For more than 50 years, we’ve been designing and creating quality custom hard plastic carrying cases and shipping cases. Our cases can be used to protect delicate equipment, used as OEM packaging or even used to hold samples or sales kits.
Over the years, we’ve built cases for clients in a wide range of industries. We can build hard plastic carrying cases or durable plastic shipping cases for electronic equipment, diagnostic equipment, aerospace and military equipment, lighting equipment and anything else you need to protect from the rigors of transport.
Each Bel-Air case is vacuum-formed, and we were the first company to create cases using this process. Vacuum-forming allows us to create cases in just about any size, and add whatever custom features you might need, such as wheels and telescoping handles, molded in logos, locks and much more.
Sometimes we think back to the late 1960s, when we first got started in the case business. We wonder what happened to some of our cases, and perhaps it went something like this . . .
It was a warm summer day, way back in 1967. Somewhere in the warehouse, the haunting melody of a Procol Harum tune whispered through the air. Clad in now-vintage Levi’s and a gray t-shirt, a worker hands off one of the first Bel-Air hard plastic carrying cases to its owner.
It’s first stop? A trendy camera shop on Los Angeles’ Beverly Boulevard some 45 miles away. The case’s owner chats with a youthful salesman named Marvin and purchases enough film to last him several weeks. The film is packed carefully in a handsome hunter green Coleman cooler that rests on the floor of the passenger seat of a 1965 Ford Bronco.
From there the case travels onward to Santa Monica Boulevard and heads to the sea, turning south at Pacific Coast Highway until it reaches a tiny battered cottage in the seaside village of Venice Beach.
Its owner grabs the cooler and the case and heads inside. His other suitcases are ready to go, but the kitchen table is covered with camera equipment. A tripod, a Nikon F, an assortment of lenses, a light meter. The case is opened and the camera and lenses are tucked into durable, custom-made foam cavities each one a perfect fit.
In the following weeks, the case is taken on a journey north along the California coast, taking in the sites of Big Sur, Monterey and San Francisco. Its owner heads east and snaps some photos of Lake Tahoe, then heads south and spends a day or two snapping pictures of tourists on Las Vegas’s Fremont Street.
All along the way, his trusty hard plastic carrying case keeps his camera equipment safe and secure. Throughout the years, the case would see the Basilica di San Lorenzo in Florence, the shores of Waikiki Beach, the Eiffel Tower and enjoy a relaxing trek down the Nile, secure in a comfortable state room as its owner headed out to snap pictures of great antiquities.
Eventually, after many years of travel, the case would be found in an attic in Yorba Linda, covered with dust, yet still protecting the now-antique Nikon F and its components from dirt, moisture and the occasionally jostling when its owner struggled through the attic in search of Christmas lights.
The case might be dusted off, and taken downstairs to be shown to a grandchild with a fondness for vintage camera equipment. Perhaps, it will enjoy a second life with this grandchild or perhaps it will find its way to some other camera enthusiast. We don’t really know its fate, but we do know that it was built to last. While it has a few scratches and dents, it never wavered in its ability to protect what was inside.
Of course, we don’t really know what happened to these cases, but we do know that we built them to last a lifetime. Your hard plastic carrying case or shipping case is crafted from durable, impact-resistant high-density polyethylene with sturdy aluminum valances.
Which Case Should You Choose?
For lightweight items that won’t be transported frequently as luggage or freight, we recommend a light-duty or medium-duty hard plastic carrying case. These cases are perfect for items such as sales kits, sample kits or lightweight equipment that you plan to transport mainly by car.
If you do want a hard plastic carrying case that can handle frequent transport, either as luggage or freight, our heavy-duty plastic carrying cases are ideal. These cases are constructed from the same materials and components that we use for our heavy-duty shipping cases, but they are formed on our tooling for carrying cases.
This makes them a bit easier to maneuver in tight quarters than a shipping case. These cases are still quite lightweight, but we can, of course, add wheels and a telescoping handle to make it as easy as possible for you to weave through a crowded airport terminal or through a crowded city street or wherever you may be headed.
If you do have delicate or expensive items that need frequent shipment, you also might consider our heavy-duty shipping cases. These cases are built to ATA standards and can handle hundreds of trips without damaging your precious items.
While we can’t promise that your case might not suffer from a ding or two and perhaps some scratches (the transportation industry is tough on cases), we can assure you that whatever is inside the case will be well protected.
All of our cases, either a hard plastic carry case or a shipping case, can include a custom foam interior. We never just hand over a case with a chunk of diced foam. We create fully custom interiors. It might be as simple as a basic foam liner or it might contain panels and doors, shock mounts and many custom cavities to hold whatever will be placed inside.
If you need a hard plastic carrying case or 1,000 cases or something in between, give us a call at any time or click on the Contact Us tab and fill out our quick contact form. We can build a case for just about anything and look forward to working on your unique project.