Considering a Pelican cargo case...consider something else

[Flyper]

I thought I would share my experience with Pelican to let you know what kind of company they are. I purchased a case and mount for my Pioneer Platform when they first came out. I unfortunately gave an endorsement and posted a photo on this forum. The mount has been increasingly giving me trouble. The latches are a poor design, bending easily and requiring a safety wire or zip tie to keep them latched. A real safety issue. Recently at Overland Expo Mountain West I asked the Pelican people at the booth about them and was told they are "not good", "defective", "shouldn't be used" and that I needed to buy the newly redesigned mount. The original was $239 and a new one is $220. When I asked them or a replacement kit for at least a discount since they admitted the originals are defective and shouldn't be used they refused. So I emailed Pelican customer service and never got a response. I have owned many Pelican cases and they are consistently priced at a premium. With that premium pricing I would think I would get better customer service related to a product they admit is defective. So maybe look elsewhere when considering a cargo box for your rig. There are too many other high quality options and Pelican doesn't seem to give a s..t about their customers.

Sponsored

 

[Sydwaiz]

Has it been 3 years since you purchased it? It might still be under warranty.

 

[Flyper]

Has it been 3 years since you purchased it? It might still be under warranty.

I looked into this and I could only find the ability to submit a warranty claim for the case. I cannot find anything for the mounting kit.

 

[Sydwaiz]

I see you can request new latches through the warranty website but not sure if that's what you are looking for. I would try to call them directly. Many companies these days take forever to respond to warranty emails and I'm sure Pelican is no different considering how large they are. They are based near me in CA so I wouldn't be surprised if they are having trouble finding qualified help. I know I can't find qualified employees for my shop... The guys you talked to at the expo should have handled it better but I doubt they were equipped and probably nothing more than sales reps. Good luck.

 

[QwikKotaTx]

That is odd. Pelican is typically the gold standard for heavy duty camera and firearms cases.

 

[phageghost]

That is odd. Pelican is typically the gold standard for heavy duty camera and firearms cases.

Indeed. But the latches for their cases (not really relevant to the OP's complaint, which appears to be about the latches on the roof rack mount) do tend to come open easily during handling. Had a firearm case get partially unlatched in baggage handling -- luckily it was still padlocked. But if it had sat on a baggage cart in the rain for a while . . .

Anyway, the Storm cases (former competitor, now owned by Pelican) have a much better latch design requiring a button press to release. The Storm cases are injection molded, rather than roto-molded and are a bit thinner and lighter than the original Pelicans, but are still plenty stout and I prefer them these days simply for the robustness of their latch design.

 

[Buster1]

I love my Nanuk case.

 

[Flyper]

That is odd. Pelican is typically the gold standard for heavy duty camera and firearms cases.

I totally agree

 

[QwikKotaTx]

Indeed. But the latches for their cases (not really relevant to the OP's complaint, which appears to be about the latches on the roof rack mount) do tend to come open easily during handling. Had a firearm case get partially unlatched in baggage handling -- luckily it was still padlocked. But if it had sat on a baggage cart in the rain for a while . . .

Anyway, the Storm cases (former competitor, now owned by Pelican) have a much better latch design requiring a button press to release. The Storm cases are injection molded, rather than roto-molded and are a bit thinner and lighter than the original Pelicans, but are still plenty stout and I prefer them these days simply for the robustness of their latch design.

I will admit I don't have daily experience with the latches. That would be an important interface for some. Hopefully the body is still at least made in the USA.

 

[nismo1013]

OP- do you plan to buy the new mount? I assume you mean the RFMT2. Let us know if you do, and your initial thoughts on the new system. I have a couple of these sitting in a box in my garage… just waiting on a Maximus-3 roof rack.

 

[Flyper]

OP- do you plan to buy the new mount? I assume you mean the RFMT2. Let us know if you do, and your initial thoughts on the new system. I have a couple of these sitting in a box in my garage… just waiting on a Maximus-3 roof rack.

Sorry for the late reply. From what I saw at the Expo the new mounts appear to be a much better, more stout, design. I will probably have to buy one as I just don’t trust the old mount and my case is useless without one. It will be the last thing I purchase from Pelican however.

Sponsored