Nanuk Hard Case Empty - Durable Protective Storage for Travel, Camping & Equipment | Black

First, I like Nanuks a lot better than I ever liked Pelican cases; Nanuk cases seem more finished, less unnecessary complicated design-wise, and less ugly. They are also cheaper, and I like to support Canada because their having economic stability means they are less likely to try to attack (you laugh, but in my hometown, we actually have a US-Canada peace monument).This is a tough, attractive, and smooth case. It's a nice touch that the lid has a detent to keep it open. If you've ever had a Pelican case lid rap you on the knuckles, well, ouch.That said, the 1535 is somewhat puzzling as a locking case - because if you break a small piece of plastic off each corner near the hinges, you can pull the hinge pins (using the built-in grip... on the pin). I'm sure there is some use case for this, like setting up arctic scientific bases in the frozen wastes of Windsor, Ontario (j/k!), but for most people, a straight pin with no "handle" would seem like a better idea. I guess you could solve this by snipping off the knurled handle.What I don't like a lot about plastic equipment cases is that the stock options are pretty sub-par. The Nanuk padded divider set has a very thin layer of padding on its "bottom" (what faces the outside of the case), and there is a finite number of sizes of rectangular objects that can be accommodated. This problem goes way beyond Nanuk and Pelican. On the 1535, you also lose the two corners with the wheels and little spot near the retracted handle.Since I am using this as a case for camera lenses, I would comment that the divider:- Is about ok for old-school SLR, mirrorless, or medium-format detachable lenses 5" long or shorter (unless you turn them sideways)- Is difficult for smaller lenses, like for rangefinder cameras, because the short dividers are still a bit longer than the diameter of an average RF lens- Is an ok but not great fit for camera bodiesThe alternative for plastic cases, cubed foam, like Communism, seems like a great idea until you try to implement it. The foam is by nature weakened so you can make your own openings, and this inevitably leads to its destruction. It also outgasses and absorbs oil. Many ways to win here! Perhaps the most irritating thing about it is that the replacement cost is insanely high, as if the open-celled polyurethane foam matrix contains large amounts of earth's most previous substance, to wit, inkjet ink. The reality is that the foam is probably insanely cheap to make, moderately expensive to ship due to its volume, and massively profitable.Trekpak seems to have solved this partially, but for any critical application, you will want to go to your local foam outlet and have a closed cell foam or neoprene block custom-cut for your stuffs.Perhaps someone could let us all know why Nanuk's lid organizers cost a huge percentage of the cost of the cases they go in? The best value proposition on the 1535 seems to be getting padded dividers when on sale; you can always do foam later, but the dividers are very expensive to buy separately.Anyway, I would recommend this if you are looking for a "carry on" factor case, but just be careful in considering how you will cushion the items inside.I’d like to say that I bought this case after buying the 915 spark fly more padded case. I was so very impressed by that case that I knew I needed another of this brands case for all of my accessories.I’m going to quote my 915 review and then after that add the extras from this 935 that I enjoy, because they both have these features in common and it’s difficult typing on mobile.*********************************First off let me say that I have owned A LOT of hard equipment cases. Everything from pelican to monoprice and even a few Amazon basic ones, not to mention the slew of Chinese knockoff cases.Most of them had noticible issues from the unboxing to first use. Pelican cases have horrible latches that love to just pop open at the worst time, amazon basic cases usually smell like a chemical factory in Bolivia where they have never heard of regulation, monoprice cases are just really bad all over and their rolling versions are atrocious. The knockoffs are usually a little bit of each of these.Along comes this Nanuk which I had just happened to find because I bought myself a spark for my upcoming birthday, and I wanted a good heavy case with some precut holes for the gear. The case arrived today and I eagerly opened the box like a little kid.The only thing that I didn’t care for initially was that the case itself is not textured, which means you’re going to see every battle scar that it gets. Then I honestly didn’t care about the scars it would see, because behold the latches!!!!!! (***Angelic Chorus***)!!!!!They latch and lock closed***can I get an AMEN brothers and sisters***Sure it’s been attempted and similarly duplicated in other brands, but none of them work this well! I’ve literally been through hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cases through work and volunteer services and they have never had a single latch work so well.The interior pre cut closed cell padding has skin on the top layer!!! This is a great touch for precut, because it will hold its form so much longer!The hinge joints are nice and smooth so there’s no catches when you open or close your case.The handle can and does lock down when you push it down towards the case. This means no handle flop when it’s riding on your wheeler or on the hotel garment trolley. Granted that this feature can wear down in time (it has on all of the ones I’ve had in the past), but I’ll update my review should it fail too soon.Color choices!!! Hey now I’m not just stuck with black, grey or od green.... I chose the bright yellow since lime green wasn’t available and it looks great. It’s bright and noticeable from a distance. The red also looks great too, but I felt like being a little flashy.To sum everything up I’d say that this is probably the best case I’ve owned to date regardless of price range. This tiny little $70 case could smack around some of my $600-$700 pelicans and still have enough left over to fight off all the knockoffs.I was so happy with this purchase that I turned around and just purchased a 935 in yellow to match this one. I’d definitely recommend this brand to others and can happily say that I wasn’t bribed for my review I purchased this case and the 935 today at full price. Now I’m not saying that I can’t be bought off with some sweet sweet cases ;) ? lol.......I’d like it if the manufacturer would offer a closed cell single sided or double sided foam option for their cases though. The 935 I just ordered only had an option for the pinchpull open cell foam. This is great for your lower layers, but it ends up looking frayed and ragged after a while in the field putting in and pulling out gear.Thanks for the great case, and I hope I’m equally impressed with the one coming Saturday!!!*************************************Okay..... now for the awesome features of the 935 that I feel are worth mentioning. The first thing that you will notice if you’re familiar with other brands of hard equipment cases is that the lock holes are collared, and there’s not just some flimsy cheap metal bent around the edges.The top handle (when in the upright position) is a pop up handle that automagically goes back down when you release it. Many cases don’t even have this handle so this is a pleasant surprise.The baggage handle is one hand operated, and it’s two stage just in case you’re a bit taller. Another nice surprise is that the 915 practically locks into place in this handle using the grooves on the bottom of the 915’s case.There is the option to purchase a set of locking TSA latches that is really affordable for the 935. There’s also a few organizing items that you can purchase separately like the lid organizer and the padded insert foam upgrade.For the money I’d say this is a very nice and well rounded equipment case. Much like the 915 it has exceeded my expectations, and I will be looking at nanuk cases for any future purchases.My only complaint is the lack of a skinned closed cell foam package that would be available for their cases. The non skinned open cell foam gets worn too quickly with repeated use, and it begins to break down eventually getting all your gear nasty.I’ve included some photos of my 935 and 915 after some slight foam modifications. The 935 is used for all my accessories and extras for my spark.I had bought another camera bag but it was not big enough so I bought this heart case. Instead, I have bought the 935 for travel, but this case holds all my camera gear.Both this case to have a really decent hard case storage solution for my camcorder and a few other video accessories that I'm occasionally lugging around the world.(Of note: I went for the version with padded dividers).There's not quite as much interior room as you would get in a comparably sized non hard case carry on. But the small loss in packable volume is a worthy price to pay for knowing that your valuables are safe from damage.I routinely pack mine with my compact camcorder (Canon XA40), camera monitor, microphone, and charger. And I can also squeeze a small travel tripod (Manfrotto Compact Advanced) in there if I really need to.A great addition to my video kit!I've had a couple Pelican cases and have tried several other camera bags to carry my beloved gear, but this 935 is the real deal. The lid organizer is genius and stores all the smaller loose items. The padded compartments fit multiple camera bodies, lenses, mics, batteries, and everything else I don't need to carry on my back. I can now lighten up my backpack knowing that my expensive gear is housed safely in this hard case.Also I should mention that the wheels roll VERY smooth, especially compared to the more cheap feeling ones on my Pelican Air case. The handle also feels very good on this one compared to my Pelican. Would definitely recommend to someone who is looking for a carry-on size hard case.The case is very well made and but for my use slightly undersize. No fought of Nanuk, I should have checked better.Been using it for a few years and find it to be a really good case.No comparison, better quality, better colours and carrying handles are feel better and easier to use.You get what you pay for and now I realise why this is slightly more expensive. Bought all my inners from Canada, which was cheaper than buying anywhere else in the UK or europe.Great quality case but far too heavy for carry on luggage.As above Perfect.