Peli style storage for EP's

[Nugs]

Now i have picked up a few EP's, filters and diagonals, i would like to keep them safely organised in a Peli style case, has anyone any suggestions for a cheaper alternative to Peli

Pluckable foam inserts would be a bonus. Not too worried about waterproof rating. 

Pictures of plastic ice cream tubs with a bit of bubble wrap will be politely ignored. 😇

TIA, Dave

[johninderby]

The Max watertight flight cases on Amazon are pretty similar to Peli but pricing is strange. Some are low priced and others are Peli like prices.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=max+watertight+flight+cases&ref=nb_sb_noss

Edited September 9, 2021 by johninderby

[Tiny Clanger]

11 minutes ago, johninderby said:

The Max watertight flight cases on Amazon are pretty similar to Peli but pricing is strange. Some are low priced and others are Peli like prices.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=max+watertight+flight+cases&ref=nb_sb_noss

Yep, Ill second that, the cases are good, but I suspect while some (fareastern) sellers base their prices on what the case costs to make , others look to peli !

I've bought a couple of maxbright cases, one showed up as a suggestion after I got the cheaper festnight version, The maxbright was orange (vs the festnight's black) and for a short time the orange maxbright was £20 , so I had it ! Turned out to be sent all the way from Italy, which is perhaps where maxbright are based. The cases are very similar, small, but capable of taking 9 (or maybe more) eyepieces standing up, and some filters etc.The festnight came with cubed foam, the maxbright with solid (so not as advertised, but I wasn't sending it back !) . I use stiffer closed cell foam anyway , and cut neat circular holes for the eyepieces to stand in with a bit of sharpened metal tube .

I do enjoy the amazon reviews which say the item was smaller than expected , when the measurements are clearly given ...

[johninderby]

The strange Amazon reviews are a subject for a thread on it’s own. 😁

https://www.boredpanda.com/funny-amazon-reviews/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Edited September 9, 2021 by johninderby

[Louis D]

You need to decide up front if you are going to store your eyepieces vertically or horizontally, as that determines how deep of a case you'll need.

Check you local big box stores, discount warehouses, and discount tool stores to see what they might have locally.

Pistol cases are also handy, but might be more difficult to find outside the US. 😉

[Captain Scarlet]

I have a Trifibre Max520, and store my eyepieces vertically. The case cost a bit under £60 and the pluckable foam a bit under £30 IIRC. Very pleased with it, it quite happily accommodates my monster Nagler 31, a Paracorr2 and an Ethos 13, all rather long units, alongside plenty of other eyepieces, 3 diagonals, a few adapters and my filters.

There is also a healthy market for used Peli cases on eBay if you’re so inclined.

Cheers, Magnus

Edited September 9, 2021 by Captain Magenta

[Deadlake]

I use one of these Vanguard cases:

https://www.vanguardworld.co.uk/products/supreme-46d

you can buy the internal case separately (£70) and to be honest if you don't go to dark sites thats all you need.

Edited September 10, 2021 by Deadlake

[Andrew_B]

10 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Yep, Ill second that, the cases are good, but I suspect while some (fareastern) sellers base their prices on what the case costs to make , others look to peli !

I've bought a couple of maxbright cases, one showed up as a suggestion after I got the cheaper festnight version, The maxbright was orange (vs the festnight's black) and for a short time the orange maxbright was £20 , so I had it ! Turned out to be sent all the way from Italy, which is perhaps where maxbright are based. The cases are very similar, small, but capable of taking 9 (or maybe more) eyepieces standing up, and some filters etc.The festnight came with cubed foam, the maxbright with solid (so not as advertised, but I wasn't sending it back !) . I use stiffer closed cell foam anyway , and cut neat circular holes for the eyepieces to stand in with a bit of sharpened metal tube .

I do enjoy the amazon reviews which say the item was smaller than expected , when the measurements are clearly given ...

That orange case is smart looking and not a bad price. Less likely to fall over it in the dark than a black case as well.

I've also been looking for a travel case for my little scope and the Peli 1525 seems to be the best option but it's quite pricey. It's surprising how many protective cases are almost carry-on sized but are ever so slightly too big in one dimension.

[Louis D]

32 minutes ago, Andrew_B said:

It's surprising how many protective cases are almost carry-on sized but are ever so slightly too big in one dimension.

Then how about starting with a true carry-on sized rolling case and then adding the foam or dividers to it?  It's much less likely to receive unwanted attention in an airport terminal, and it comes with wheels and a handle to make transport easier.  Check thrift stores for used ones for cheap.  If it's just a small scope, you can probably pack it with your clothes in a regular carry-on since most airlines only allow one per passenger.

[Andrew_B]

33 minutes ago, Louis D said:

Then how about starting with a true carry-on sized rolling case and then adding the foam or dividers to it?  It's much less likely to receive unwanted attention in an airport terminal, and it comes with wheels and a handle to make transport easier.  Check thrift stores for used ones for cheap.  If it's just a small scope, you can probably pack it with your clothes in a regular carry-on since most airlines only allow one per passenger.

That's a good idea. Even expensive foam is a lot cheaper than a new case.

If I was taking a scope abroad I'd probably have it and a few accessories in its own carry-on case and then put the mount and anything else that was fairly rugged in with my clothes in a checked bag.

[Louis D]

I always bring a couple changes of clothing and toiletries in my carry-on because I've had the airlines lose my checked bags for days several times.

[Dave scutt]

I've got the max box from amazon with pull pluck foam very good for 30 pounds. 

Wish I brought a bigger one didn't realise televue delos ep were so big

Edited September 10, 2021 by Dave scutt

[davhei]

14 hours ago, Andrew_B said:

That orange case is smart looking and not a bad price. Less likely to fall over it in the dark than a black case as well.

I've also been looking for a travel case for my little scope and the Peli 1525 seems to be the best option but it's quite pricey. It's surprising how many protective cases are almost carry-on sized but are ever so slightly too big in one dimension.

I thought so too and just this afternoon finished picking and plucking to fit my travel/grab and go setup into a Peli 1525 case. Nice size that swallowed an 80mm f6 refractor, diagonal, three EPs, barlow and filter with room to spare. Perhaps for a fourth eyepiece or something.

Slightly apprehensive regarding air travel. Like you said, it is just below or just over carry on size depending on which airline you choose. Oh well, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

I’m sure it will work well for carrying necessities for garden sessions and stowing in the back of the car for family trips where a bigger dob would take too much space.

Sorry, this was supposed to be a non-Peli thread but there you go. To stay on topic I’ll add that I use an orange Nanuk 923 case for eyepieces and other kit when out with the dob. Great case, well built and sturdy while cheaper than Peli.

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by davhei

[Andrew_B]

4 hours ago, davhei said:

I thought so too and just this afternoon finished picking and plucking to fit my travel/grab and go setup into a Peli 1525 case. Nice size that swallowed an 80mm f6 refractor, diagonal, three EPs, barlow and filter with room to spare. Perhaps for a fourth eyepiece or something.

Slightly apprehensive regarding air travel. Like you said, it is just below or just over carry on size depending on which airline you choose. Oh well, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

I’m sure it will work well for carrying necessities for garden sessions and stowing in the back of the car for family trips where a bigger dob would take too much space.

Sorry, this was supposed to be a non-Peli thread but there you go. To stay on topic I’ll add that I use an orange Nanuk 923 case for eyepieces and other kit when out with the dob. Great case, well built and sturdy while cheaper than Peli.

 

That looks a really good setup - nice and secure with loads of protective padding around everything.

As far as I can tell the Peli 1525 should be okay for carry on luggage on most mainstream flights with exceptions possibly if you were travelling by light aircraft somewhere. It was other makes of similar style cases that seemed to have loads of models that were almost the right size but which would be a bit too deep or too long for me to be confident that they'd be allowed onboard.

Peli cases aren't cheap but when I think about the cost of what's going inside I'm not as bothered about paying a bit more to keep it all safe. I wouldn't just use it for holidays either because I'd take it with me when I wanted a little scope to use while I was out doing some astrophotography from a dark site. I ended up laying an outline of the internal dimensions of the case on the floor and then experimenting with different configurations of scope and accessories to see if I could fit a useful setup in the one piece of luggage and that showed it would do the job nicely.

[Second Time Around]

I wanted a waterproof hard case but very much prefer ones with padded dividers.  These are hugely more flexible than foam interiors when you want to change the contents, either temporarily or long term.  

Initially I was worried that dividers wouldn't be secure enough, but in practice I've found no problems whatsoever.  That's probably why they're so popular with photographers.

I also wanted to slightly warm the case to prevent eyepieces dewing up.  I found that rice gently heated in the microwave for about a minute worked well. 

The rice goes in a cloth bag with one end secured with Velcro.  You can't fill the bag completely as the rice swells when heated. So to ensure the rice doesn't settle in a clump my wife stitched channels in the bag like on a duvet. (This was a tip given to me by Keith at Cases 2 Go.)

The rice also tends to sweat, so the cloth bag goes in a waterproof plastic zipped bag.  This tends to get too hot, so finally everything goes into a zipped mesh bag that distributes the heat slowly and evenly.

These mesh bags are available as an accessory from most makers of this type of case.  However, most large sizes of such bags have lots of compartments and so wouldn't do for what I wanted.

After a lot of research I found a few suitable products.  The one I finally bought was a B&W 3000 that has interior dimensions of 330 x 235 x 150mm and has up to 8 compartments.  Cost from Cases 2 Go with the mesh bag was approx £90. 

I also bought a pouched pocket that replaces the eggbox foam in the lid.  However, I found this didn't let the heat out well, and the mesh bag plus the eggbox foam is much better.

The larger sizes of the B&W boxes (3000 up) have particularly good latches, and the 3000 size is available in black, orange and yellow.

Black isn't suitable for use in the dark, and I chose orange, that shows up well in a red headlamp or torch. 

I've bought more gear recently and so I'll probably also buy the 4000 or 5000 size but in yellow to differentiate between them (note that orange isn't available in the 4000).  These have all the features of the 3000 but are larger and with extra compartments. Note also that the mesh bags on sizes above the 5000 have multiple compartments.

I haven't used this system on a really dewy night yet, but early tests suggest it will work beautifully.

Once I'm out of quarantine I'll post some pictures.

Edited September 11, 2021 by Second Time Around

[Alan White]

A question Steve, @Second Time Around.

Do you place your eyepieces upright?
And do you recap everyone so as to leave no lenses open?

I ask as I tried camera bags for Eyepieces, but found as I  moved through them at night, I didnt recap as I would reuse again and felt the glass was vulnerable to me stupidly putting a return into the wrong compartment in the dark, with the resulting clank of metal onto glass.
I must say this was not a reality thankfully, but hainted me enough to change storage option.

PS Hope the recovery goes well and that you are not suffering too badly.

 

[Second Time Around]

4 hours ago, Alan White said:

A question Steve, @Second Time Around.

Do you place your eyepieces upright?
And do you recap everyone so as to leave no lenses open?

I ask as I tried camera bags for Eyepieces, but found as I  moved through them at night, I didnt recap as I would reuse again and felt the glass was vulnerable to me stupidly putting a return into the wrong compartment in the dark, with the resulting clank of metal onto glass.
I must say this was not a reality thankfully, but hainted me enough to change storage option.

PS Hope the recovery goes well and that you are not suffering too badly.

 

Mostly horizontally but a few of the small ones vertically.  The beauty of the dividers is of course that they're infinitely adjustable and it's easy to do so.

I try to remember to put caps back on but sometimes forget.  Like you though I've never done any damage.

Thanks for the good wishes.  No suffering as I'm almost symptomless.

[Tiny Clanger]

15 hours ago, Second Time Around said:

I also wanted to slightly warm the case to prevent eyepieces dewing up.  I found that rice gently heated in the microwave for about a minute worked well. 

The rice goes in a cloth bag with one end secured with Velcro.  You can't fill the bag completely as the rice swells when heated. So to ensure the rice doesn't settle in a clump my wife stitched channels in the bag like on a duvet. (This was a tip given to me by Keith at Cases 2 Go.)

The rice also tends to sweat, so the cloth bag goes in a waterproof plastic zipped bag.  This tends to get too hot, so finally everything goes into a zipped mesh bag that distributes the heat slowly and evenly.

Have you considered the re useable gel hand warmer option rather than the rice ? Plenty are available like this for example. If you  are not familiar  with them, a bag of gel has a metal 'clicker' inside, when you click it, the goo crystallises and the change in state gives out energy as heat. You recharge them (more or less infinitely ) by placing them in boiling water until the state reverts to liquid. They are often to be found in the cold months is the 'specials' aisle of Aldi/Lidl for a couple of pounds per pair.

I've a small heap of the things, which get used as pocket hand warmers and as hot water bottles when cold weather camping ( I like that the things crystallise and avoid the danger of a water leak making for damp feet as could happen with a waterbottle ) . Last winter when I had the mak out to observe when there was lying snow I anticipated dew would be a problem, so wrapped a handwarmer in some cloth (to insulate the side away from the 'scope) , clicked it, and held it on the mak under the dew shield with some elastic (the underside of the tube, near the front seemed a sensible choice to get convection/conduction/radiation all doing their thing) It worked a treat, and the 'scope's dew free corrector plate  outlasted my desire to stay out !

Might be an alternative to try for your case, and be better than sweaty/dusty rice , especially as you can have a few hand warmers ready and when the first cools (which takes quite a while) click another .

If they don't work for your case, bet you'll like them for in your coat pockets !

Heather

 

[Second Time Around]

Thanks, Heather.  That's certainly an economical solution.  I had considered these but wanted something the same size as the box to get even, controlled heat.  Varying the time the rice is microwaved for gives this control.

I've used them before for fishing but I'm one of those rare beasts who doesn't feel the cold.  Instead I very much feel the heat. 

Believe it not, even observing in the winter I very rarely wear socks.  It even has to be pretty cold before I swap out of shorts.

My eldest granddaughter used to believe that we were descended from Martians!

[Second Time Around]

Here's the promised photos.

This is how the box is currently laid out for use with my night vision device and conventionally.  It's very quick and easy to substitute other items. 

There's also plenty of space to add further items thanks to the depth.  For instance, under the Baader zoom I've got some spare batteries for both my headtorch and my night vision device plus some lens wipes.

Everything is held very securely - I can even close the lid, then turn the box upside down then back again and everything remains put.

The other picture shows the 3 components of the anti-dew system.  In practice the cloth bag stays permanently in the plastic one, with them going into the microwave together.

Edited October 1, 2021 by Second Time Around

[Tiny Clanger]

3 hours ago, Second Time Around said:

 I very rarely wear socks. 

You are Albert Einstein and I claim my £5 ! 🙂

[Second Time Around]

I had to look that one up, Heather.

My wife will never hear the end of it now! 😁

[Enceladus Dan]

Hello, I just started making a storage case from an old flight case I had in the loft, it used to have my miniature model paints in it. I got some shadow foam to cut and organise inside. 

before getting the foam I had thought of getting a case on ebay for £20 which had a cubed pluckable  foam inside. But decided for the same cost shadow foam in my old case would look better. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174212016185

 

I hope this helps. 

Danny

[PhilPassmore]

Cheapo Chinese case. 

[John]

I'm still using the old Maplin cases with cubed foam inners: