It seems most hunters go with the "Tuffpack" gun case.
For the last 6 years I have had a 2 rifle "Browning Travel Vault". Flown only in the USA. Taken it out west a couple of times and to Maine with a scoped Remington 700 and a Scoped Weatherby Mark V. Always arrived in great shape, no need for scope adjustments and always on the money.
Now a trip to Africa maybe a different story. If I ever get to Africa for a plains game hunt, I plan to take only the Mark V in this gun case. Is this gun case a good choice or not?
The only downside to this case is it is quite heavy. Would this come into play with your luggage weight allowance?
Thanks for any info.
Mauser K98

Before I bought a Tuffpak, I used a Travel Vault on two trips to Africa. They are a bit heavy, but they also seem to be well made and protected my rifles on both of those trips.

Regards,

Terry

Most hunters ON ACCURATERELOADING seem to use the Tuffpack.

In my three trips over I have yet to see a tuffpack being used.

I use a Travel Vault and am very pleased with it. While they may be heavier than some, on this last trip I noticed that the case with two scoped rifles, a spare scope, binoculars and the cleaning kit came in at 47 pounds.

No need to spend the money on a tuffpack if you have a Travel Vault.

The Travel Vault seems to be the Pelican large rifle case but labeled and marketed under the Browning logo. If it is indeed the Pelican case then you can rest as easily as anyone can with foreign baggage handlers. I've used Pelican cases on all my African trips and I have been well satisfied.

Great case and it is the one I used on my first safari. Mine was BEFORE wheels and was heavy as lead with a 470 double and a 300 Wby Sako inside.
Guns made it fine round trip TX to TZ and to TX but someone did manage to bust off one of the corner protectors. Still...worked fine. Has made other trips since 1992 with no problems but now retired due to weight and lack of wheels.
When you get tired of your Browning / Pelican I hope I can sell you a Tuffpak which is lighter in weight. just as strong and will carry a varity of gear with ease.

McCray,

You sure you are not confusing them with golfbags??? Only kidding.!!!

When I flew to Zim thru Atlanta bags went before me..My tufpak was stored with the golfbags....

Mike

Avoid the tuffpak. If you rifle has not been damaged in a tuffpak, it is only because the airline has not dropped your tuffpack hard enough yet.

www.starlightcases.com

Lighten up 500 grains. You have already let everyone here know your feelings about tuff pak about a hundred times now. If you don't like it --fine. For some reason I sense you have a grudge against Harry for some unknown reason in this matter. You are definitely among the minority when it comes to a tuff pak being the cause of damage to your equipment. Maybe it wasn't the case that was inferior? Could it be inadequate packing, not following the instructions for the case, etc.? It is evident that hundreds of users have gone with the tuff pak and suffered no incidents at all!!

Larry Sellers

Mike I love the golf club thing it saves much time on the return - no messing with customs re the rifles. Only two trips with the tuff pack but never ask about guns. You know you also have to wear the golf attaire also.

I have and use a Pelicase 1750. And will continue to do so as long as it's in one piece (forever?) or I decide to get a simular "Starlight" case to save some weight. I know that various military forces use the Peli and Starlight products, but I have yet to here of one that uses Tuffpack. So I'm sure your Browning Travel Vault (Pelicase) will do just fine when it comes to protecting your rifles. And if you want something lighter but just as tough, I'd go with Starlight.

Can you do this with a Tuffpack?


Ps. it's obvious that a lot of guys here like and recommend the Tuffpack out of courtesy to Harry (which is fine enough), but some also have the nasty habit of jumping on anyone who recommends something else. Which is pretty lame...

I use a Cabela's aluminum case made for two rifles. Mine has the option of thicker aluminum than standard. Two external rods with separate external locks keep it locked. A green case with two wheels fits relatively snugly over the whole thing.

In travelling to Alaska, the Rockies, and South Africa I have never had a problem with damage or shifting zero. With the two rifles I took to SA, admittedly not heavy rifles, it weighs just under 50 pounds.

Well, I did see one of the tuff pack style cases that Cabelas sells.

Personally, I would far rather check my guns through customs than be mistook for a golfer!

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
Lighten up 500 grains. You have already let everyone here know your feelings about tuff pak about a hundred times now. If you don't like it --fine. For some reason I sense you have a grudge against Harry for some unknown reason in this matter. You are definitely among the minority when it comes to a tuff pak being the cause of damage to your equipment. Maybe it wasn't the case that was inferior? Could it be inadequate packing, not following the instructions for the case, etc.? It is evident that hundreds of users have gone with the tuff pak and suffered no incidents at all!!

Larry Sellers

Chill out Larry. I have never met or spoken to Harry, nor did I buy my Tuffpak from him. It is true, however, that he has behaved like a belligerent ass toward people who suggested that Tuffpak change its lock system.

If other folks choose to risk their rifles inside a Tuffpak, more power to them. But it would be irresponsible to ignore both the lock problem and the rifle damage problem when someone asks about a rifle case and the name Tuffpak gets mentioned. So I will continue to do the socially responsible thing, even if some of Harry's friends do not like it.

Gentelmen...there are many good gun cases on the market today. I have stated more than once that fact. I have an old Cascade metal case that never failed me or the people that borrowed it over the years. No telling how many trips it made over the water.
I used a Browning / Pelican on my first safari with very good results...at the time they offered no wheels and it was heavy as a big rock. Somebody, somehow on the round trip to TZ did manage to break off the corner protective pad on one end but there was no damage to the 470 double of the Sako inside and the owner has used the case a number of times since.
I too owned a Starlight and it worked fine however my particular case did not line up quite right and you had to help it over to one side just a bit in order to get the top and bottom to line up as it should and in order to latch properly. As far as protection...worked like a charm. No damage to item placed inside.
I later sold it to a fellow who is still using it today with good results.
Now...as to a tank running over a Tuffpak...I don't know that it has ever been done so I don't know how it would do in such a test. I suspect that it might crush but then again I have no proof of that. Due to the way it is made and the material it is made from it would pop right out again if it was crushed.
Tuffpak strength comes from its beehive honeycomb shape and the type polymer used. It is the same thing the big dumpster lids are made out of. Nothing super exotic...just a crossed linked polymer. It is made in a roto mould and when the polymer runs down the side of the mould it slows up in the corner and therefore is 20% stronger in the corners. The b honeycomb shape is very strong for its weight...Bell Helicopter uses a fancy liner in this same shape to line the walls of their helicopters. Tuffpak gets strength without a lot of weight this way.
Tuffpak is a stong, lightweight case...a big empty hole and we don't care how you fill it.
If you fill it with guns or clothes or hides or ?...we don't care. We are just offering you something light in weight, very strong for its weight and with the ability to carry a good amount of what every you wish to carry in it.
The original case was and is made for the movie and TV industry to carry lighting equipment and camera tripods around the world. Bob Petersen of Petersen Publishing ask Nalpak (parent company) to put wheels on it as he was already using them as a gun case. Nalpak did and thus was born Tuffpak.
Now, thru the years Tuffpak has listened to you and made a more comfortable handle, locking lid, the Tuffsak duffle and soon we will have a newer wheel starting sometime in Jan. Nothing wrong with the old ones but Tuffpak feels they have found one even better.
As to the lock question..if Tuffpak can find a better lock then they will use it. The fact that TSA can't open this one with a hairpin is not our fault. Our aim is to secure your goods from folk that want to take it at no charge.
And yes, you can secure your case IF somehow the lock is broken, cut out (as one AR member did some time back)...while it might not be pretty it will work...you just chain the top to the bottom via the molded in handle...not pretty but it works.
This is not an issue Tuffpak is ignoring but so far...they have not found a better mousetrap.
And yes 500 Grains...I am sure that all are aware of your feelings about Tuffpak however in reading your own post I feel it leaves room for doubt about what the cause of failure really was...one gun ok and one gun not ok.. but I am quite sure no one will change your mind so...blame it on Bush!
Let me state this now in plain English. There are many great gun cases on the market today. If one of them works for you use it. All Tuffpak is trying to offer you is a strong, lightweight case that will hold "goods" and allow you to haul those "goods" in an easy, secure manner. If you choose to use our non descript looking case to transport your firearms then with a little bit of forethougth you should be able to get them from A to B safely as many of you here (including me) do.
Thanks for your business. It is appreciated.
Better tomorrows.

I have used Tuff Paks on 6 african safaris, three hunts in Alaska and many fishing trips etc. In fact, I very often use the smaller TuffPak for domestic business travel because I can fit architectural plans in it.

Here is my total travel system as it was returning from Botswana recently. Each Tuffpak weighed approximately 45 lbs. I needed no other luggage.



I have never had anything damaged inside one and frankly have found them quite useful for carrying home all kinds of objects such as Brown bear skulls, Massai spears, Tinga Tinga art etc.

Even though I continue to use Tuffpaks I would switch in a minute if I could find something better.

I agree with other posters that they are heavy, awkward, need a way to be locked with padlocks in addition to-or instead of the tube lock and need some method of end padding more reliable than the old advice of sticking your boots or shirts down there.

I also think they need better wheels and pulling handles.

500 Grains experience is of some major concern to me and I hope Tuffpak does not stick its head in the sand but starts to address some of the issues that have resulted with the use of its product and baggage inspection/weight restrictions that have evolved recently.

You can always depend on 500 grains.

1. He doesn't have opionions - he makes judgements.

2. He's never had a doubt, made a mistake or been wrong in his life.

3. He's more relentless than a Jack Russell Terrier.

4. Agree with him or else.

AR would be useless without His Holiness 500 grains.

Palmer.
Thanks for the comments and the photo.
As best I can tell from your photo you don't have the newer rubber cushion handle on your long case. That is a $10 fix and you can find them on my web site www.huntersheadquarters.net or from Tuffpak.
As to wheels...as I said in the post above yours...new ones are coming.
Heavy I don't understand. The standard case only weighs 20 pounds in the cardbox box I ship them UPS in. The bigger Gun /Bow case only weighs 25 pounds in box. In weighing all the other cases we come in light or no more than.
Nobody is ignoring the lock issue...nobody has made one better that we are aware of. When we find a better one...it will be used. I don't make this case, I just sell them and I too am an end user. My case is off next to Argentina for a week of bird shooting.
Padding on our part takes ups room you need. If we are going to use padding then we might as well become a "me too" case something on the order of Pelican or Starlight using their shape instead or ours.
Evidently you have figured the proper way to pad your cases as they seem to be working for you. I guess the question is..what are you using or how do you pad your cases so that the rest of us can decide if your way is better than ours?
Thank you for your comments.

quote:

Originally posted by DB Bill:
You can always depend on 500 grains.

1. He doesn't have opionions - he makes judgements.

2. He's never had a doubt, made a mistake or been wrong in his life.

3. He's more relentless than a Jack Russell Terrier.

4. Agree with him or else.

AR would be useless without His Holiness 500 grains.

So you don't have any help to offer the gentleman that started this thread, yet you dump on 500 grains for having a strong opinion about a product based on his own experiance? That seems really brilliant.

quote:

Evidently you have figured the proper way to pad your cases as they seem to be working for you. I guess the question is..what are you using or how do you pad your cases so that the rest of us can decide if your way is better than ours?
Thank you for your comments.

Mims,
Hope you have a good trip to Argentina. Thanks again for sending my latest Tuffpak so quickly. I will order one of the new handles.

I doubt that I pad much differently than others.

First, I place 2" thick foam rubber over 1" thick styrofoam in each end of the Tuffpak. In my experience, Tuffpak could install this foam without limiting the ability to put in a rifle.

If I take a double rifle, it has always been disassembled and in a soft takedown case. It is therefore considerably shorter than the long Tuffpak thus there are more clothes under and over it than a standard length rifle. I do not know if this system is more protective than an assembled double rifle.

My bolt rifles go in Koplin Rhino rib cases with the bolts removed and attached to the trigger guard inside a Crown Royal whiskey sack (empty). There is usually not enough room to put clothes under the bottom end of a bolt rifle.

There is however usually room to stuff a rain jacket over the top where its handy when I leave the airport. Other than that I just stuff some clothes alongside and between the rifles - not too tight.

In the small Tuffpak I place all the cameras, sat phone, bullets,backup scope, rangefinder and other "hard" equipment into two padded pistol boxes separated by more clothes and the toiletries. Its great that this small Tuffpack will hold a pistol box where the long one is too narrow.

Glad to hear they are fixing the wheels. The old ones work ok on pavement but you cannot run them over gravel or sand without them clogging up between the wheel and wheelwell. Then you end up carrying rather than pulling the case. As long as you are in the city the old wheels work. They do not work when you are dragging from the Main airport to the charter company hanger. They do not work when you are in a safari camp. Thats when the Tuffpak is awkward and heavy - not the empty tube but the filled up package. To me the handle is not in a balanced position on the long Tuffpak.

Hope they find a way to use padlocks on these cases.

Palmer
Your 2 tuffpak idea had given me an idea.
Since it looks like carrying on cameras extra rifle scopes any electronic gear might be a thing of the past.... I just may get a short tuffpak, put one gun it [so by the rules it can be locked and you are the only one with a key] and put the expensive stuff I normally carry on in a more secure container than the normal duffle bag.

Harry- Please consider the locking system. Unfortunately, the world we live in today requires that TSA, their Euro counterparts, Canadian security, etc. have "in", should they so desire. The TSA padlocks you can get are pretty stout. I hardly think a "hairpin" will pick one of the larger combo padlocks. It would be a natural evolution for the product and satisfy a bunch of potential customers, me included. Using a Pelican now because of the locking issue.

Packed and ready to go: TuffPack, TuffSack, Saddlebags and SCI blue bag.

SBT do you check the saddlebags or use them as carry ons?

I take them off the TuffPack and check them as the length is longer than carry on standards.

Carried 3 rifles and some other soft stuff in my tuffpac to Namibia this year. No damage and all guns were on. My first trip, I even loaned it to my partners son to put some scuba gear in last week to take to mexico. I think its a good case and the wheels made it easy.

Crane...what you need to understand is that I am not the manuf. of this case...just the largest dealer of them.
All comments have been passed on to the manuf. in the past and again from this thread. I reckon when Nalpak finds something they think better they will incorporate it and especially if it does not require a new mould.
Your concerns are noted and appreciated.

Reminder: If your rifle has not been damaged in a tuffpak, it is only because the airline has not dropped your tuffpack hard enough yet.

Horseshit!
There is a strong possibility that maybe the rib on your double were not soldered correctly to start with.
Anyone reading your post sees that there is room for doubt where the fault lies regarding the damage to your double.
The maker of your double uses Tuffpak himself as I sold it to him in Reno several years ago.
Don't you feel like someone peeing into the wind?
The posted reports by other owners here must be going to real cream puff places and personally hand carrying their Tuffpak to the baggage compartment.
Why was there no damage to your other rifle in that case?

My brothers both used tuffpacks and I used a starlight on our recent safari. Both worked great! I got through SAPS quicker, because I didn't have to repack my case after taking out the guns for inspection. I travel pretty light, so didn't need the extra packing space provided by the tuffpack. My brother, "Mr. Cabela" definitely needed the packing space. It was a real advantage for him.

bighuff32,
Where did the quote at the bottom of your post come from?

I bought my first Tuff-Pak earlier this year to use on a bear hunt. I had no problems going through TSA in St.Louis or Newark, they were very helpful and even commented on thinking I had golf clubs in it.
Harry I wish they would bring the tuff-saddle back. If you come across one please let me know.
Lastly have had no problem with the lock issue, however for those that think it is. Seems it would be a easy fix. I looked at mine and if I were going to change it. I would drill out the rivets hold the main tube catch and replace it with a flat piece of stainless steel with a twist and long enough to extend through the Tuff-Pak cap. Where the barrel lock is remove it and replace it with a square piece of SS with slot cut to match width of flat stock on main tube, on both sides and then rivet into place. Where the piece of flat SS sticks through drill a hole for the padlock to go through. Job done.

To answer your questions, neither of our cases were weight issues. I went with what I had to save money. I didn't see the point in buying another case. At Johannesberg we used carts to put the luggage on, so the wheels were optional as well.

attributed to George Orwell, but apparently there is some question whether he actually said that.

quote:

Originally posted by Harry:
Horseshit!
There is a strong possibility that maybe the rib on your double were not soldered correctly to start with.
Anyone reading your post sees that there is room for doubt where the fault lies regarding the damage to your double.
The maker of your double uses Tuffpak himself as I sold it to him in Reno several years ago.
Don't you feel like someone peeing into the wind?
The posted reports by other owners here must be going to real cream puff places and personally hand carrying their Tuffpak to the baggage compartment.
Why was there no damage to your other rifle in that case?

Harry, if your Tuffpak case held the guns securely rather than letting them slide back and forth like it does, there would be no damage at all. But no matter how much foam and clothes I stuff in, the guns can still slide around so it was only a matter of time until the airlines dropped the case hard enough to cause damage. Perhaps some people will choose to ignore this danger. But now that one of my rifles has been damaged in a Tuffpak, I can ignore the problem no longer.

And one of these days there will be a security scare and TSA will cut the locks out of every TP that they see.

By the way, are you claiming that a certain manufacturer of doubles endorses Tuffpaks? That is not what he told me.

K98,
If your case works for you then it is a good case. When I first traveled to Zim I went through the same questions. You are OK with the weight allowance with the pelican.

I decided on a SKB travel case for $45 my first trip. It seemed to be like the tuff-pak everyone liked for a lot less. We took two of them and loaded them up. Our guns did fine, but the latches on the travel case are pot metal and one could pop them open, even with the lock in place with a pen, let alone a file or screwdriver. I didn't like to open it to get the guns at the airport as then you had to "repack" it. Of course you have to pack your rifles in these cases. You have to stuff clothes and other things around to cushion the gun which has to be in a heavy-padded soft case.It did make me a bit nervous. It did work, but it doesn't work for me.

Hence on the following trip to Zim, I bought a pelican rifle case. I read about how it protected the gun and I learned I didn't need to pack so much stuff after my first trip. I left lots of clothes, boots and gear with my PH the first trip. Anyway, this case didn't work for me. It was too heavy and when you tried to close it you had to play with the hinges to get it closed because the case is capable of "twisting" for lack of a better term, but the most aggravating thing for me was that the case wouldn't stand up. It had wheels and if you tried to stand it up, it wouldn't and it would hit the deck and slide across the floor. No fun in an airport when you got your hands full. Maybe I am being unfair, because I gave the case away and never traveled with it.

The night before I left for Zim that time I went out and bought a Kalispel alum case. It is lightweight, has a spring loaded handle and stands up. It has withstood the travels around the world and this is what works for ME.

In conclusion, get what works for you. If the pelican works for you, your guns will be in good hands as they seem to protect well. No need to spend more money. For what it is worth, I see more alum rifle cases in my travels then non-alum. I leave for Zim in a few weeks and I looked at my case a couple of days ago to make sure all was good to go. It is beat up and ready to go.

Good luck, PG

Tuffpaks are absolute crap. Deal with someone that does not speak english and have them unpack it, you'll be in for a great time and miss any flights yopu want to get on. Plus let that rifle slap back and forth in it and you are asking for problems. 500 is so right! Pelican, Starlight, and Hargigg are the best, they have served me well for many, many trips abroad

Aleko

ErikD,

Very interesting picture, but one that could be perhaps a bit misleading?

The reason i say that is because I know that certain tracked armoured vehicles can have very low ground pressure..The British CVR (T) family for instance has less of a foot print than a typical infantry soldier which is why they are very good over soft ground...

Thats not a reflection on the quality of the Pelican case though..

I bought a similar case (A Storm IIRC) and the thing arrived broken when it was delivered by the courier people!

No idea what they did to it but it had a couple of large cracks near the hinges and the whole case was distorted to the point it wouldn't case properly...The company I bought it from replaced it ASAP and the second case was fine and survived a trip to RSA and back.

I do wonder what goes on behind the scenes though to damage gun cases and how much of that damage is deliberate?

Regards,

Pete

500 Grains
I was startled to learn that my Tuff Pak will destroy my guns. I have chained it in the garage. It seemed so benign.



Gun cases in Joberg

Seriously Having traveled with both there advantages to both. We took six rifles to Africa with no problems two Tuff Paks and one Starlight. Weight is more of a problem than it use to be. Both cases have a good track record. Nothing is idiot proof
Doyle

The key to disrupting the inegrity of any container is to stress it on one of the corners when the other side isn't supported in some way.

For a rectangular case if you drop it so it lands almost vertically but on one of the corners rather than flat on the end the case will compress and tend to want to open along the long side opposite the hinge ---- this is what happens when your firearm arrives with the barrel sticking out the end. I saw an Americase, which is probably one of the strongest cases around fail when it was dropped on the ramp at the Cordova, Alaska airport. It fell from the level of the passenger compartment and hit the ramp as I described. The case bounced about 2 feet in the air after impact --- sprung open (defeating the combination lock and two snap locks) and at it bounced and opened, the rifle inside came free and rose at least 7 or 8 feet in the air. When it came to earth the stock broke at the pistol grip and the scope was knocked off the rifle.

I admit that some cases are better than others but any case can be defeated.

DB- I always thought the guys at Cordova were so careful!