I’ve just completed a 3D project. No, not 3D printing. It’s a custom foam insert for a Pelican rolling case. I intend to use the case for both equipment storage and travel. Why not the Hasselblad Field Kit Pelican Case? It’s not wheeled, isn’t a newer Pelican Air case, doesn’t accommodate the XCD 21mm lens, is more expensive, and isn’t sized for the maximum airline carry-on dimensions. Plus, this looked like a fun project to take on during the hot and humid days of summer.
I used MyCaseBuilder.com to design and fabricate the foam insert. The insert fits a Pelican Air 1535 rolling case that meets the carry-on restrictions of most airlines and is convenient for automobile travel. The case is similar to the standard Pelican 1510, a case that I use for equipment storage. The new Pelican Air cases are lighter and more mobile than their standard counterparts. Having used “pick and pluck” foam inserts in Pelican cases in the past, I wanted to give custom foam inserts a try.
The primary design requirement for the foam insert was that it would be able to accommodate the Hasselblad X1D camera body, the native 21mm, 30mm, 45mm and 90mm lenses (with hoods), four batteries (plus the battery in the camera body), a small accessory case, charger and cord, and two circular polarizer filters. In other words, a “go bag” that could be thrown into my car or carried onto an airplane with everything I’d need for a landscape shoot.
