Camera Case with Plastic Sandwich

You could also lose a gram or two by removing the "features" stickers ;-)

I think it's brilliant. I'll be making one myself. Thanks for the idea.
Kelly

Two pieces of plastic (one over front, one over back) held by shock cord and throw in any stuff sack. I'm from Louisiana. Kidding. Sam Haraldson wrote an article on a diy camera case I think.

Yes, you're referring to Haraldson's infamous bubble-wrap-and-duct-tape pattern. Pretty clever. More overall protection (bubble wrap across the entire camera), and less specific or pointed edge protection (more easily deformed/penetrated), than my fleece-and-plastic design. In fact, Haraldson omits even a layer of duct tape over the lens in photos of his case, and it seemed to work just fine for him.

If I were going to drop my camera on hard ground in its case, I might prefer Haraldson's design–I think the bubble wrap would provide a little more overall protection. If the case is to protect against other (specifically hard or pointed) objects in a pack or bag, I'd go with my fleece design for the additional penetration protection. Once the camera leaves the case, neither provides any protection!

I'd have guessed mine would be more durable, but…Haraldsen reports his case lasted for 1200 miles on the PNT in his front pocket! Elsewhere he reports durability at three years! So apparently not delicate at all!

It would be possible, of course, to easily add a layer of protective hard plastic to the outside of Haraldson's design. Or a layer of bubble wrap or reflectix encapsulated into mine.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/bubble_wrap_duct_tape_camera_case.html#.UxOO5ChqIbA

A green-and-black sunglasses case of similar "sandwich" construction appears…

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…protected frontside only.

Awesome, another camera case design, thanks for sharing! This one is far prettier than mine that's for sure. It has an ere or respectability to it seeing as how it's constructed of fabric and not garbage too.

In case anyone's interested, the one that I built in order to photograph and highlight for that article is still going strong!

That's amazing it's still in service. Viva bubble wrap!

And yes, mine's built of garbage, too. Milk carton + remainders of fleece from the fabric store.

Go, garbage!! Woo hoo!!

"If I were going to drop my camera on hard ground in its case"

Before you go down this road, I recommend that you consider the height of the drop to the ground. Obviously the weight of the camera and the height of the drop will dictate how protective and how durable the case needs to be. For years we have used the standard 3-foot drop test onto a hard surface. With some of my cameras, I wouldn't allow a 1-foot drop.

However, the main cushioning materials are bubble wrap and thin foam, and the main shell material is the plastic of a milk jug. Polyester fabric makes a good fabric cover. The heavier and more expensive the camera is, the better you have to make the case.

Another factor. If the camera gets dropped, and if the shock causes the camera to fail, then it needs to be visible that it failed (like showing a dent). Then you can chuck it and get another one. If the shock causes the camera to fail and you can't see the hidden problem, then you will be carrying a hunk of junk around with you. You won't get any usable images out of it, and then you will kick yourself.

–B.G.–

I tried this a couple years ago. Bubble wrap using packing tape to seal the seams. A flap with Velcro.

It worked well on two trips, until I confirmed what I already knew, that a phone and/or GPS are intrusion on my wilderness experience :)

Nowadays, when I carry a camera, I just keep it the pocket of my shorts or pants. If there is a threat of sand, I put it in a ziplock.

Gear-from-Garbage. I can get behind this ethos. I didn't build any of my camera cases to save them from a drop but rather to protect the screen from scratches mostly. I am fortunate to not be plagued with too bad a case of the "dropsies" so my stuff only needs minor protection.