For years, people have counted on Pelican cases to protect their gear. Whether that meant expensive cameras, delicate tools, life-saving medical equipment, or valuable electronics, once you pack it in a Pelican case and lock down the latches, you know it’s secure. So when they announced their new luggage line, I knew we had to share it with our readers, as this is the luggage for those that want the best protection, whether they are traveling across the state, or around the world.
Available in three sizes, the ProGear™Elite Luggage range includes a 22 inch called the Carry-On, a 27 inch Weekender, and 30 inch Vacationer. As expected, they are watertight and crush-proof. For as much protection as they offer, they still manage to be pretty light, weighing in at 9.2 pounds, 12.2 pounds, and 15.6 pounds empty, respectively. For comparison, my trusty 1650 is just over 31.5 inches tall, and weighs more than 24 pounds when empty. So you get the same double wall polymer protection, but with less of a weight penalty.
Pelican ProGear™Elite Luggage color optionsPelican also offers more colors than their usual black, olive drab green, or tan. The ProGear™Elite line is available with blue, orange, purple, or red trim. There’s even an orchid exterior option. Other options include a lid organizer, toiletry kit, and a shoe sack with a zipper for all three models. The two larger ones can be outfitted with a Pelican garment bag or laundry bag as well. Pelican has built in a TSA-approved combination lock on the outside to keep your belongings secure, and given each case a smooth fabric interior, which makes it classy and worry-free.
Integrated TSA-approved combination lockOf course, all that durability would not mean much if you had trouble taking your case with you. So a pull handle extends out, but stows away without cutting into your packing space. On the bottom are some solid hub wheels that roll well, even under less than ideal conditions.
I’m sure plenty of travelers have been using various Pelican cases as luggage for some time now, but the ProGear™Elite line provides them with the same high quality and rugged protection, while reducing overall weight. Check them out at PelicanProGear.com.
– Brian
While Pelican unquestionably has very high quality, this line of new cases is very pricy, in comparison, the Pelican 1510 model, which is just a fraction of an inch longer but otherwise similar in size “max FAA carry on”, can be purchased for under $150, while the 22″ size Elite is being sold for $395 at most stores such as B&H Photo Video.
You may wonder why Pelican is making another case with very similar dimensions? I don’t know for certain, however I do know some airlines such as Air Canada and West Jet are enforcing strict carry-on size limitation with metal tubing “sizing device” at check-in and gates, if the carry-on luggage doesn’t fit, then it must be checked, for a fee of course.
I have found the 1510 to be just 1/8″ too long to fit in the “sizing device” at Air Canada, the Elite 22″ size is about 3/8″ shorter in length, so it should fit, although some airlines have 21″ as maximum length, I suspect Pelican may have received enough complaints to redesign a new case.
Although I really wished Pelican can just reduce 1″ off the 1510 case and kept all other aspect of the case the same, AND keep the price change to a minimum, instead of making the new product some 2.5 times more expensive.
That said, I might still get the Elite 22″ case as my camera case, just so I can avoid entrusting $10K plus worth of camera equipment to the gorillas at the luggage handling department at airports….