The best way to protect your camera and filming gear when travelling

Anyone who’s flown recently will know that things are still a bit of a mess. Flights are being cancelled left and right and luggage is ending up in all the wrong places. Personally, I’ve had luggage left out on the tarmac for 3 days, I’ve watched a fragile musical instrument be knocked over by a luggage cart, and I’ve seen cases of equipment fall from the top of the luggage belt while being loaded onto an aeroplane.

Obviously, it’s always going to be safer to have your most valuable and delicate gear in your hand luggage, however, due to ever more stringent rules that isn’t always possible. So what you really need then is a really heavy-duty case to protect your equipment. DIYP spoke to Herman Vaszlovszky about Nanuk’s hard cases.

So what’s so different about Nanuk’s cases from their competitors? Herman walked us through Nanauk cases’ key features.

Colour

Firstly they come in a range of different colours. That may sound purely aesthetic, but it does have some practicalities. For example, it’s much quicker to pick out your bag from the luggage carousel if it’s in an unusual colour. And secondly, if you have more than one, you can colour code them to know what’s in them.

The product range has a variety of different shapes and sizes, to fit different needs. “It’s very important that we understand the needs of our customers, and respond to them,” says Herman.

Latches

Keeping your case properly closed is the first port of call in keeping your equipment safe. Latches are the weakest part of any flight case and are often the first thing to get stripped off during a flight, particularly if you have transfers. The Nanuk cases feature a power claw latch that will stand up to even the most determined baggage handler.

Heavy-duty latches that close into moulded indents help to prevent latch damage. An additional safety lock feature ensures that the latches cannot be opened by accident.

Wheels and handles

The cases have wheels and retractable handles similar in style to most suitcases. They can easily be wheeled about saving you a lot of effort. Once again, the handles all fold down into the form of the case so that they won’t be damaged. The wheels and handles have a lifetime warranty so you can expect a good life from them.

Lid organiser

They also added a lid organiser to the top section of the case. Here you can place a laptop and keep smaller items well organised in smaller pockets.

Customisable

The bottom part of the case is fully customisable depending on your needs. You can choose from movable padded dividers or custom-cut foam that will fit most of the major camera brands and lenses.

“The foam is a high-quality dense foam which is water resistant and doesn’t tear or crumble easily,” says Herman. “Your gear will not be damaged by our foam,” he adds.

The 935 case is apparently Nanuk’s most popular case. It’s small enough to be taken on board as hand luggage but still has all the features of the larger cases.

Having a great case is really the best step you can take in protecting your valuable gear. After that, it’s all in the hands of the TSA and all you can do is pray!

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