By Terry Houin
It seems I fit the profile of a vagabond, a wandering free spirit living the adventure life with no real home. Although I do have a home and a job, I am on the road for this vagabond life with my firearms and other sensitive equipment most of the year. Living this way requires a case that can keep up and right now that’s the Magpul DAKA series. In the DAKA there are hard cases, soft cases, and a host of smaller organizational pieces to keep everything protected and in its place.
For my recent adventure to Australia with Outrider Adventures chasing everything from water buffalo to banteng to camels in the desert, I needed a travel system to cover all the bases. First off, running around airports claiming your gun and then rechecking it for international flights is a real pain in the ass. This and the knowledge my guns and gear would be subjected to some harsh environments in the back of the Land Cruiser weighed heavily on my mind, as I needed a secure system that was versatile enough to cover the bases.
The Travel Setup
I started with the Magpul DAKA C35 hard case. This is the smallest of the hard-sided, lockable, wheeled cases and I could just barely squeeze in my Henry CRUSR rifle. The C35 comes with the DAKA Grid organizer, which is a super-sweet system to lock in your toys and keep them from bouncing around. I opted to leave this out on the Australia trip to give me room to fit my DAKA soft case, Leupold BX6 bino, Fix-It sticks traveling tool kit, and a few more things.
Inside the C35 I went with the DAKA SC35 soft case. This serves two purposes: it protects my rifle from the airlines while in transit, and it protects it while chasing buffalo in the hunting vehicles. Once I get to camp, I simply pull out the soft case and my rifle is ready to go. The SC35 also has some convenient internal pockets for extra batteries, tool kit, knives, ammo, etc. Combine that versatility with a weatherproof shell and you have one of the best options for an adventure travel soft gun case.
Some of the other DAKA organizers I brought along for this adventure include the large magnetic Field Tray. The tray folds flat and takes up zero space in my C35 hard case. Quickly snap the corners together and it turns into a convenient place to dump my phone, camera, knife, and ammo at the end of the day. I also have a variety of the waterproof DAKA pouches, one for cash and passport, another for my firearms paperwork, keeping all my BS together and easy to access when dealing with Customs at the airport. And last but not least for this trip and just about every trip I have, a Magpul DAKA Utility pouch for my hard drives, electronics, keys, and all the other little stuff that you can’t afford to lose.
Uncle T’s Takeaway
A good, reliable, lockable hard case for travel is an essential piece of equipment for everyone. At a minimum, one full-size case like the DAKA LR53, which can fit almost any firearm, should be mandatory for every sporting adult. Or if you’re like me you have a few options that fit the needs of the adventure. Throw in a good soft case and you have the tools to cover most scenarios.
