By Terry Houin
How do you fit 10 pounds of shit in a 5-pound sock? That’s an age old question but one I needed to figure out for what was essentially a 16-day safari with the Outrider Adventure back-to-back hunts at Crusader Safari. I have a tendency to overpack. I want to make sure I have extra gear, as there’s always some piece of kit that someone forgot, or there’s something new at Field Ethos that we need to get into the field for some testing and feedback.
With these thoughts in mind, I gave the boys at Condition 1 a call for their thoughts on how to tackle all the gear from guns to gifts that needed to go in a secure case. The answer was pretty straight forward; get a bigger case to neanderthal. So thats how I ended up with the #2106 55-inch gun case for my international adventure.
Condition 1 Case #2106 Details
The 55-inch #2106 gun case is nominally heavier than the #818, 21.6 pounds to 21.5 pounds before foam is added, which is kind of remarkable. It adds around 1,500 cubic inches of internal storage with just 2 inches of additional depth. All this space had me throwing in way more gear than I needed, and before long my gun case was tipping the scales well above the 50-pound limit the airlines deem as acceptable without getting charged extra.
After pulling all my crap out, I let my mild case of OCD take over, and I started some arts and crafts cutting out the foam to fit all my toys. The bottom layer held the Browning X-Bolt, spotting scope, Rugged Alaskan 360Ti suppressor, all my Spartan Precision accessories, plus a cutout for my tool kit, chronograph and ear protection. The second layer has a nice cutout to fit my Eberlestock Recon bino harness loaded up with the Revic Acura BLR10b, along with miscellaneous items like my med kit, several knives, and some other random small pieces.
With the Condition 1 case repacked and looking sexy as hell with my professionally executed cutouts, she tipped the scales right at the 50-pound limit. Although I might have used my toes to help tip the scale in my favor just in case. Off to the airport for the long trip ahead to South Africa and back with stops in ATL, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, a couple hours bouncing around the back of a Land Cruiser, and upon opening it up in my room I was pleasantly surprised to find everything accounted for and in its place.
Built for Adventure
For anyone else that has drug a gun case from airport to hotel, to airport, to hotel, to trucks, you understand the importance of a quality case with a comfortable handle, and big rolling wheels. The #2106 checks all these blocks. I’ll say, knock on wood, I’ve been fortunate in all my travels from my previous life of adventure to my current role at Field Ethos. I’ve only broken a few gun cases, and its never a good thing, especially the wheels. Its not pleasant to carry a heavy case, and everyone looks at you like you have a dick growing out of your forehead when you’re dragging a screeching gun case through a civilized airport.
Cost – $359.99.
Pros – the Condition 1 #2106 case is rugged and reliable, the handles are comfortable for when you have to carry the case around camp, and there’s more than enough room for your ten pounds of shit.
Cons – you draw a lot of attention when rolling this sweet case around ,as it’s clear you’re up to some epic adventure.
