Pelican vs SKB; opinions?

[Ari]

Hi,
I'd like to see if the commentariat has anything to say about either of these cases.
I'm looking at larger rolling cases for lighting and grip gear, the total weight of my equipment would be around 70 pounds (31 kg).
I've narrowed it down to these cases, both with dividers:

Pelican 1615: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1244898-REG/pelican_016150_0040_110_1615_air_wheeled_carry_on.html
SKB 2918: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1076855-REG/skb_3i_2918_10bd_iseries_2918_10_waterproof_case.html

Putting aside price, both cases would work for me, they're both large enough; the SKB has the edge in overall interior size.
I like the SKB's wheels (two sets of rollerblade wheels), but I like the Pelican's lighter weight.
I prefer the Pelican's main dividers, they run north/south; this would work better for me than the SKB's east/west design because of the size of the main components (power pack, batteries and heads).

The Pelican appears to have those terrible hard plastic wheels, which pass a lot of vibration on to your gear.
I've replaced the wheels on my 1510 with rollerblade wheels, but it wasn't easy finding wheels of the right size & thickness.
And I think the 1510 is a very good, versatile case, it's markedly better once you swap out the wheels.

I've never seen an SKB case before and I'm unfamiliar with their quality, so any information about that would be appreciated.
If you own the 1615, I'd like to hear about the wheels, and how the new, lighter materials stack up against the old design.
Any user experience would be helpful, actually, so I look forward to any of your opinions on either or both cases.

Thanks in advance.

[Fred L]

Are Nanuk cases out of the running ? The closure latches alone would give them my vote > Pelican

[Ari]

Are Nanuk cases out of the running ? The closure latches alone would give them my vote > Pelican

The two above cases are 29" x 15"-18" x 10", and Nanuk doesn't make anything close to that size.

[Fred L]

ah, those are pretty significant dimensions. good luck in your search Ari ;)

[Ari]

Thanks, Fred! It's a tough choice, each case has different things to offer.

[williaty]

I accidentally have a Pelican 1610 and the SKB 2217, which are basically identical cases in terms of dimensions. My observations from owning both:

1) I would store and travel with a camera in either without worry.
2) I would *not* allow someone to stand on the SKB if they needed a little extra height.
3) I *would* allow someone to stand on the Pelican if they needed a little extra height.
4) The SKB divider insert velcro thing is *TERRIBLE*! Do not waste your money! Buy the TrekPak insert for it instead. I don't have a Pelican divider insert so I can't compare that.
5) The SKB is very good but has just a whiff of not quite being made as well as the Pelican but, again, I would not hesitate to use either.

Can you provide some info on replacing the wheels on your Pelican case? That's something I'd be interesting in doing to my case as it rolls a bit noisy. I'm not worried about the gear being vibrated (that's what the padding inside is for) but I wouldn't mind it being quieter.

[Ari]

Thank you; more pluses and minuses to consider.
The wheel mod is here: http://www.davidfearn.com/blog/2013/2/peli-case-1510-wheel-mod

Is there any limit to what can be put in the Peli case? If I bring my entire lighting kit, it's 70 pounds, can the 1615 handle that weight? Maybe having a second smaller case is better?

[williaty]

IMO, having two cases will be better for you. The SKB and Pelican I have are for my medium format cameras. Loaded up, they're just too heavy. I should have gone for a pair of cases that would be lighter once loaded.

[Ari]

As it happens, I can fit the pack and one head in my 1510, that's the minimum I would need (1 head, 1200 w/s, no spare battery) for an hour's shoot.
So thanks williaty, it turns out I can manage quite well by buying a smaller case than the 1615 or SKB, and still keep things manageable between two cases.

[Jim Andrada]

+1 on 2 cases. I have one of the huge ones and it's usually stuffed with XLR cables and a UPS for my audio recorder - weighs a TON. I feel like I'm going t get a hernia every time I load it into the car. A few hundred feet of stereo cable is HEAVY.

[grantflanagan]

I recommend pelican over SKB. The plastic just doesn't seem as durable to me, as mentioned by other posters. Another issue I've experience (I own a 1650 pelican and once owned an SKB ~2217 or similar that housed my deardorff) is the foam seems to be of a lower quality and lost its shape under weight quicker. I now opt to buy the velcro inserts in all my pelicans (including those owned by my boss I maintain and actively fly a few dozen times a year with about 15 cases). One final issue, which I've experience with many off-brand cases, though I never flew the SKB, is the air pressure equalizer isn't as effective and the case becomes unopenable for a few hours without serious prying due to suction while under a plane. I would have those fears with the SKB, but have never experience it with any pelican model.

[grantflanagan]

Thank you; more pluses and minuses to consider.
The wheel mod is here: http://www.davidfearn.com/blog/2013/2/peli-case-1510-wheel-mod

Is there any limit to what can be put in the Peli case? If I bring my entire lighting kit, it's 70 pounds, can the 1615 handle that weight? Maybe having a second smaller case is better?

double post here but to specifically answer this, my 1650 has 55 pounds in it and my 1510 has 44 pounds. I have carried both up stairs by the telescoping pulley many many times with no effect on the case. I would say if it fits, it's fine. The 1650 has four locks, no issue on failures and I also ziptie them and leave extras for the TSA to replace, they usually do...

[Ari]

Thanks, Grant; I had the chance to try out the 1615 in-store; I brought my lighting gear with me, but I didn't buy the 1615, even at a discounted price.
While the plastic shell seems like it would hold up well enough with the load, the telescoping handle was too flexible and not confidence-inspiring.
The second reason I balked at buying the 1615 is the dividers (I never buy cases with foam); Pelican cheaped-out with their dividers, making them thin, soft foam-filled and flimsy.

The best dividers I've seen are from Lightware cases, but those don't have wheels. I may end up getting one anyway and using a wheeled cart.
But it doesn't solve the question of what to do if flying with such gear; the Lightware cases are more vulnerable to theft than a padlocked Peli.

[williaty]

Don't buy a Pelican or SKB case with dividers. Buy the empty case and buy dividers from TrekPak. They're FAR superior to any divider system I've ever worked with other than the rigid dividers in my ANCIENT LowePro Pro Roller 3 (current production LowePro dividers aren't nearly as good).

And what you found with the telescoping handle is part of why two smaller cases works better (so neither one ends up as heavy). The only handle I like is, again, on my ancient ProRoller 3 because it's made of aluminum rather than plastic.

[Ari]

I've so far been using two smaller cases with some success.
Neither has wheels and I keep worrying I'll forget some small accessory, splitting things in two as I am.
Thanks for the Trek-Pak recommendation.

[williaty]

I've so far been using two smaller cases with some success.
Neither has wheels and I keep worrying I'll forget some small accessory, splitting things in two as I am.
Thanks for the Trek-Pak recommendation.

Generally, if everything has a specific spot in the case and the spots are organized to see if something is missing, you won't leave stuff behind. The other trick is to leave the cases ready to travel at all times if possible. I get back from a shoot, unpack everything to see if anything needs cleaned, supplies replenished, etc, and then immediately pack it up again and store it packed and ready to go. This pays off at times like I had at the beginning of November when I got a text to notify me of a shoot 33 minutes before the shoot with a 30 minute drive time. I made it there bang on the minute I was needed because I just had to hustle to get the lighting cases and the camera cases into the car and I knew I had everything. Once I arrived, by having everything exactly in the same place it always is, I was able to set up quickly and in an organized fashion. Kept me looking like I knew what the hell I was doing even though I was way behind the power curve due to someone else's oversight.

[Ari]

Thanks again, appreciated. I do the same wrt keeping gear ready and organized.
But sometimes I'll take out a light meter for something else and forget to put it back right away.