Otter Box 6510 Case
www.OtterBox.com
Price: $81.95

The Otter Box 6510 is a Waterproof, Crushproof, Weatherproof case that can totally seal to protect your valuable items. The Otter Box cases come in many sizes to suit your different needs, the 6510 dimensions are:

Internal: inches L 12.00 - W 9.00 - D 6.00
mm (L 304.80 - W 228.60 - D 152.40)

External: inches L 12.75 - W 11.00 - D 6.75
mm (L 323.85 - W 279.40 - D 171.45)

The case is a nice size and is easy to carry with you. It also offers plenty of internal space to carry your items. Also it comes in three colors, yellow, orange, and black. In my testing, I had the black case setup with:

• Canon Digital Rebel (w/18-55 Lens attached)
• Ipod Photo 30gb (w/Bud Headphones)
• Dell X50v PDA
• iTrek Bluetooth GPS
• Extra Battery for Digital Rebel
• Extra Battery for X50v
• 2 CF Cards

There was even still a bit of space toward the front corner that could have been setup to carry a few more things.

To carry all these things securely, the 6510 comes with Pick and Pluck foam. The foam is already in the case and is in two chunks, each stacked on top of each other. On the bottom there is also a thin foam layer and on the top lid there is foam that is bumped in and out to hold things securely. The Pick and Pluck foam is all precut so that you can easily pull chunks out to mold around your items. One thing that can be annoying is that you have to take out the whole chunk height wise on each block (you cannot go half way, etc.), but you can go halfway height in the case as there are two separate chunks of the foam. I made this diagram to help explain the situation:

The Top half shows what it looks like looking down onto the case (the black lines being where it is precut). The bottom half shows an Elevation (Side) view showing the two chunks on top of each other (separated by the bold lines) and the side view of the precut lines (thin lines). Do note that the squares are all the same size, they just look a bit different in the diagram because I made it by hand.

Overall this setup works very nicely, the foam comes out pretty easily, yet stays intact if you do not want it to come out. The foam is also of high quality and is durable, and does not fall apart into little pieces like some cheaper foams can. The precuts are perforated so you get a perfect edge, and it can be done by hand (no knives or tools needed). I found that I was able to make a very good fit for all the different items I put in the case.

The outside of the case is all made of durable plastic. Note that this plastic is very very tough and not a normal plastic. It is very impact resistant, and holds up well to abuse. There are two clamp type locks on the front of the case that pull up and then unhook to open the case. They are easy to open and close, plus they make for a tight seal when closing the case. On either side of the case (next to the clamps) there are also two holes that can be used to put a lock on the case. There also is a handle that folds flat next to the case. The hinge on the case goes across the whole back and is a piano type hinge. It is metal with plastic on the outside of it.

Another feature worth mentioning on the case is the purge valve. This is a simple big screw that goes in the front. You can unscrew the purge valve first to release pressure if you have a change in altitude. I used the case on a plane, and I did notice this came in handy to equalize the pressure inside and outside the case to make opening easier. The screw is all metal threaded, but the front (part you see outside) is the same plastic as the case and has a rubber gasket. It is a very durable design that does what it is intended to.

Overall I was very impressed with this case. It was amazingly easy to carry and worked great as carry on luggage on the airplane. Holding all my electronics securely, I did not have to worry about anything happening to them. Really there are no flaws with the case. Everything worked perfectly and was of great quality. This is no leather bag as far as being something to take to the office, but for out in the field it is a true performer. If you need good protection, you need look no farther!

Thanks to OtterBox for the Review Sample!