thought it was worth trying to refurbishment.

At worst, I could buy a new case later, and it would cost me nothing other than my time on the refurb. At best, I’d save a couple of hundred dollars on a new case and help recycle something that might have otherwise found its way to the dumps.

Pelican launches the Vault Photography Collection – A new line of lightweight rugged cases

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Pelican has pretty much been an industry standard for many years now, in the worlds of both the photography and video. They’re tough, rugged, can withstand being driven over by a Jeep, and many photographers and filmmakers trust their gear to be safe inside them. Pelican has now announced the new lightweight “Vault Photography Collection” range of cases specifically designed for photography and outdoor enthusiasts.

Photographer got stopped at the airport three times because he had a Pelican case

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Pelican cases are a good choice for protecting your pricey gear while flying. But one such case recently caused a series of unpleasant situations for photographer Antonio Kuilan. The airport security stopped him three times at Houston Airport, and all three times he raised suspicion because of the Pelican case in which he carried his gear. We spoke to Antonio about this case to hear more, and we learned that he wasn’t the only one who had this experience.

2018 DIYP Gift Guide – Bags & Cases

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So now that you’ve picked out the camera, lenses and lighting gear you want, you need to figure out what you’re going to store and transport it all in. That’s why this buying guide is all about bags and cases. There really is no ideal bag that fits every situation you might find yourself in, but here are some of our favourites and those we use on a daily basis.

This photographer sticks his head inside a pelican’s beak to take a selfie

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People do all sorts of stupid things when they are taking selfies with animals, we’ve seen it before. Young photographer Juan van den Heever wanted to take a photo with a biting pelican. It wasn’t enough that the bird was biting his camera and selfie stick, but he eventually stuck his head into the pelican’s beak, of course, to take a selfie.

2017 DIYP Gift Guide – Bags

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So, you’ve got your camera, your lenses, and your lights. It’s all well and good having the kit, but where do you store it? How do you transport it to a location? Well, nut surprisingly, that’s where bags come into play.

This list contains a number of bags that we use to store and transport out kit. While there’s no single bag out there that suits every purpose, each offers its own unique advantages.

Pelican case survives 2 story drop and fire in this extreme torture test

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There’s no two ways around it, Pelican cases are expensive. But, there’s a reason for their cost. They have the reputation of being the toughest cases out there. Many users trust them to hold thousands of dollars worth of equipment. But just how tough are they, really?

That’s what the folks at B&H wanted to find out. So, in this video, they put one the new Pelican Air Cases through its paces. They threw it off a roof, banged it against a tree, and even set fire to it. It took a hammer to even make a crack in the thing. But, even after that, it still managed to take a lot more abuse.

Members Mark has a $19 Hard case for your camera

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If you live in the US, and have a Sam’s club nearby, you are going to be very happy about this. Sam’s Club are selling a Member’s Mark hard case with foam for $19 in store (or $31 online, if you don’t have a store nearby).

True, it’s not the more branded Pelican 1450, then again, it’s about fifth of the cost.

Get a pelican hard cases today for almost 50% off

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If a Pelican hard case has been on your shopping list, this post-Christmas sale we spotted on Amazon might just be for you. Three of their popular cases are currently available on eBay at very substantial discounts. With almost half knocked off the price on some combinations, depending on whether you want foam or padded dividers, they’re an absolute steal.

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