TrekPak Pelican 1510 Case Insert Review
April 16, 2014
Let me start out by saying this review has been a long time in the works. When I use camera gear, I really focus on their practicality and most importantly their ability to withstand serious abuse. I wanted to test out my TrekPak gear for a solid amount of time before I wrote a review of the product. As many of you might know, I travel a lot. When I say a lot, I think that’s an understatement. I flew well over 150,000 miles last year and my Pelican 1510 with my custom TrekPak insert has been on every single flight. It has been to countless countries, and endured every kind of abuse I threw at it. My gear has weathered snow, rocky trails, brick paths, drops, pressurization, cobblestone and more spilled alcohol than you’d like to know. I can’t even begin to estimate the amount of miles I’ve wheeled that case and how many overhead airline bins it has flow in.
I loved the Pelican case itself, but I found that after a couple weeks, the Velcro dividers start to really wear down and the Velcro loses its ability to stick to itself. This is really problematic when you have two bodies, lenses, hard drives and so much in the case rattling around. The pick’n pluck foam is ok, but that too wears down quickly, plus, say goodbye to customization without buying a new insert every time.
I had been searching for an alternative to the default Pelican inserts but hadn’t found anything that looks like it would be a viable option for the amount of gear I travel with. It was at this point where a friend pointed out the TrekPak Kickstarter. I set up a date to speak with the owners of TrekPak and had a custom insert built around my gear. This allowed me to develop an interior that works perfectly for my setup.
Let’s talk about what is in my standard pelican case setup:
• 2 Nikon D4 Bodies
• 70-200 f/2.8 VR
• 85 f/1.4
• 50 f/1.4
• 24-70 f/2.8
• 14-24 f/2.8
• 4 External HDs
• Two CF cases with 8 CF Cards
• USB 3.0 Card Reader
• 6 USB 3.0 Cables
• 2 iPhone Chargers
• 2 Micro USB Charger
• 50-100 Business cards
• 2 Radio Speedlight Triggers
• GoPro
• Mophie Duo
• SB-900 (depending on room in backpack)
• Rode VideoMic Pro
• 5-10 AA Batteries / 1-2 9V Batteries / 5-10 AAA Batteries
That is a serious amount of gear in a small case – it also has a quite a bit of weight inside of the 1510. I can, without hesitation, say that my TrekPak setup looks as new as the day I received the product. It has been thrown around hundreds of flights, cars, music venues, festivals & every element / situation possible. I feel 100% confident that no matter where the case goes, my gear will be well protected. I know that the weight of the gear won’t bend the dividers and I don’t have to worry about the dividers wearing down and becoming thin like the standard Velcro padding.
Now, nothing is complete without photos - here is my set-up before getting my TrekPak insert (note the top photo has three cameras in the case):
Now, let’s look at my set up with my custom TrekPak insert:
Here is everything, from my last trip, that is inside my Pelican 1510 Case with the custom TrekPak insert:
The dividers are very, very strong and hold their structure very well. There’s a great balance of padding and support - something that really helps when you trusting it with lenses. The dividers are held together with pins that have little red tabs on them (as you can see from the photos above) here is what they look like:
I’ve never had a pin fall out or bend - they fit snug in the slots sandwiched in the dividers.
What I really like is the ability to make exactly what you need out of the dividers, pins, and their cutting utility. It’s like the best building puzzle game ever, except the goal is to protect thousands of dollars worth of camera gear. Here’s a look at the cutting tool that allows you to trim the dividers to exactly the size you need:
Overall, I love my TrekPak case set up. It fit all the criteria for protection, durability and customization I was looking for. Coupled with the legendary strength of a Pelican case, I never worry whether or not my gear will survive my next trip.
I’ve been so happy with my set up that I’ve partnered with TrekPak as a brand ambassador. You can take 10% off your entire order using the code “LOYD”