Daren drum or peli case

tomferry

tomferry

Well-known member
:coffee: Morning all !

So I have been thinking about a slight change to my kit due to now many more trips in the ochre , on 95% of my visits my I phone comes with me and I photograph things as I pas them we still cover large amounts of area as it?s much faster than a camera ! So are pace is generally not slow plodding walking .

The question is I own a 3.6L Daren drum which I can fit my lunch in ok and ram my phone in also for the ochre wades or the neck deep water . For trips longer than 8 hours this is a bit small really .

Should I keep the Daren drum I have and get a peli case for my phone and chocolate bars so it frees up space in the drum ?

Or a 6L Daren drum ?

I am not gentle with my bag in crawls I am often throwing it ahead of me more than dragging it behind .

I have never owned a peli case so have no clue about there feedback but they are far from cheap .  The internet says they are very good but I don?t imagine this is use in a caving / mine exploring environment.
 
paul

paul

Moderator
What you are willing to carry is obviously up to you as regards a bigger Darren drum or an additional Peli case.

Regarding Peli cases in use underground: most cave photographers I know use them a lot and also cave rescue comms equipment is kept in Peli cases (at least for the team I'm involved with).
 
Cantclimbtom

Cantclimbtom

Well-known member
Don't know...  but to point out Inglesport do their own cases/boxes, which may be a cheaper option than Peli https://www.inglesport.com/?s=waterproof+box&post_type=product
 
alastairgott

alastairgott

Well-known member
I have seen a peli case roll down the hill into a drystone wall at speed before a caving trip, and the contents (cameras & electronic equipment) be completely intact.
 
A_Northerner

A_Northerner

Active member
A friend recently bought one of the small Peli Cases that fit a single phone in, to use for his car keys. It popped open in his pocket on the first trip he used it on, and his car key was totally flooded. He had to take it apart and dry it before he could lock his car properly again.
 
H

hannahb

Active member
I use both and I trust the Pelicase more than the Daren drum, especially for delicate items. Pelicases with built-in foam padding are better at protecting against knocks in my experience, but perhaps I just didn't put enough padding in the Daren drum.

I think I would get an additional Pelicase or the Inglesport version, but you could also think about a small but thick dry bag for food.

For what it's worth, if you're a granola fan the overly thick ziplock bags that Jordans granola comes in are really good for keeping things dry in caves, especially if you use one inside another. They last a surprisingly long time.
 
andrewmcleod

andrewmcleod

Well-known member
My phone has travelled underground many times in a Pelicase. They are (almost) indestructible. The only advantages a Daren drum has over a pelicase is that it is rounded and thus often better-fitting in a tackle sack (but I still pad out my tackle sack with foam to stop the lid wearing holes in the sack), and that they are cheaper.
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
alastairgott said:
I have seen a peli case roll down the hill into a drystone wall at speed before a caving trip, and the contents (cameras & electronic equipment) be completely intact.
Click to expand...

Indeed! That was mine, and it's 150m to the bottom of the hill near Speedwell, 45? slope. A week later Wayne did the same thing, with the same model of Peli, with a GPS, phone and DistoX - same result, zero damage. The wall came off worse actually, but it's a good job no-one was on the bottom footpath. I love my Pelis so much I often don't even drag them out of shot for photos any more :)
 
H

hyweldavies

Member
Peli cases are extremely strong and if you cut up the foam to fit your kit, are very protective. They are however, as you know, very expensive. Peli really do honour their all risks guarantee with the only exception being "bear attack and small children". We did break one by dropping it down a 30' pitch and it was replaced no bother despite both the ridiculous treatment and the fact there was a big 4"
hole cut in the side for a connector (it was a battery pack).

A darren drum is much cheaper, rather easier to carry underground as you can get two in a tackle bag. Protection of the contents relies on individually wrapping cameras in tea towels or whatever so maybe less convenient for photo kit. Whilst clearly less robust than a peli case they are perfectly strong enough bar extreme treatment

Edit: Realise my comments above are a general comparison rather than answering the specific question on small case for a phone or such
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
Mine are the 1400s, and whilst chunky in shape, I can just fit two in an AV tackle bag, with a teatowel in a plastic bag just in case, and I've got two full-size flashguns in one, and the SLR, spare lens and flash trigger in the other. The bag comes off worse in this situation, obviously, but even that's held up few years now, and it's taken some battering. Occasionally the flotation aspect also comes in handy - it's nice throwing the entire bag into something like the Speedwell Streamway for example, and just walking along behind it - though I did nearly lose it over The Bung once :)
 
tomferry

tomferry

Well-known member
Thanks everyone for the many comments all have been taken on board !! The clip system on the peli case and the water proof seal have these ever caused a issue for anyone ? For  example the seal falling out and stopping the clamps on the clips working ? This is what is steering me more towards the Daren drum and that it uses all the space in the bag  :-\ the space isn?t a issue really as I could slide the drink bottles in between to fill it up with a case  , has anyone used the ignlesport ones Tom mentioned ?

Also do you need to wipe the seals on the peli cases if they get muddy to get them to seal again ? Wondering about the muddy hands if it could stop it working properly
 
SamT

SamT

Moderator
Horses for courses innit.

For delicate kit that really needs properly looking after - cameras etc.  Then pelicases.  Super robust, but on the down side, they're heavy, clunky, not draggable very well without wearing holes in tackle bags.

For general lunch/phone/Keys, etc. then I'd go with a darren drum.  They're lighter, less bulky, fit neatly into the tacklebags but still waterproof and tough.  You can neatly pad them out with roll mat.

However, top tip for dragging a pelicase... use a dragging kibble.  Put the peli in a big bag and then strap it into the kibble.  It'll slide/drag quite well.  If your canny, you can leave the shoulder straps on the outside of the straps, so you can still wear it on your back like a hard shell rucksack.    I ought to do a little video of my set up.
 
SamT

SamT

Moderator
Tomferry said:
Thanks everyone for the many comments all have been taken on board !! The clip system on the peli case and the water proof seal have these ever caused a issue for anyone ? For  example the seal falling out and stopping the clamps on the clips working ? This is what is steering me more towards the Daren drum and that it uses all the space in the bag  :-\ the space isn?t a issue really as I could slide the drink bottles in between to fill it up with a case  , has anyone used the ignlesport ones Tom mentioned ?

Also do you need to wipe the seals if they get muddy to get them to seal again ? Wondering about the muddy hands if it could stop it working properly
Click to expand...

Always kept a beer towel in the darren drum.. it helped pack it out and pad it, and you can wipe your hands/seals with it.
 
Mark Wright

Mark Wright

Active member
The beer towel in a Peli Case reminds me of a trip I did with Robbie Shone swimming down the Clearwater Streamway in Mulu.

If I?m not mistaken it was Robbie?s beer towel that got stuck in the Peli Case seal. The case was full of water when we got to the entrance with over ?2K worth of photography gear inside. Robbie had to buy a new 5D camera body and a new lens.

Mark
 
F

Fulk

Well-known member
I've had problems with water seeping into Peli cases when the seals have got a bit muddy; I found it difficlut to clean them properly. Also I had the handle break on a small Peli case when it was dropped hardly more than a metre, but Peli honoured their promise and provided a replacement; the handle of the replacement case also got broken, and that was replaced (free of charge) as well.
 
tomferry

tomferry

Well-known member
It appears my fears do happen then the peli case seal gets dirty in a underground environment , you don?t realise the small specs of grit stop the seal working in a long Wade with your bag floating it fills Up and contents ruined ..  the case gets replaced as they stick to their word but your contents still broken .

I think I shall research the Daren drum sizes available and measure my bag  . I have never had a issue with the drum the seal always works and packing it with towels has always protected the I phone

Thanks so much for all the great help really appreciate it any further advice is still welcome and shall be took on board .  :beer:
 
Mr Mike

Mr Mike

Active member
When I used a compact camera underground , I had a number of different ones from the Micro Pelicase range, never had a problem (size 1010, 1020).

Alwayed opened carefully to avoid getting grit / mud in the seals. However, that is not always possible and you do inevitably get the muck on them. But even with muck on them (after a wipe on whats available ) it's never failed for me, apart from occasional few beads of water in the case. I always carried a few tissues in the case to absorb ingress.

The latches on the 1010, 1020 etc... do need a fair bit of force to open, and again that has never been a problem. I still use a 1010 clear case for my LED flood light for photo lighting and that has never opened or failed.
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
You can just take the seals out of my Pelis and wash them under the tap? It's just a big flexible rubber ring. Maybe the seals on the smaller models are, well, sealed? Dunno.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top