Saturday, December 17, 2011

Review - Battlefoam P.A.C.K. 720

For a couple of years I've been thinking about getting a Battlefoam bag for traveling with my Fantasy armies. I have the Sabol Motor Pool and Division but the first is limited in size and the second of these is always a lottery re air luggage regs. At various times I've checked out the range but haven't bit the bullet because I couldn't settle on size or new products were on the horizon.

A couple of months ago my Skaven buddy Locky picked up one of the new AIR pack bags and had it delivered to my place. When he picked it up I had a good look at it and was extremely impressed with the quality. However I decided it wasn't for me based on a few requirements I have.

With my Skaven I already have my troops on movement trays - who wants to rank up 250 models every time you take them out of the case. This means that I would like the trays to sit upright in the case even though I use rare earth magnets. Unfortunately the AIR would have them sitting at 90 degrees

The second requirement is easy and full access. My preference is for a case that zips right down so you can slide trays out rather than have to lift them out.

The final requirement was that I have no problem getting the case on planes. The general aviation rules are that you can have a combined 46" in Width + Height + Depth. The AIR is right up at that limit.

So based on seeing Locky's case and my own requirements I ordered a P.A.C.K. 720.

I ordered the case with Pluck Foam Load Out with four trays. The load out comes with a series of 1" and 2" trays but these weren't really what I wanted. Battlefoam were really open to swapping out the trays for ones I wanted. In the end this meant I had four trays - 1x 2.5", 2x 3" and 1x 3.5" - making up my 12" capacity.

Hopefully from the bottom picture you can see that the zip is in the bottom left. You can unzip up and right around to the bottom right which allows the access you can see in the second picture.

From my point of view this is excellent access. I can get in easily and slide the trays out without having to reach down the side and lift them. For Fantasy armies that are ranked up in movement trays this is a godsend.

The quality of the product is excellent as can be seen in the final picture.

The handle is a very heavy duty rubber while the material is a thick synthetic that looks like it will be resistant to wear and tear. The other big advantage is that the sides are fitted with a hard plastic shell that provides further protection and ensures the case keeps its shape.

I am very impressed with the case and believe that it is the best on the market for transporting Fantasy army. It's not cheap ($290 NZD) but that is partly due to the high postage charges from the US. That said, Battlefoam do use a reputable carrier, the delivery service is quick (7 business days in busiest time of year) and is tracked so you can check its progress.

Jack took advantage of their Black Friday sale and ordered the same pack with custom cut foam package for his Dark Eldar. And I was so impressed with the quality that I ordered the Ogre Kingdom trays for my case.

So a big 5/5 to Battlefoam for the 720. It is the dog's bollocks for transporting Fantasy armies by air.

7 comments:

  1. Hi. Could you give a bit more information about the new "AIR pack bag" that you mentioned? I Googled it but couldn't immediately see anything relevant to miniature transport!
    Thanks!

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  2. Here you go:

    http://us.battlefoam.com/categories/Battle-Foam-P.A.C.K.-System-Bags/P.A.C.K.-Air/

    Like Dad said, the main disadvantage for me was that when you are transporting the case using the wheels or handles, the models are not lying flat in the case, but instead are sitting at 90 degrees.

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  3. I just found this post, and I hope that it is still monitored. Does your 720 fit on airplanes? I assume so, seeing as it is one of your requirements, but I'm just checking.

    I'm going on a trip soon and I have a 720, so I was interested in your experience.

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    Replies
    1. I have had no problems flying either internationally or domestically.

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    2. Hello,

      In regards to flying with it, are you carrying it on, or checking it in?
      If the latter, how well has it maintained? both the bag and the minis.

      Thanks

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    3. Carry on. I would never check if in

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  4. I just got one of these cases and love it. I have yet to travel on an airplane with it and I am glad to hear of your success traveling with it. Thanks for sharing!

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