Carrying Case

[pullbangdead]

Alright everybody, let's see what kind of cool solutions you guys have found.

I'm in need of a carrying case, or cases, for my laser pointer collection (you can see the collection in my sig).

So basically, I want some sort of smallish, convenient, portable carrying case to hold either 6 or 8 standard-sized laser pointers. (holding 6 would hold all 6 colors or presentation pointers, holding 8 would hold those plus my .25W violet&red leadlight matched set). I could honestly go for either size, but I need something to avoid having to carry 6 or 8 individual boxes anytime I want to take the collection with me.

Ideally, I don't want a hard-sided case (a la a pistol case or the cases you see from LaserGlow). I want something soft-sided, like the CD cases you see that zip up and hold the CDs in sleeves. Just big enough to hold the pens securely, with a little padding, but not much is necessary since I'm a very careful person. Then maybe it would have elastic to hold the pens, or some other unique system to hold the pointers. All my pointers have pocket clips except one, so I could work something out for it if the case used the pocket clips.

So, whatcha got LPF? Even cases that hold fewer than 6 could come in handy. Give me some ideas here. I would especially appreciate some :kewlpics:

What do you use to hold your pointer collections?

 

[pullbangdead]

One of the ideas I've played around with is a carrying case designed for pens, a la http://www.pencity.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/Aston/PenCases.htm?E+scstore.

Most of the nice looking ones are quite expensive, especially without knowing if they'll work perfectly. Any stores you know of that carry these kinds of cases where they can be tried out to see how well they work with respect to laser pointers?

And of course, I'm most interested in hearing YOUR unique solutions.

 

[ElektroFreak]

My first thought would be to buy one of those little tool kits that come in soft padded cases with little elastic bands that hold each tool..

 

[chipdouglas]

try womens aluminum cosmetics cases, or this website http://www.nextag.com/aluminum-briefcase/compare-html

 

[pullbangdead]

^That would be great for a hard case, but I want a soft case

 

[Mr_Lazo]

Try knife rolls. The kind chefs use to carry their cutlery/tools.

They make them in 8 pocket varieties & they're pretty easy to come across.

If you're a decent hand at sewing, adapting the pockets wouldn't be too much trouble.

Here's a 6-slot:

 

[pullbangdead]

^Hey, now that looks like it has some real possibilities! Exactly the kind of idea and creativity I was looking for. All the ones I've seen googling them so far are for knives up to 18 or 20 inches long. Have you seen any that are shorter, such as one that was maybe made for steak knives only, or for knives less than a foot long? Thanks for the suggestion.


And I'm not ashamed at all to admit I am actually quite adept at sewing. I can sew much better than my wife,, in fact. It has been a useful skill, and has come in quite handy for me several times.

 

[gecko991]

IMO Laser cases should have excellent shock resistance and offer total protection for the host as well that is why I use Pelican cases. They are fairly cheap in the small sizes plus completely waterproof and you could throw one out of a speeding car or even an Airplane and sustain zero damage, I have over a dozen of them and they are the shad. Except no substitute. Pelican

 

[laser83]

I use the same kind of case that could be used for a gun. Nice and padded and they sell cheap ones. $10 I"m too lazy to get a camera now but you could fit many smaller laser or two DPSS type lasers in this case. Can't remember where I bought it. One of those big chains stores. Look in the sporting good section.

 

[WRM]

case

For a hard case, nothing beats the NANUK case made by Plasticase. They have a distributor in Paterson, NJ (Carry Cases Plus) that sells them at the lowest price. (All of their distributors drop ship from Plasticase in Canada). You can choose from 7 colors. The silver is so cool. It looks like you're carrying radioactive material of some sort. Actually, Frothy turned me on to this company. It has pick foam so you can customize how you arrange your lasers. I have the Nanuk 915. It can withstand easily 200+ lbs standing on it. It's the coolest case that you ever saw and it's waterproof and entirely customizable by size and color. It looks good in the pics; but way better in person. Make sure to get the cubed foam insert. Hope this helps someone. Thanks, Bill

http://www.plasticase.com/products.asp?node=13

http://www.carrycasesplus.com/store.html

 

[Mr_Lazo]

Don't forget to search for tool rolls and pencil rolls.

The tool rolls tend to be a bit long (lots of pockets), nd it's tough to find a pencil roll that's made of sturdy stuff, but all things are possible through the Force.

I use an old army field med pouch, but that only has 3 pockets (which I adapted to 2), since I never like to carry too much with me at one time.


Post Scriptum- I think most people missed the whole "not hard-sided" criterion.

 

[weetsie]

http://www.plasticase.com/products.asp?node=13

i would buy a one of those for my computer but a $180 case costs $230 to ship? screw that.

 

[scopeguy20]

Thanks WRM, I like the silver case too. -Glenn

 

[chipdouglas]

Hey pullbangdead, it just hit me. If you have a snap-on tool truck in the area would these cases work. my snap on guy gave me these. the aren't padded but they last a long time and have individual spaces and as you can see different sizes. hope this helps.

 

[Tech_Junkie]

^Hey, now that looks like it has some real possibilities! Exactly the kind of idea and creativity I was looking for. All the ones I've seen googling them so far are for knives up to 18 or 20 inches long. Have you seen any that are shorter, such as one that was maybe made for steak knives only, or for knives less than a foot long? Thanks for the suggestion.


And I'm not ashamed at all to admit I am actually quite adept at sewing. I can sew much better than my wife,, in fact. It has been a useful skill, and has come in quite handy for me several times.

If you sew one add some anti-static plastic into the material. Use can use an old mobo plastic bag if you have one kicking around.

 

[WRM]

hard case

i would buy a one of those for my computer but a $180 case costs $230 to ship? screw that.

That's why I provided the link to Carry Cases plus. Plasticase sells at list with expensive shipping, their distributor sells way cheaper with inexpensive shipping. Also, If you are speaking about a laptop, this case is overkill. Hope this helps. Bill