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Dry box size for Dslr.

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Jan 31, 2013
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Middle of the Florida paddling paradise
Found a broken Nikon D3100 that was able to get for a song. Glued the mirror back in. Seems to be working just fine. Just because I afford to lose this camera dose not mean I want to take too many chances with it. Would like to be able to bring along in the canoe. Looking a dry boxes and trying to figure out how small I can go with the dry box.

Also any other tips for bringing a long a DSLR is welcome. Will still mainly use the $5.00 garage sale point and shoot. Just getting frustrated at not being able to get some very good pictures as they deserve with the point and shoot.
 
Measure your camera length and with and add the lens in. I cant answer your question; no one can without knowing the length of the lens on it. Or if you are carrying more than one lens
I have a Canon 70 D. I need a huge box if I want to bring wide angle and telephoto and filters and mid range zoom and my night sky fast wide angle. If its just the camera and the lens I can
http://www.pelican.com/us/en/products-type/hard-cases-backpacks/camera-case/

If I just have the camera and a wide angle lens the 1400 works. Add a 24-105 which is long and I need at least a 1450
 
Camera case alternatives

If you can’t bear to spend $150 on a camera case there are a couple of alternatives.

I have a small Pelican box that I picked up for $20 at a military surplus store (Coleman’s Military Surplus).

https://colemans.com/shop/containers...l-utility-box/

It is a Pelican case labeled for “An/PAQ-4C, light, aiming, infrared”. Coleman’s also had military Pelican cases twice that size for $40.

For a long time I carried my old Nikon in a DIY case. I took a Sealline Baja 10 dry bag, stuck a circle of minicel foam inside and inserted a stovepipe of foam to cushion the sides. Actually I used a couple of minicel circles on the bottom and kept film and other lenses between the minicel layers.

With an 11 inch tall foam stovepipe the dry bag rolled shut perfectly and it was easy enough to get the camera in and out. It worked fine for splash, rain and bilgewater, and I figured that if I pinned it submerged for a long period of time I had bigger problems than a wet camera.

EDIT: Coleman’s Military Surplus

https://colemans.com/

26 scenic miles north of Blue Mountain Outfitters. By far the best selection of military surplus I have seen.
 
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If you are starting with almost free to you camera you just don't know where that will lead. Its probably best to put off making a serious cash plop on a case till you know how many lenses you will have

If you just have one you can find a camera case at Goodwill and buy a little 2 liter roll top nylon dry bag. Camera in dry bag. dry bag in case. That is what I do with my bridge camera that does not have interchangeable lenses. Less fiddly than a Pelican and the wildlife is not scared off by the sound of the latches snapping..

Thanks for the link to Coleman's Mike except in my search for large utility box , XXl body bag came up

Wag Bags case of 100 $100. Good price but a quantity.. Usually run $3 a bag
 
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Kim, next time you are planning a BMO stop check out Coleman’s. That place is huge and carries an awesome selection of military surplus from around the world. It is the best military surplus store I’ve ever seen.

100 wag bags eh? I might have to split a case with a friend.
 
I find that I don't bother with my Pelican cases anymore, too loud, too bulky and they are never handy in the boat...plus they end up being too large or too small depending on what E products I am bringing that trip. I am another guy who swears by a dry bag and in this case, I put 1-2 of these little padded boxes inside the dry bag. Here or at other dealers.
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/2-new-us-military-electronics-cases-foliage?a=947362

I also have done some extra padding out in those boxes and in general w old blue foam pads.
 
The good thing about Pelican cases and some at Colemans is that they do float. I just water tested mine last week... On purpose.... not
 
I use a blaze orange plastic sportsman's dry box that I have lined with foam for cushioning. The sportsman's dry box looks like a plastic 50 caliber ammo can. They are relatively cheap and readily available in the US.
 
I use Pelican cases and yes they can be pricey, but when I bought my Nikon D3100 package a couple years ago it was all the money I had in my savings so the Pelican was the best choice to safeguard something I really cannot afford to replace. My original case was too small so I asked around before getting a bigger case (1450), which is awesome and has plenty of spare room for future lenses when I can afford them, but is a hassle in the boat as I almost need to get out to get it open. It sits under the bow seat so I slide it forward and open when needed. Last year I acquired a mid size case (1300) which fits the pieces I have plus the GPS and P&S but it is all jumbled together since I had to remove most of the pick and pluck to fit all the bits. I'm eyeing the in between size now. My issue is the cases which are large enough dimensionaly are also too skinny and the ones deep enough are dimensionaly too small. All my cases are bright yellow so there is no way I will forget them on a portage.

The 1450 will be used when solo since I have more room to work with. I have also not really noticed a noise issue from the latches if I open the case on the bottom of the boat as the sound is trapped inside the boat.

I spent as much on editing software (Lightroom 5) as I did on the Pelican, and again, it was money well invested.

Karin
 
The problem with birds is they are really sensitive to shot like sounds as well as movement ( to a lesser degree). Most Florida wildlife is avian from what I see. I have not yet found a bear there!

I wind up with my camera laying on the open case most of the time. I tried wearing a chest belt but it interfered with paddling. Sometimes I just sling the camera around my neck, wear it on my back and try not to choke myself.
 
No one has mentioned it so far but what about a small Watershed dry bag, the ones with the super heavy duty rubber ziploc seal? They make a liner for the small one but you can make one from closed cell foam if you would rather save some money. The seal is a little awkward to open but becomes easier with practice and it is silent.
 
Lot of interesting suggestions. Have to agree that dry box latches are noisy. The small box that is used for my point and shoot has scared wild life opening.

I can’t imagine anything noisier than the old military surplus ammo box. That was the first container I used for my old Nikon and it was louder than dropping a paddle in a Grumman.

I eventually found the perfect home storage use for it. It is now filled with ammo.
 
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