Protective Cases
One of the hardest parts of shopping for a protective case for a radio is determining if a device truly fits into the box you have in mind. The sides of most protective cases slope inward, and the corners are usually rounded, so unless the manufacturer is extremely specific in their technical specs, it can be a challenge to know if a candidate box will suit your needs.
To solve this problem for myself, I took my QRP radios with me on a field trip to the boating section of my local Bass Pro Shops to see what really, truly does fit. While I was there, I took some pictures of what I found.
Please note that I only have these three portable radio devices to test with - a Penntek TR-35 tranceiver, a QRPLabs QCX mini transceiver, and an Emtech ZM-2 tuner. If you have information or photos to add regarding different models of cases, or of different models of radios, please let me know at "k i 4 m c w at gmail dot com" - thanks!
Bass Pro Shops model 10263 Survivor Dry Box
Basic o-ring, no padding
TR35: Fits with room to spare
QCX mini: Fits with room to spare
ZM2: Fits with room to spare
Bass Pro Shops model 10804 Dry Box
Soft rubber liner/gasket, clear lid, similar to Pelican 1050 but smaller
TR35: Nope
QCX mini: Fits nicely
ZM2: Nope
Pelican G40 Large Personal Utility Case
Soft rubber liner/gasket with additional o-ring
TR35: Nope
QCX mini: Fits with some extra room
ZM2: Nope
Pelican 1050 Electronics Case
Soft rubber liner/gasket, clear lid; similar to Bass Pro Shops 10804 but larger
TR35: Fits nicely
QCX mini: Fits with some room
ZM2: Fits nicely
Pelican 1200 Watertight Protector Case
O-ring seal, customizable foam inserts, heavy-duty construction
TR35: Fits with plenty of room remaining
QCX mini: Fits with plenty of room remaining
ZM2: Fits with plenty of room remaining
Plano Waterproof Cases models 144930, 144960
Single claw-style latch, o-ring, soft rubber liner, short lanyard
TR35: Nope
QCX mini: Fits nicely
ZM2: Nope
Plano model 145040 Waterproof Case
Similar to Plano 1449x0 but larger; single claw-style latch, o-ring seal, soft rubber liner, short lanyard
TR35: Fits with some room to spare
QCX mini: Fits with room to spare
ZM2: Fits with some room to spare
Plano Waterproof Marine Stowaways, models PLAS4401, PLAS7411
Similar to models 1449x0 and 145040 above, but without the rubber liner; o-ring seal, triple claw-style latches, model PLAS7411 has customizable dividers
Model PLAS4401:
TR35: Nope
QCX mini: Fits with some room to spare
ZM2: Nope
Model PLAS 7411:
TR35: Fits with plenty of room to spare
QCX mini: Fits with plenty of room to spare
ZM2: Fits with plenty of room to spare
Plano Waterproof Electronics Cases, models 146070, 147060, 147080
Much larger than most of the other cases listed here, similar to Pelican 1200 but lighter in construction; multiple layers of customizable foam inserts, triple claw-style latches
TR35: Fits with room to spare
QCX mini: Fits with plenty of room to spare
ZM2: Fits with room to spare
SpaceMaker pencil box
Lightweight, available anywhere
TR35: Fits with some room to spare
QCX mini: Fits with room to spare
ZM2: Nope
