TOPIC: Heavy Duty Carrying Case That Works

I may have found a really good long-term case for carrying tokens to cons.

Look up Pelican cases - I went with the 1500 model but depending on how many tokens you bring, you might want to go to the carry-on size with roller wheels.
I had tried the coin cases (aluminum and similar) but found they broke under the token weights (handles breaking, hinges breaking, etc.)
Poker chip cases were ok but didn't let me organize the tokens terribly well.
Coin books didn't hold enough tokens forcing several books for a typical con and aren't terribly durable.

The Pelican case is as close to indestructible as I found. Their primary consumer markets are for people with expensive camera equipment and for transporting guns. So, yes, the case is overkill from a durability and longevity perspective but at around the same cost as far less durable options.. They come with foam inserts that peel away in small blocks (don't start cutting into them, I made that mistake and had to replace the foam inserts). If you get coin trays akin to what lighthouse or other companies sell for American Silver Eagle Dollars (approx 40 mm - the tokens are approximately 39 mm), you can fit around 10 trays of 20 tokens into the case and have room for some extra odds and ends. I removed blocks of foam until the trays fit snugly into the foam then removed sections of foam fitting other bits I wanted to bring.

The end package isn't cheap but it's reliable. The tokens are organized and don't shift when the case is moved (so they remain organized and easy accessible) .shaken and it's easily lockable.

I went with the yellow case just so it is easy to find but they have other colors. For some other collectors, I'd recommend the carry-on case with wheels (I think it is the 1510).

I was excited to share this since I've been looking for better transport options for quite a while.

If you go this route, the foam insert can be adjusted without tools (don't use them, this is designed to let you create inserts by hand). Pricing is about the same via them directly or Amazon for the cases. Go with Amazon for replacement inserts if you need to replace the foam. You can also do a custom set-up with them where you tell them the exact dimensions of what you want cut out of the foam and they'll do it for you (but it's an extra $50 or so).

I'll post pics of my final set-up once some replacement foam comes in (I finished my initial set-up then realized a much better option for arranging things - I had just cut out the center then realized how much space I was wasting on all sides - mine will hold another 4-5" of stuff if I lined it up on the side with an inch space for cushion.

Fred

Great write up. I’ll be looking into it.

I've used these for years for my MTG decks as a daily briefcase to hold decks/playmats/my expensive dice in car and travel to flgs. Never thought to look at for using for tokens. Thanks for the tip and interested in your final layout.

Yeah I'd definitely like to see pics when you have the tokens in there to get an idea on if/how I could use it.

My plan was to talk to Battlefoam at Gen Con, as They do custom foam cutting for their Miniature cases. I don't have very many tokens to carry and was thinking of using their 432 case with some laser cut foam

That said, they can cut any size foam, and I've found laser cut to always give me more usable room than pluck foam. Perhaps you could order some specific laser cut foam for tokens?

Question - is it better to transport tokens on their side, or stacked flat?

Endgame wrote: My plan was to talk to Battlefoam at Gen Con, as They do custom foam cutting for their Miniature cases. I don't have very many tokens to carry and was thinking of using their 432 case with some laser cut foam

That said, they can cut any size foam, and I've found laser cut to always give me more usable room than pluck foam. Perhaps you could order some specific laser cut foam for tokens?

Question - is it better to transport tokens on their side, or stacked flat?

Actually, I am finding that using the trays for transporting similar sized coins (American Eagles) and stacking them, then putting the trays into a space cut for the trays (just stacked up) is both the easiest and the most durable. I had thought about the battlefoam people too (I have some of their mini cases.) I can confirm they will do cuts matching for the tokens and I was about to do that until I had this idea. The only reason I didn't do the foam cut for each token is it eats up more space than trays. In something just bigger than a briefcase, I can now comfortably fit 200-220 tokens in trays plus 3-5 tubes of consumables (~20 each).

Pelican will also do the laser cuts for specific dimensions (looking back, I should have done that since I mangled the first block by cutting into it with an exacto knife before noticing it came away in small blocks). They charge around $50 to cut a block to any specifications you want (including the cost of the block - Amazon block price is around $30). That should be similar by battlefoam as well - that gives two good options for cutting the foam professionally.

It would be interesting to compare the two. Weirdly, the hard Pelican case likely weighs slightly less than the battlefoam but is a rigid composite material so the battlefoam case is likely more comfortable for transport (I compared the weight of both similar capacity units of each).

My replacement foam should arrive by the 9th, I'll have it done by the end of that week. Hopefully, this works for a long-term solution

Fred

Endgame wrote: My plan was to talk to Battlefoam at Gen Con, as They do custom foam cutting for their Miniature cases.

I wonder if something like this would work: rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F392192636291

Fred K wrote:

Endgame wrote: My plan was to talk to Battlefoam at Gen Con, as They do custom foam cutting for their Miniature cases. I don't have very many tokens to carry and was thinking of using their 432 case with some laser cut foam

That said, they can cut any size foam, and I've found laser cut to always give me more usable room than pluck foam. Perhaps you could order some specific laser cut foam for tokens?

Question - is it better to transport tokens on their side, or stacked flat?

Actually, I am finding that using the trays for transporting similar sized coins (American Eagles) and stacking them, then putting the trays into a space cut for the trays (just stacked up) is both the easiest and the most durable. I had thought about the battlefoam people too (I have some of their mini cases.) I can confirm they will do cuts matching for the tokens and I was about to do that until I had this idea. The only reason I didn't do the foam cut for each token is it eats up more space than trays. In something just bigger than a briefcase, I can now comfortably fit 200-220 tokens in trays plus 3-5 tubes of consumables (~20 each).

Pelican will also do the laser cuts for specific dimensions (looking back, I should have done that since I mangled the first block by cutting into it with an exacto knife before noticing it came away in small blocks). They charge around $50 to cut a block to any specifications you want (including the cost of the block - Amazon block price is around $30). That should be similar by battlefoam as well - that gives two good options for cutting the foam professionally.

It would be interesting to compare the two. Weirdly, the hard Pelican case likely weighs slightly less than the battlefoam but is a rigid composite material so the battlefoam case is likely more comfortable for transport (I compared the weight of both similar capacity units of each).

My replacement foam should arrive by the 9th, I'll have it done by the end of that week. Hopefully, this works for a long-term solution

Fred

We should meet at Gen Con and compare Battlefoam 432 vs your Pelican case - perhaps we can report back here with some side by side comparisons. PM Incoming!

I recently upgraded "upgraded" to a Craftsman 20 inch Verastack tool box , which I fill with Plano 3600 Stowaways .

Here are a few photos:




More photos here.

Milambus (Jake) wrote: I recently upgraded "upgraded" to a Craftsman 20 inch Verastack tool box , which I fill with Plano 3600 Stowaways .

Here are a few photos:




More photos here.

The challenge with those (or similar tool/tackleboxes) is carrying them around. At that weight, you will generally want wheels - then comes making it easy for flights. I like the inserts inside a bigger box - that definitely makes sense (I have those boxes at home for storing/organizing tokens long-term). A tool box with built in wheels that could be checked for flights could work. Do you run into problems with the weight of that much in a single container when travelling?

Fred

Fred K wrote: The challenge with those (or similar tool/tackleboxes) is carrying them around. At that weight, you will generally want wheels - then comes making it easy for flights. I like the inserts inside a bigger box - that definitely makes sense (I have those boxes at home for storing/organizing tokens long-term). A tool box with built in wheels that could be checked for flights could work. Do you run into problems with the weight of that much in a single container when travelling?

Fred

I live in Michigan, so I drive to Origins and GenCon.

The main reason I "upgraded" to this tool box was its larger wheels. Before this I was using a Zuca bag, which was nice, but the smaller wheels on that had trouble on rougher roads/sidwalks. The smaller wheels were even worse on carpeted floors.