Pelican Air 1745 Long Case

The Air 1745 is Pelican's answer to the weight complaint that drives buyers toward cheaper cases. The HPX2 resin shell sheds roughly 40 percent of the weight of a comparable standard polymer Pelican while keeping the crushproof, dustproof, watertight build and the automatic pressure-equalization valve. At 21 lb packed it is still no featherweight, but it is the lightest wheeled long case in Pelican's lineup and noticeably easier to wrangle through an airport than a V730 or 1700.

The 44-inch interior swallows a full-length AR or precision rifle with optic mounted, and the two layers of Pick-N-Pluck foam let you cube out a custom fit without buying aftermarket foam. Stainless hardware, an O-ring seal, and Pelican's lifetime guarantee back the case for the long haul. The tradeoff versus the budget field is price: this is a $420 case, and you are paying for the seal, the wheels, and the warranty.