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General
Description - Both Pelican Inc.
as well as Otter Inc. are known for
manufacturing injection molded cases for the protection
of delicate and fragile equipment. These cases are
made in a wide variety of sizes and colors. The principal
function of products from both companies is the same.
While noting technical differences between the two,
we shall offer them up as nearly equal products -
leaving eventual selection decisions up to the end
user or emergency manager. Basically these are highly
engineered versions of 'Tupperware' containers - a
familiar sight in the modern household. They comprise
of a base or bottom half that is hinged to a lid or
top half- with a water and debris seal running along
the contact perimeter lip. A locking apparatus keeps
both halves securely together and a lanyard-attached
to a strap loop- affords a means of loss prevention.
Though these boxes are available in a wide range of
colors, we've taken the initiative of suggesting that
the clear lid versions with brightly colored bottoms,
offer the most practical solution in terms of content
identification- coupled with ease of findability.
Suggested
Use - In support of of the concept of a layered
emergency provisioning strategy, the Hard Boxes may
either be used as containers for complete Go-Kits
or alternatively, they may host just one or more delicate
electronics, medicines or incendiary materials.
In the case of dedicated applications, the
user would simply select a case of the appropriate
size to house important emergency electronics, for
example. Mobile communications devices such as mobile
phones, transceivers or text messengers are obvious
possibilities.
In the case of more generalized contents, they could
contain entire kits that may be comprised of a mix
of electronics,papers, ID's, food, batteries, incendiaries
and medicines.
Form Factor & Build -
Sizes- Various- from 4"X5"X1.5"
upwards
Geometry-Rectilinear boxes with rounded corners. Hinges
and clasps are located on the long edges
Material- Polycarbonate & ABS - Stainless Steel
hinge pins
Affordances- Snap close latches and
1.5"-2" lanyard/strap slots. Braided nylon
wrist lanyards included.
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Manufacturers:
Pelican Cases: http://www.pelican.com
OtterBoxes: http://www.otterbox.com
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ABOVE: Generalized application
of Hard Box Kits
1) Pelican 1040[Less than 24hrs] 2) Pelican 1050 [Up
to 24hrs]3) OtterBox 3000 [Up to 24hrs]
4) OtterBox 3000 [Up to
24hrs]
ABOVE: Exposed contents of general
Hard Box Kits
1B) Pelican 1040 2B) Pelican 1050 3B) OtterBox 3000
4B) OtterBox 3000
Note: Slight variations in contents ( See Section:
Emergency Preparedness Provisions 24/48/72)
ABOVE: Close up of packed Pelican
Micro Case 1040
ABOVE: Exposed contents of Pelican
Micro Case 1040
ABOVE: Left, packed OtterBox 1000
| Right, Opened OtterBox 1000 showing mobile phone
contents
ABOVE: Left, packed OtterBox 1000
| Right, Opened OtterBox 1000 showing Sangean radio
contents
ABOVE: Left, packed OtterBox Zippo
Lighter Case| Right, Opened OtterBox 1000 showing
Zippo Lighter
Note: High density foam inserts
for shock absorption and motion control
ABOVE: Outside bottom of OtterBox
Zippo Lighter Case: Note: DOT-E standards conformity
notice
Evaluation Results & Summaries
Human
Factors & Usability (Ease of Use)-Excellent.
Both
Pelican and Otter products are intuitive to use. The
stronger snap closure of the OtterBoxes makes them
the preferred choice for minimization of accidental
opening, though they are about twice as hard to open
as the Pelican Micro Cases. Since all these cases
are inflexible, they only hold a finite volume of
contents. Keeping stray objects out of the seal perimeter
is critical for an effective seal. OtterBoxes allow
for the removal of the optional liners, since they
are gusseted seals. Pelican Micro Cases must have
the liners in place in order to maintain a waterproof
seal. Both manufacturers include medium duty braided
nylon wrist lanyards/ Pelican includes a sliding wrist
locking collar to further enhance loss prevention
.OtterBoxes also have a lanyard that occupies a dedicated
lanyard hole, freeing up the strap slot entirely.
In addition, the OtterBoxes have a simple 1/8"
diameter 'lock hole' that allows for small locks,
and nylon zipties to secure the connection between
the lid and the bottom half.
Styling and Aesthetics -Excellent.
When we compared these boxes to lesser quality alternatives
and then took aesthetics into consideration, we gave
them both high marks for styling. Soft corner radii
reduced the 'boxiness' and added to visual as well
as tactile comfort. Raised surface ridges not only
increase rigidity and strength, but they also add
to the rugged industrial look of these containers.
Environmental Stress- Very
Good . Under normal everyday conditions,
the boxes withstand all manner of abuse. They are
quite dunkable, with the Pelican being effectively
submersion proof to a depth of 3'and the OtterBox
up to XX'. We drove a Mid-size sedan over them ( fully
loaded ) and they didn't break or come open. We dropped
them from 6' onto a smooth flat concrete surface and
only managed to mar the surfaces. They are not impervious
to all shock as some did fracture when a 100lb load
of bricks was dropped onto each case. The Pelican
Micro Cases are not flame retardant or flame proof.
OtterBoxes were not tested for flame retardency.Both
cases will easily withstand temperatures of up to
350ºf without deforming. They fare very well in freezing
conditions (unless filled with water). They are chemical
resistant to: Gasoline, Diesel fuel, Alcohol, Mineral
Spirits,Concentrated chlorine, Dilute Hydrochloric
and Sulphuric acids. They were not tested for efficacy
against all chemicals and no claim is made for any
chemical resistance whatsoever.
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Task performance optimization-Excellent.Both
the Pelican Micro and OtterBoxes fulfill the requirements
of what a rugged medium duty environmentally sealed
container should be. As mentioned previously, OtterBoxes
are superior in the quality of their seal,latch strength
and lock-ability.Both brands of products
will keep delicate electronics or other delicate contents
dry, sealed to environmental chemicals and debris.
They are both crush and impact resistant. We
evaluated the boxes from both makers that have clear
lids and opaque colored bottoms. The clear lids made
content identification/verification easy- without
necessitating the opening of the boxes. The brightly
colored bottoms made findability very easy from a
distance, in dim lighting as well as in situations
where spotting time was minimum. We
were most impressed with the fluorescent yellow OtterBox
bases- as they were the most visible in twilight and
dusk and fluoresced under UV illumination as well.
The Other primary colors such as Blue, Orange and
Red would be excellent for specific contexts such
as : RED - Firefighters, BLUE- Snow related activities,
ORANGE-Marine activities. Tactical, Military or Police
customers might prefer to select cases with black
bases or that are completely an opaque black color.
For General consumer applications, we highly recommend
the OtterBoxes in Clear lids with Fluorescent Yellow
Bottoms. While the bright colors aid in dim light
findability, they are not findable in total darkness.
The addition of a tiny, externally mounted or tethered
tritium based or LED based marker would aid in findability
in total darkness.
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Accommodation for emergency provisions
Excellent
In the context of an overall Go-Bag and Go-Kit
strategy, the Hard Boxes are available in enough sizes
and proportions to suite most needs. We liked the
OtterBox 1000 for it's ability to house the tiniest
Multi-Band Radio, a flip phone or Zippo cigarette
lighter.The longer and flat profile of the OtterBox
3000 carries a more diverse mix of items. Similarly,
the Pelican 1020, 1040 and 1050 also allow for larger
and a mixed inventory of items to be contained and
transported safely. The only negative issue worthy
of comment is the fact that since both companies more
or less split the volume of their small cases equally
between the lid and the bottom, during hurried deployment
loose objects inside the lid, either slipped out of
the box or they made re-sealing an exercise in concentration.
We therefore recommend that small loose objects either
be confined to the bottom half or alternatively they
may be placed in small ziplock type bags to keep them
from falling out easily.
Note: try to avoid overloading Hard Boxes with items
that are neither fragile, humidly/water adverse or
so delicate that they need to be in a Hard
Box in the first place. See the section on
Soft Bag Kits for alternative containment.
For content selection of Hard Boxes,
we offer our observations and recommendations based
on our trials in the section:
Emergency Preparedness Provisions 24/48/72
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Design, Fabrication/ Construction
quality Excellent
Both Pelican and Otter products are the best in this
class of products. We do give the OtterBoxes higher
marks for raising the bar on feature and design excellence,
though both companies acheive a comparable standard
of fabrication quality.
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Items of Note:
Excellent Customer Relationship Management
| Strong consumer following | Lifetime Guarantee |
OtterBox... Superior clasp strength, lockability and
seal design | Pelican... built-in pressure release
'purge' valve
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