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Hey folks, I am considering buying one of these long “rifle” style cases for my sled, particularly the Pelican 1745 Air. I have always hated how bulky and hard to carry/ maneuver the typical Steadicam case is, especially in small New York apartments. So the idea of having a more space-saving case is very appealing to me. I would need a custom foam setup, but the sled would fit within the dimensions of the case and would still have room for docking bracket, monitor etc. The only thing I am unsure of is how much foam should there be between the edge of the case and the gear? It should work out that at the extremities there would be at least 1-2 inches of foam while the rest of the sled would have ample room. Before I pull the trigger on this I would appreciate any advice, general guidelines on case foam, recommendations, or any anecdotes; especially if you have used or considered one of these long cases for your gear. Cheers!

hey yall I had just thrown up a photo of my new case on another thread and already got someone interested, so I figured Id put out a review on it. I had my case custom built by Thermodyne. It is inspired by the Archer2 case that I used to have, also by Thermodyne. Thermodyne was used to the Tiffen sleds and cases claimed to have never seen another rig, so they did whatever scanning and 3D mapping they needed. They let me meet with the gentleman who was actually doing the scanning and cutting and treated me like I was putting in an order for hundreds even though it was just one case. I had to leave my rig with them for a few days so that they could come up with a configuration. I asked them to cut the mold for the sled and to cut several cavities for aks since I knew there would be room. I can fit my plates, cables, kneepads/AB twin charger and 2 Dionics. There is enough room to keep my hyperdeck attached to the back of my monitor as well. My arm (atlas) folds in 90 deg and I had them put my spare canisters in as well. I asked for a two-tier system and the shelf is not flimsy foam, but is a 1/8" thick plastic shelf which is sandwiched in foam. The case also has an extending luggage handle and two durable wheels, as well as three very sturdy spring loaded handles for lifting. Just to let you know, the case with the rig is beefier and heavier than I was expecting, but I have come to not mind, because it is holding my first born and I feel very confident putting it on a plane, as I used to do with my Archer2 back when. So I guess second born. Here are the dimensions in the laying position (as photographed): 30" wide x 22.5" tall x 23.5" deep and its weighs in at about 40 pounds. It has 4 mickey mouse twisting clasps and a place to lock it with TSA or padlock. With tax it came to $640. The whole process from dropping off the rig to picking up the case was probably 14 days, which may have been a little long, but I think it had to do with mapping, configuring, testing, cutting, etc. They sent me the sketches along the way. So far the case has been excellent in every way, except maybe lifting. The large flat top has been nice as a small table of last resort, with a few grooves so my screws dont goin spinning around. It is heavy, maybe close to 40 pounds, and it is wide, and Im not a big dude, so I ramp it up into my truck typically and have an AC help it out of my vehicle. you can see it on the thermodyne website (thermodyne.com) It is the third picture in the slide show. I dealt with Bill Morgan, and he was super easy to work with. Thermodyne is about 45 minutes straight shot east on I-10/60. William MorganSr. Sales Thermodyne International Ltd. Ontario, CA USA CAGE Code 29724 bill@thermodyne.comP. 909.923.9945 F. 909.923.7505 If youve got any questions, let me know or contact Bill. They can set you up with this configuration for a PRO CineLive and Atlas, but if you have a different rig they may need to get it inhouse for a day or two, except maybe Tiffen rigs, for which I am pretty sure they have already built cases. brett.