Hard Case for my Aquatica S2 Housing and other bits

[GLOC]

I have just bought an S2 Aquatica Housing (2nd hand) and Aquatica 8" dome (new) and want to know what to put it in to keep my new toys safe.

I nearly died when the guy from CU wanted £255 for a Peli1610 so said I would try and source one from somewhere else.

So what do people do to transport their beloveds around and where do you source them from. The cheapest I have seen the 1610 for is £219 from an Ebay shop.

I want to use the case for general storage, use on a hard dive boat, and for travelling using flights.

Any ideas or suggestions?

[triplefin]

There is another make just come onto the market now Gareth but I cant remember what they are called they have them in my LDS. I've got to go and pick up a couple of cylinders so I'll have a look if no one else can come up with the name. They are just like pelican cases but cheaper.

[Mattdiver]

If I wasn't a nice guy, I'd offer to sell you my Pelican for a fraction of the price you found it, but although this is undoubtedly a very sturdy case, it is also VERY heavy.

This is the reason why I opted for a different approach. I now use a regular hard ABS suitcase. I got the local upholstery shop to cut dense foam to the shape of my equipment, and glue it inside the suitcase.

[TimIngmire]

Gareth, I carry all my camera gear in a Diver rucksack with the camera body inside the housing and the rest padded in around it. It all fits in snugly but can be heavy. You have to make sure that it looks light when you check-in. Of course this does not help if the airline also weighs the hand luggage. When this has happened I've simply tucked my lenses into the main suitcase - they are always carried wrapped in t shirts so there's little risk of damage through normal carriage.

I never carry any of my diving gear in branded cases - like Matt, I use semi-rigid suitcases that I've bought from the highstreet. They aren't too heavy either.

TBH, my gear is more at risk at home and I've yet to find a satisfactory place to store it all. I'm thinking of getting a case for it all just for storage and transport around the UK.

In hardboats, I've tended to put the camera in the cabin surrounded by everybody's jackets and stuff to stop it falling. On a rib, the rig fits into the rucksack again and I wear it during transit.

Tim

[Mark Davies]

Take a look at these - I think they are what you are looking for. I've seen them first hand and they look to be good quality.

Scuba Diving in Manchester - PADI Courses (TDI, IANTD, BSAC & PSAi)

[GLOC]

Thanks Mark, just ordered the Peli1610 equivalent for £160 but they don't have any in stock until the start of January

The dome arrived today so am going to have a play over the next week or so