Rifle case for Africa

[Ontario Hunter]

Here's how I got 3 pieces of luggage and a backpack through by myself. Wheels are great. The orange strap just came off the bag at the counter and was rolled up and put into my carry on.

Btw the rifle case is an SKB that functions just like a Tuffpak. It is a little larger but worked great.

View attachment 529331

So the green case is strapped to the extended handle for brown luggage? How many guns fit in that SKB case? Interesting concept making it bevel topped. That's why "steamer trunks" had humped lids. Made it very difficult for baggage handlers to stack anything on top and wreck the trunk.

 

[rookhawk]

Roller blade wheels? Hmm. Ever seen a person on roller blades? A thousand bucks, eh. Maybe I'll have to put up with my Vault and wrestling those damn airport trolleys. $1K is five boxes of ammo for 404 Jeff.

Have plenty of pelican vaults. $200 cases. The americase is certainly >5x better and more durable. All depends on the contents and how much someone values their hunt with their rifle versus bumming a loaner.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

My Springfield means the world to me but it's not worth $1k. Traveling with expensive luggage usually means something valuable is inside ... means more likely to get stolen. Few people would guess my old 1999 Jimmy with a different colored hood (thanks to a mule deer buck outside Harlem, MT) is being driven by a guy worth millions. It gets me there and back without worrying about anybody breaking into it at the motel or robbing me at a stoplight. My $200 Vault came through the last trip to Africa without a scratch. Looks like new in fact.

 

[CJW]

So the green case is strapped to the extended handle for brown luggage? How many guns fit in that SKB case? Interesting concept making it bevel topped. That's why "steamer trunks" had humped lids. Made it very difficult for baggage handlers to stack anything on top and wreck the trunk.

Yes. I tightened the strap enough to make it very snug when clipped around the carry on and handle. It was actually very secure for its intended purpose.

The case should fit 3 scoped rifles though I haven't had a reason to do that yet.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Roller blade wheels? Hmm. Ever seen an overweight person on roller blades? A thousand bucks, eh. Maybe I'll have to put up with my Vault and wrestling those damn airport trolleys. $1K is five boxes of ammo for 404 Jeff.

There, I fixed it.

 

[BeeMaa]

Damn that's a lot of luggage. How long were you going on safari? Did you really need everything you packed or were there some things you could have easily left behind?

Carrying all this through the airport would not be my idea of a way to start (or end) a vacation. You do as you wish, but I much prefer to travel light.

 

[CJW]

Damn that's a lot of luggage. How long were you going on safari? Did you really need everything you packed or were there some things you could have easily left behind?

Carrying all this through the airport would not be my idea of a way to start (or end) a vacation. You do as you wish, but I much prefer to travel light.

10 days. One third of the carry on was a camera case. I made sure I had all my toiletries, some extra clothes and meds in it just in case my main bag didn't show up.

If you notice, the brown bag isn't much bigger than my carry on.

Also, if your shuttle driver is competent you don't usually have to deal with luggage for too long. In departing the US I wheeled it all for about 5 minutes. Returning, out and up the block a ways to wait for the shuttle back to the hotel and my truck. Really not that big of a deal.

 

[rookhawk]

Guys, there is another case you all should consider for Africa, especially our friend @CJW that doesn't exactly pack light.

There is a chinese knock-off company that makes fake fatigues, duffles, rucksacks, and other not-quite military spec gear. The company name is Rothco.

They make these fake military duffles. They are complete rubbish. They make one that is so huge it would literally hold many of the people reading this post. They break, sure, but they cost $27 on amazon.

What I do with them: I fill them to the friggin brim with everything but the kitchen sink. Just keep stuffing anything in its box, gifts, excess clothes, whatever isn't likely to take damage. I bring that huge sack to Africa and by the time it gets there, its 50/50 that it doesn't have broken hardware on it, but who cares because I zip tie them closed so they always make the trip. Once in Africa, I usually leave my torn/soiled clothes and anything else in them and the PH keeps it in his garage for me to use next time I come into the country. In addition, I always bring a brand new one folded up in its factory plastic which takes up the same space as a brand new dress shirt. I bring that spare with in case I go curio shopping in Africa and want to bring a metric crap-ton of stuff home with me. I once brought a set of reproduction tusks and their stands home in one of these, wrapped in 10lbs of bubble wrap, customs didn't even stop to check them out. But they are great for one-way use of a hodge-podge of boxes, gifts, and weird stuff.

I got the idea from @Tokoloshe Safaris who used to bring typical things like chainsaws to Africa with him. This is the perfect unstructured bag that you inflate as big as you need for the goods in hand.

 

[Happy Myles]

I have annually been traveling around the world for many decades and I am now 84. A short trip is usually 3 weeks. During these adventures i have experimented with different solutions. For my purposes i limit things as much as possible. I feel wheels on a high quality gun case are standard and I limit myself two rifles. I have used different case brands. Early Pelican cases protected firearms great but the plastic latches broke easily. I discussed this with the company and recent photos indicate latch design has been changed. I prefer two gun Americase as anything larger is cumbersome and more subject to damage, keep in mind if a flight is baggage overloaded it is quicker to lighted weight by leaving heaviest bags for next flight. I have never had a firearm stolen on rare occasions they did not make a flight and showed up late or i got them at home. You can always borrow a rifle. I do not take sticks, am a confident marksman and practice a lot so use what the PH has at hand. I take one large canvas duffle bag trimmed in leather it has one hard side and wheels, repeat and wheels. Have worn out a couple of them. it is only half full even with a Pelican locked ammo case inside. my carry on is a soft daypack Containing set of hunting clothes,camera, binos, paperwork. Never put binos, or camera in checked bag they are far more apt to be stolen than a firearm.
Do not forget a backpacker role of Duct tape and a Leatherman type utility tool. The pliers are more important than the blade.
i should note I use duffle bags rather than hard case because some small charter flights prefer duffle bags Also, duffle bags pack better on horses, mules and yaks. Also my motto is: when in doubt, leave it out. Works for me and Kindest Regards

 

[rookhawk]

Pay attention, friends. Some real pearls of wisdom in this post from someone who obviously has been there, done that.

FYI, I think @Happy Myles was describing his rolling mega duffle might have been the Orvis Magnum Rolling Duffle. They didn't sell well after the baggage size/weight restrictions kicked in with the airlines and as a consequence, Orvis liquidated a ton of them. I see them at their outlet centers and also on eBay for cheap-cheap. (MSRP was like $500, they go like $99 bucks barely used, they hold a LOT of stuff)

I have annually been traveling around the world for many decades and I am now 84. A short trip is usually 3 weeks. During these adventures i have experimented with different solutions. For my purposes i limit things as much as possible. I feel wheels on a high quality gun case are standard and I limit myself two rifles. I have used different case brands. Early Pelican cases protected firearms great but the plastic latches broke easily. I discussed this with the company and recent photos indicate latch design has been changed. I prefer two gun Americase as anything larger is cumbersome and more subject to damage, keep in mind if a flight is baggage overloaded it is quicker to lighted weight by leaving heaviest bags for next flight. I have never had a firearm stolen on rare occasions they did not make a flight and showed up late or i got them at home. You can always borrow a rifle. I do not take sticks, am a confident marksman and practice a lot so use what the PH has at hand. I take one large canvas duffle bag trimmed in leather it has one hard side and wheels, repeat and wheels. Have worn out a couple of them. it is only half full even with a Pelican locked ammo case inside. my carry on is a soft daypack Containing set of hunting clothes,camera, binos, paperwork. Never put binos, or camera in checked bag they are far more apt to be stolen than a firearm.
Do not forget a backpacker role of Duct tape and a Leatherman type utility tool. The pliers are more important than the blade.
i should note I use duffle bags rather than hard case because some small charter flights prefer duffle bags Also, duffle bags pack better on horses, mules and yaks. Also my motto is: when in doubt, leave it out. Works for me and Kindest Regards

 

[Happy Myles]

One more thought. Often fancy luggage tags are easy to grab on rifle cases instead of case handle and are torn off The heavy cumbersome case. I have required tag information printed on the case.

 

[Happy Myles]

rookhawk, thank you. Orvis, Hulme. And one other, the name escapes me.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have annually been traveling around the world for many decades and I am now 84. A short trip is usually 3 weeks. During these adventures i have experimented with different solutions. For my purposes i limit things as much as possible. I feel wheels on a high quality gun case are standard and I limit myself two rifles. I have used different case brands. Early Pelican cases protected firearms great but the plastic latches broke easily. I discussed this with the company and recent photos indicate latch design has been changed. I prefer two gun Americase as anything larger is cumbersome and more subject to damage, keep in mind if a flight is baggage overloaded it is quicker to lighted weight by leaving heaviest bags for next flight. I have never had a firearm stolen on rare occasions they did not make a flight and showed up late or i got them at home. You can always borrow a rifle. I do not take sticks, am a confident marksman and practice a lot so use what the PH has at hand. I take one large canvas duffle bag trimmed in leather it has one hard side and wheels, repeat and wheels. Have worn out a couple of them. it is only half full even with a Pelican locked ammo case inside. my carry on is a soft daypack Containing set of hunting clothes,camera, binos, paperwork. Never put binos, or camera in checked bag they are far more apt to be stolen than a firearm.
Do not forget a backpacker role of Duct tape and a Leatherman type utility tool. The pliers are more important than the blade.
i should note I use duffle bags rather than hard case because some small charter flights prefer duffle bags Also, duffle bags pack better on horses, mules and yaks. Also my motto is: when in doubt, leave it out. Works for me and Kindest Regards

Great stuff there. I forgot to mention duct tape. They do sell rolls that are half width and they take up less space. My little bitty Gerber multitool goes in the outside pocket of my checked bag soft luggage. Cannot go carryon. At Joberg, airport security took the tiny scissors in the mustache grooming kit my dear departed wife once put in my Christmas stocking. Not sure I could have threatened an angleworm with them. Also in that outside pocket are several medium plastic ties. Soft duffle bags I have found hold up MUCH better than hard luggage.

Pelican now reinforces the lock loops with thick stainless plates. They claim it's almost impossible to rip them off. I always put padlocks on the case upside down so it's easy to see where the key slot is located when I have to open up for police/security. Otherwise I'm fumbling trying to unlock four locks Helen Keller style. The el cheapo ammo box I bought from the "Freight" tool warehouse concerns me a bit. The lock could probably be knocked off it fairly easily so I use the duct tape in the checked bag to secure it to side of the case. That way it's not flopping around getting caught on stuff. I do like that $5 ammo case because it's the smallest one I've found. I'm only bringing 30 rounds. Don't need the bulky military style. I seem to recall I stuff the ammo case with extra underwear and socks to keep ammo from knocking about. Perhaps a few strategically placed skid marks might expedite future inspections? Hmmm. Note to self ...

 

[Ontario Hunter]

One more thought. Often fancy luggage tags are easy to grab on rifle cases instead of case handle and are torn off The heavy cumbersome case. I have required tag information printed on the case.

I had my particulars engraved on a fancy fake gold name plate at local trophy shop then mounted it with brass machine screws and nuts to center of my gun case's lid. Dressed up that cheap, albeit indestructible, Pelican case almost enough to satisfy safari dude fashion code. Wish I could figure out a way to do something similar for affixing tag to my soft checked bag. Embroidery shop? Edit: The case travels with four locks same key. Other three locks are now inside ammo case.

 

[Happy Myles]

Ontario, does the Gerber have pliers?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Besides the gun case, this is the extent of my baggage for nine days hunting. The computer bag and daypack are carryon. The red check bag has shoulder pack straps that zip inside the back.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Ontario, does the Gerber have pliers?

Yes. Easy to use ... if you're an elf. I can probably make do if I had to. Fortunately, not needed yet. Those usually are tucked into the zippered breast pocket of my upland vest in case a dog has a porcupine event. Very unlikely as they usually encounter a dozen or more every year without incident. But ya never know ...

 

[CJW]

Guys, there is another case you all should consider for Africa, especially our friend @CJW that doesn't exactly pack light.

There is a chinese knock-off company that makes fake fatigues, duffles, rucksacks, and other not-quite military spec gear. The company name is Rothco.

They make these fake military duffles. They are complete rubbish. They make one that is so huge it would literally hold many of the people reading this post. They break, sure, but they cost $27 on amazon.

What I do with them: I fill them to the friggin brim with everything but the kitchen sink. Just keep stuffing anything in its box, gifts, excess clothes, whatever isn't likely to take damage. I bring that huge sack to Africa and by the time it gets there, its 50/50 that it doesn't have broken hardware on it, but who cares because I zip tie them closed so they always make the trip. Once in Africa, I usually leave my torn/soiled clothes and anything else in them and the PH keeps it in his garage for me to use next time I come into the country. In addition, I always bring a brand new one folded up in its factory plastic which takes up the same space as a brand new dress shirt. I bring that spare with in case I go curio shopping in Africa and want to bring a metric crap-ton of stuff home with me. I once brought a set of reproduction tusks and their stands home in one of these, wrapped in 10lbs of bubble wrap, customs didn't even stop to check them out. But they are great for one-way use of a hodge-podge of boxes, gifts, and weird stuff.

I got the idea from @Tokoloshe Safaris who used to bring typical things like chainsaws to Africa with him. This is the perfect unstructured bag that you inflate as big as you need for the goods in hand.

I once did 3 days in Florida out of only that backpack. Don't tell me I can't pack light. ; )

 

[VertigoBE]

One more thought. Often fancy luggage tags are easy to grab on rifle cases instead of case handle and are torn off The heavy cumbersome case. I have required tag information printed on the case.

I did something similar with my Americase. Had an aluminium plate engraved with my name, address and cell phone number, glued and riveted to the case.

Same for my pelican ammo case.

I just wish I had put my email address on the plaque as well.

 

[sureshot375]

Although I have multiple suitable cases, I’m in the market for something new. I’m taking only one gun this year, a double rifle, and I want the most compact takedown case I can find.

Lugging too much stuff around gets old quick for me these days. I’m really trying to streamline my packing this year.