What Are Pelican Cases Made of?

Pelican cases are built tough and are exceptionally durable. They are shock-resistant, dustproof, watertight cases protecting valuable gear nestled securely inside and able to take on hard knocks and all kinds of weather. But what are Pelican cases made of exactly?

That answer is a little complicated, especially since Pelican offers five case series, each made of a different construction and molded, durable plastic-like material. But don’t worry — we’re going to break down the precise material specifications that each Pelican series is made of, as well as discuss their beneficial features. Let’s get started.

Pelican Series Materials and Their Benefits

In this list, we break down each case series and discuss a little about the materials used to create the hard exterior shell to create its unmatched durability. From the Protector Case series to the Vault by Pelican series to even our coolers and cargo cases, each Pelican case offers its unique construction, along with other weather-resistant and anti-corrosive latches, hasps, hinges and more.

The Protector Case Series

The Pelican Protector Case series is made with our proprietary polypropylene formula. And inside that case material is a somewhat hollow interior, featuring a honeycomb structure built into the resin during the manufacturing process. This honeycomb open-cell structure offers a lot of advantages to the case and in protecting whatever you secure inside, too.

The honeycomb structure offers increased strength and rigidity, which makes the Protector Case series able to take on anything. In addition, the open cells combat heat and help maintain a reasonably safe temperature inside. In addition, the Protector series offers easy-open double throw latches with over-molded rubber handles and stainless steel hardware.

The Storm Case Series

The Pelican Storm Case series also features our proprietary polypropylene formula called the HPX. This HPX material is the same as that used in the Protector Case series, offering the same crushproof solid wall design with an open honeycomb cell core, making it lightweight. One key difference that the Storm Case series has over the Protector series is Press and Pull latches, which lock automatically and open effortlessly with a light touch.

The Air Case Series

These Pelican cases are not called the Air Case series for nothing. Instead of the HPX polypropylene formula that was used to construct the Protector and Storm Case series, the Air Case series is made with Pelican’s next generation of resin: the lighter proprietary polypropylene formula we refer to as HPX2. This lightweight version was created to be up to 40 percent lighter than the average hard carrying case, which is why they’re perfect for air travel. With the same honeycomb structure as the Protector series, Pelican Air Cases rebound with breaking and are stronger than your basic solid polymer material. It’s also IP67 rated, making it submersible for 20 minutes in one meter of water.

The Vault Case Series

The Pelican Vault Case series was designed to secure firearms, ammo, bows and an array of other sensitive equipment. And with that, you need a durable, shock-resistant material to absorb any impacts it might encounter. So with this in mind, the Vault series is constructed with an HDPE formula of crushproof, high-impact polymers. An important thing to note: HDPE is not to be confused with LDPE, which is a lower-density plastic that’s not nearly as rugged. The Vault series offers stainless steel hasps to boot.

Elite Coolers and Cargo Cases

Up until now, we’ve covered our three primary materials: HPX, HPX2 and HDPE construction. However, there’s also one more Pelican case material that is worth mentioning since it offers a slightly altered design. Using the same polypropylene formula, our Pelican Elite Coolers and vehicle-mountable Cargo Case series are manufactured with a different roto-molded process.

Furthermore, this durable roto-molded polypropylene material has been enhanced with UV stabilizers. This means that your colorful Pelican Elite cooler and cargo case can spend its entire life in the sun without fading, chalking or cracking. In short, the UV stabilizers offer the ultimate sun resistance at the pool, the beach or on the roof rack of your vehicle.

Pelican Cases — Built with Only the Toughest Materials

When choosing a Pelican case, there are a lot of features to consider. And what you choose may even come down to what you need to pack in the case and how you intend to use it. While some people might need water-resistant protection, others might prefer something more transportable and lightweight.

If you’re looking for a durable gun case, our Protector, Storm, Air and Vault Case series all offer their own unique features suitable for sportsmen, hunters, law enforcement and more.

Micro cases are also waterproof and watertight, offered in both IP67 and IP68 ratings. They also offer an abrasion and impact-proof outer shell made of ABS resin and feature rubber bumpers around the corners and edges.

Need a laptop hard case to transport notebooks and electronic devices? Make sure it can stand up to the TSA’s roughness with a Protector or Storm Case series.

The great news is that Pelican cases often offer several combined features and, above all, a tough-as-nails and practically indestructible case. That’s why our cases uphold their reputation as being built Pelican tough.