Knowledge Base

When it comes to transporting high-value, sensitive equipment, not all shipping solutions are created equal. Different industries have unique needs that require specialized protection during transit, and that’s where Bel-Air custom transport cases come into play.

Whether safeguarding advanced medical devices, protecting delicate photography gear, or ensuring military-grade equipment remains mission-ready, the right custom transport case can make all the difference. Let’s look at some of the diverse industries that rely on our heavy-duty, tailor-made custom plastic case solutions to keep their equipment safe and secure—no matter the journey ahead.

1. Military Cases

The military and defense sector often operates in harsh and unpredictable environments, making heavy-duty transport cases essential for carrying weapons, communication systems, and tactical gear. These shipping cases are built to military specifications (MIL-SPEC) to endure shock, vibration, moisture, and extreme temperatures.

With customizable options like reinforced corners, specialized locking mechanisms, and stackability, these cases ensure that critical equipment can be quickly deployed and safely transported under combat conditions. Whether you need to safeguard communication systems, weapons or other types of equipment, a Bel-Air military case can be custom-built to meet most MIL specs.

2. Aviation & Aerospace Cases

In the aerospace and aviation industry, the safe handling of sensitive instruments, avionics, and testing equipment is crucial. A made-to-order Bel-Air flight case is designed to withstand the extreme conditions often associated with this field, such as rapid temperature fluctuations, high altitudes, and rough handling during transport.

Our custom foam inserts and shock-resistant designs ensure that items like flight instruments, electronics, and even aircraft components remain secure and undamaged. These equipment cases can also be built with pressure relief valves and airtight seals to maintain internal stability, making them a perfect choice for air travel. If you need an ATA case, our custom shipping cases can meet and exceed these standards.

3. Medical Cases

In the medical field, transporting delicate devices such as diagnostic machines, surgical tools, and laboratory equipment requires a high level of protection to prevent contamination or damage. Custom transport cases for medical equipment are often designed to be water-resistant, impact-resistant, and equipped with secure latches.

We design equipment cases with foam that include custom compartments for organizing multiple components, ensuring that everything arrives intact and ready for use. For emergency and disaster response, these cases are critical for safely moving life-saving equipment to areas where it’s needed most.

4. Film Production & Photography Cases

Photographers and film production companies rely on high-value cameras, lighting equipment, and audio gear to create professional content. These tools must be transported safely between studios, filming locations, and events, often in fast-paced environments.

Heavy-duty transport cases for the entertainment industry offer customized padding, compartmentalization, and protection against the elements. They are designed to be lightweight yet robust, ensuring that equipment remains safe from dust, moisture, and impact. Designing custom lighting cases and equipment cases for film production crews and photographers is one of our many areas of specialization.

5. Road Cases

If you work with musicians or event production and need a heavy-duty custom road case, this is another area of specialization at Bel-Air Cases. Unlike the bulky wooden road cases of the past, our cases are lightweight and easy to maneuver and can stacked for easy storage. We also can design custom instrument cases for many types of musical instruments, ensuring these expensive items are protected no matter how rough the journey may be.

Our Case Options

We offer three types of transport cases – carrying cases, shipping cases and trade show cases. Our shipping cases are the ideal option for anyone needing to transport heavy, delicate or expensive equipment. While these cases are highly durable and able to withstand hundreds of trips as cargo, they are extremely lightweight, which can reduce your transport costs significantly.

We also offer an abundance of custom features. If you need a hard case with wheels, we have many wheel options and can add different types of handles, latches and locks, depending on your needs. Additionally, we can customize your transport cases with molded-in logos, custom decals and engraved plates. In addition to our standard colors – black and silver – we also offer several stock colors, including white, red, orange, green, olive, yellow and blue.

If you need a hard case with foam, all of our cases include custom foam inserts. We never hand off a case with cheap pick-and-pluck foam. Not only is this poor quality foam, the customer is forced to cut away at the foam to create cavities for their equipment. The end result is a mess and definitely not as protective as a custom foam interior. If you are paying for custom cases, you should expect this to include a custom interior, and we deliver on that expectation.

Our design team excels at designing equipment cases with foam and we customize the interior to snugly cushion every piece of your equipment. Whether you simply need a quality foam liner or an interior with die cuts, plastic dividers, interior doors, windows, panel mounts or shock mounts, we can provide you with exactly what you need.

Order Transport Cases Today!

At Bel-Air Cases, all of our transport cases are 100% custom and made-to-order. These heavy-duty cases are crafted from the finest and most durable materials and built to handle the rigors of transportation with ease. To get started with a custom case order, simply head to the Request a Quote tab and fill out our quick contact form.

If you need a case tough enough to handle a variety of extremes, military cases can be a good option to consider. At Bel-Air Cases, our heavy duty shipping cases can handle hundreds of journeys, under the roughest conditions, with ease.

What Are Military Cases?

In general, when we talk about military cases we are talking about cases that are built in compliance with specific MIL specs, or military specifications.  These are detailed standards developed by the U.S. Department of Defense to ensure products meet specific performance and durability requirements for military use.

When it comes to custom equipment cases, MIL specs define the criteria the case must meet in areas such as construction, durability, environmental resistance, and performance under harsh conditions.

Here are key points related to MIL specs for custom equipment cases:

1. Durability and Strength: MIL specs ensure that equipment cases can withstand rough handling, impact, and high stress during military operations, including shipping and transport.

2. Environmental Resistance: MIL specs test the ability of cases to resist extreme weather, humidity, saltwater, and temperature fluctuations, as well as protection against dust, water, and other environmental hazards.

3. Vibration and Shock Resistance: The cases must pass tests for withstanding vibrations from transportation (aircraft, land vehicles) and sudden shocks (drops, impacts).

4. Chemical Resistance: Cases need to be resistant to various chemicals, including fuels and cleaning agents, that they may encounter in military environments.

Compliance Examples:

• MIL-STD-810: Covers environmental conditions, like temperature, humidity, and shock testing.
• MIL-STD-2073: Deals with packaging requirements for military shipping, ensuring the cases protect the contents in transit.

Custom equipment cases built to MIL specs offer extra assurance for those needing top-tier protection, especially for sensitive or valuable equipment. While we’ve designed and built heavy duty cases for military clients many times through the years, cases built to MIL specs can be a good option for many of our civilian clients.

We also can create an ATA shipping case that meets ATA standards. ATA case standards are guidelines set by the Air Transport Association (now Airlines for America) for cases used in air travel. These standards ensure that cases can withstand the rigors of frequent air transportation, protecting the contents from damage during handling, loading, and unloading.

ATA Case Standards: Some Key Points

• Durability: ATA-rated cases must endure frequent shipping, handling, and stacking.
• Construction: Typically, these cases are made from materials like high-density plastics, aluminum, or laminated plywood, with reinforced edges and corners.
• Impact Resistance: ATA cases are designed to withstand drops, impacts, and other rough handling common in cargo and freight transport.

ATA Standards Vs. MIL Specs

• Purpose: ATA standards are focused on air travel durability, whereas MIL specs are developed for military use, often requiring more extreme environmental and operational durability.
• Environmental Conditions: MIL specs typically involve more stringent requirements for withstanding harsh environments (extreme temperatures, water resistance, chemical exposure), while ATA standards prioritize impact resistance and structural integrity for frequent air transport.
• Vibration and Shock: Both standards require cases to endure vibration and shock, but MIL specs often involve more severe testing to ensure survival in combat or field conditions.
• Testing: MIL specs, such as MIL-STD-810, include a wider range of tests (environmental, chemical, etc.), while ATA standards focus more on transportation-specific durability like impacts and crushing.

In short, ATA cases are designed for commercial air travel, while military cases are built for more extreme and demanding military applications. Whether you need a case built to ATA standards or a case that matches MIL specs, the team at Bel-Air Cases can provide you with cargo cases that meet your needs and protect your expensive equipment.

Why Bel-Air Cases?

At Bel-Air, we’ve been designing custom equipment cases for more than 50 years, and we are the original innovator of vacuum-formed plastic cases. Our level of experience is unmatched, and through the years, we’ve designed custom carrying cases, shipping cases and trade show cases for every imaginable industry and type of equipment.

In addition to military cases, we can provide you with any type of equipment case or flight case you might need including:

• Aerospace Equipment Cases
• Custom Road Cases
• Trade Show Cases
• Lighting Cases
• Audio-Visual Equipment Cases
• Medical Equipment Cases
• Custom Instrument Cases
• OEM Cases & Demo/Sales Kits

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as we can design cases for virtually any type of equipment and, throughout the last 50+ years, we’ve done just that. We’ve built thousands of cases, and every Bel-Air is meant to last a lifetime and many of our original cases are still going strong.

Of course, if you need padded equipment cases, every Bel-Air includes a custom foam interior built to cushion and protect your delicate items. Unlike some case manufacturers, we never simply hand off a case with cheap pick-and-pluck foam. Instead, we design fully custom interiors built around your equipment to ensure that your items are always as safe as possible during transport.

Contact Bel-Air For Rugged Military Cases

Whether you need rugged military cases or just need a shipping case that can handle hundreds of trips as cargo or freight, the team at Bel-Air Cases can design whatever you might need. We also can add wheels and handles to most cases, as well as customizing the latches and locks. Contact us at any time to discuss your case needs!

By its very definition, a flight case should be capable of handling the jostling and bumping typical of any cargo hold. If you’re tired of arriving at your destination only to find that your expensive equipment was damaged during the journey, opting for Bel-Air custom flight cases can be the solution to this common problem.

Custom-Made Flight Cases: The Ultimate Level Of Protection

At Bel-Air Cases, we’ve been designing custom shipping cases and custom built flight cases for more than 50 years. During that time our custom equipment cases have served as cargo on a wide range of conveyances – including some of the toughest military vehicles, and the equipment inside remained unscathed from even the bumpiest rides.

While custom flight cases do come with a higher price tag than off-the-shelf shipping cases, we believe there are some compelling advantages of investing in custom cases, including the following:

1. Custom Cases Offer Enhanced Protection

Custom flight cases are designed specifically for your equipment, providing superior protection against impacts, vibrations, and other potential damage during transit. They often include shock-absorbing materials and tailored padding to ensure your gear remains safe.

2. Our Custom Flight Cases Have A Long Life

Some of our earliest carrying cases and transport cases, from way back in the 1960s, are still going strong! We use the highest quality materials for our cases, including high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for the shells as well as building out each case with high-quality custom foam inserts. A Bel-Air Case is meant to last for decades, and we like to think of each case as a lifetime companion for your equipment.

3. A Perfect Fit

With an off-the-shelf case, there’s no guarantee that your equipment will fit well into the case, and this can lead to problems during transit. Custom flight cases are tailored to the exact dimensions of your equipment, ensuring a snug fit that minimizes movement and potential damage. This level of customization is not possible with standard, off-the-shelf cases.

4. A Well-Organized Interior

The interior of our custom cases can be designed with specific compartments, plastic dividers and interior doors to keep your equipment organized and easily accessible. This helps in quickly locating and using your gear without rummaging through a cluttered case.

As a side note, we never hand off a case to a client without creating a custom foam interior. Too many case manufacturers sell cases that simply contain a chunk of cheap diced foam, forcing the customer to create cavities for their equipment. This foam will not stand the test of time, nor will it protect your equipment properly. We use the highest quality case foam and design case interiors that cushion and protect every inch of your equipment.

5. Security Features

Many custom flight cases come with advanced security features such as lockable latches and combination locks, as well as GPS tracking and other options. These features provide peace of mind, knowing that your valuable equipment is safe from theft and unauthorized access.

6. Weather Resistance

The materials we use, especially the HDPE for the case shells, provide a high level of weather resistance. If your flight case is drenched on an airport tarmac, the equipment inside will stay nice and dry. Our cases also can protect your equipment from humidity, dust and extreme temperatures. Whether you need to take your cases to the South Pole or Death Valley, you can rest assured that the case will maintain its integrity.

7. Ease of Transport

We can add wheels and handles to just about any case, which makes it easy to move your cases wherever they need to go. For instance, our flight cases can be designed with ergonomic handles, wheels, and other transport-friendly features, making it easier to move heavy or bulky equipment. This convenience is especially valuable for frequent travelers and touring professionals.

8. Branding Opportunities

Because every flight case we make is built from scratch, this allows us an ultimate level of customization and that includes adding your brand to your case. We can design cases with molded-in-logos or add custom decals or engraved plates to any case. We also offer a wide selection of case colors including black, silver, white, green, olive, blue, red, yellow and orange.

9. Long-Term Savings

While the initial investment in a custom flight case may be higher, the long-term savings from reduced equipment damage, repairs, and replacements can make it a cost-effective choice. Protecting your gear with a durable, custom case helps avoid expensive mishaps.

10. Our Cases Are Versatile!

What can a Bel-Air Case hold? Just about anything you can imagine. Through the years, we’ve built cases to hold medical equipment, audio-visual equipment, lighting equipment, diagnostic equipment, military equipment, music equipment and so much more. Whether you are in a band and need a durable, dependable custom road casev or perhaps heading to a movie or photo shoot with a ton of expensive gear, our custom flight cases will protect your precious items.

Order Custom Flight Cases Today!

Whether you need just one flight case or a fleet of cases, the team at Bel-Air can design and build whatever you might need. To get started on a custom case order, simply head to the Contact Us tab on our homepage and fill out our contact form. A member of our sales team will be in touch as soon as possible to gather all the details needed to create your heavy duty shipping cases.

Transporting delicate or expensive equipment can be a perilous experience. Will your equipment arrive unscathed? It’s certainly not unusual to open your case and discover that items have been damaged. Unless, of course, you opt for a Bel-Air custom shipping case. Our made-to-order custom shipping cases are not only lightweight, attractive and fully customizable, they also shield your items from the harsh realities of travel.

Industries We Serve

At Bel-Air Cases, we design and manufacture custom shipping cases for a wide range of industries including the medical industry, entertainment industry, aerospace industry and the military.

Whether you need to transport or store diagnostic equipment, lighting equipment, audio-visual equipment, lighting, camera gear or anything expensive or fragile, opting for a custom shipping case from Bel-Air is the best way to ensure that your equipment stays safe in just about any condition. If you need an ATA shipping case, our designs and materials meet or exceed ATA case standards and can be built to MIL specs, as well.

Why Plastic? 10 Reasons We Use HDPE

At Bel-Air, we were the first company to produce vacuum-formed plastic carrying cases and shipping cases. Plastic might not seem like the material of choice for durable transport cases, but the plastic we use has many advantages over other materials.

The vacuum-formed shells of each custom shipping case are created using high-density polyethylene. HDPE is an ideal material for manufacturing durable and effective shipping cases. Here are 10 facts about HDPE that emphasize its suitability and benefits for creating custom shipping cases.

1. High Impact Resistance: HDPE has a high strength-to-density ratio, which provides it with exceptional resistance to impacts. This makes it an excellent material for protecting sensitive equipment during transportation.
2. Moisture Resistant: HDPE is naturally water-resistant, which means it doesn’t absorb water and can protect contents from moisture. This quality ensures that the cases are suitable for use in various environmental conditions.
3. Chemical Resistance: HDPE is resistant to many chemicals, making it ideal for heavy duty shipping cases that might be exposed to corrosive substances or various industrial environments.
4. Durability: HDPE is known for its high tensile strength and durability. It can withstand harsh treatment, such as being dropped or knocked around during transit, without deforming.
5. Lightweight: Despite its strength and durability, HDPE is a relatively lightweight material, which helps reduce shipping costs and makes the cases easier to handle.
6. UV Resistance: HDPE is resistant to ultraviolet (UV) rays, preventing the material from breaking down or degrading when exposed to sunlight over time. This is crucial for cases used frequently outdoors.
7. Recyclable: HDPE is a recyclable material, making it an environmentally friendly choice for businesses concerned with sustainability. This feature can be particularly appealing to eco-conscious customers. Of course, keep in mind, that your Bel-Air shipping case is meant to last a lifetime, so it may never go near a recycling bin. Many of our original cases (from the 1960s) are still going strong today.
8. Temperature Resistance: HDPE remains stable and functional in both very low and high temperatures, making it suitable for a wide range of climates and operational conditions.
9. Ease of Fabrication: The material is easy to mold and fabricate into various shapes, which is ideal for manufacturing custom shipping cases that fit specific items or equipment snugly.
10. Longevity: HDPE does not rot, mold, or mildew, which contributes to its longevity. Our shipping cases and trade show cases made from HDPE can be used repeatedly over many years without a decrease in performance.

Custom Cases – Inside & Out

We offer a wide range of custom features for our cases, but the most important option is probably our custom foam interiors. If you are paying for a custom shipping case, we believe this cost should include a custom foam interior. We don’t simply hand you a case with a cheap pick-and-pluck foam insert. This is a common type of low-quality foam and it simply doesn’t provide enough protection for your equipment.

Pick-and-pluck foam, also known as diced foam, is a common problem in our industry. It’s not only a cheap option but using this type of foam also forces the customer to pick away at the foam to create cavities to fit their items. This is hardly attractive, and, quite frankly, if you are paying a premium for custom shipping cases, you should expect custom foam inserts.

When it comes to plastic cases with foam, this interior can be as simple or as complicated as you might need. It could be a thick slab of quality foam with several die cuts designed to perfectly fit your equipment. You also could opt for a foam interior with windows, interior doors, plastic dividers and other helpful features. Not only does this protect your equipment, but it also creates an attractive display, which adds a truly professional look to your case.

Additional Shipping Case Options

The exterior size and configuration of your case can be customized, as well as the foam interior, but we offer many other custom features. Case hardware, such as handles, latches, locks, wheels and feet all can be customized, and we have a huge selection of hardware options.

We can personalize your custom shipping cases with molded-in logos or add decals or engraved plates to your case. We also can customize the case color. We offer black and silver as our standard colors, but we have several additional stock colors and often can provide custom colors or color matching for larger orders.

Order A Custom Bel-Air Case Now

Whether you need durable custom shipping cases that can handle flight after flight after flight or need custom carry cases or perhaps trade show shipping cases, we can provide whatever you might need. There’s no order minimum either, so if you need just one case or hundreds, the team at Bel-Air Cases is ready to provide you with a custom case that meets all of your specifications.

If you need a durable, lightweight plastic carrying case with a handle that can endure frequent transport, a Bel-Air plastic carrying case is the ideal choice. For more than 50 years, we’ve been creating custom cases that not only look great but also offer the ultimate level of protection for whatever you place inside your case.

100% Made-To-Order Cases

For many items, an off-the-shelf case might be a great choice. For instance, if you need to transport inexpensive items or something not particularly delicate, purchasing a ready-made case can be an affordable, practical option.

However, if you need to transport delicate or expensive equipment, opting for a custom plastic carrying case is the best option. At Bel-Air, every equipment case we make is made to order and we build it to cushion and protect whatever you intend to place inside the case. We like to think of our cases as a type of insurance, providing the highest possible level of protection for your equipment.

Throughout the years, we have designed transport cases for just about anything you could imagine. This includes lighting equipment, audio-visual equipment, camera equipment and gear, medical and diagnostic equipment and even military and aerospace gear. If you need an ATA case, our cases meet or exceed ATA standards and we can build cases to meet most MIL specifications.

The bottom line is that the transportation industry is tough on cases, that’s just a fact of life. And while your Bel-Air plastic carrying cases might suffer from a scratch or two, when you pop open the case, your equipment will still be in tip-top shape and ready to go.

Materials We Use

Bel-Air Cases was the first producer of vacuum-formed plastic carrying cases and shipping cases. Every case we make is vacuum-formed using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with aluminum valances. We chose these two materials because they provide a high level of durability yet are still lightweight and manageable.

Throughout the case industry, you’ll find vacuum-formed cases like ours as well as roto-molded cases, injection molded cases, aluminum cases and fabricated wood cases. Any of these can be custom-made to fit your gear, but few have the advantages you’ll enjoy with a vacuum-formed HDPE case.

For instance, fabricated wood cases, which often are used as road cases,  offer a high level of customization and can be made in virtually any size. However, these cases are extremely heavy, which makes maneuverability difficult and can seriously impact your shipping budget.

Roto-molded cases are extremely durable, but they also are quite heavy and there’s little room for customization. Injection-molded cases are lighter in weight, but are only available in certain sizes, again limiting your ability to customize.

Our vacuum-formed cases tend to be the best option for most types of equipment, but if we take a look at your items and determine that another type of case would be a better fit, we will let you know and help you find a good source for the type of case you need.

Medium-Duty Vs. Heavy-Duty Cases

We offer two different types of custom carrying cases – a medium-duty case and a heavy duty carrying case. Medium-duty cases are ideal for items that won’t be transported as luggage or freight. For instance, these cases often are used as sales kits, demo kits and OEM kits.

If you need a lightweight plastic carrying case that can handle frequent trips in the cargo hold of a train, plane or perhaps a rocket ship, our heavy-duty plastic carrying case is the best option. We build these cases using the same heavy-duty materials we use for our shipping cases, but we form the case on our carrying case molds. The result is an amazing, durable case that’s also easy to transport.

Custom Foam Inserts

While the durability of the case exterior is vital, our custom foam interiors provide a second layer of protection. We use the highest quality foam in the case industry and every interior is crafted specifically to cushion your equipment. Too often, a case maker will present you with a case filled with cheap pick-and-pluck foam. This foam not only breaks down quickly, but it’s just a chunk of foam without any custom cavities for your equipment.

If you are paying for a custom plastic carrying case, we believe that case should include 100% customized foam. We are experts at fabricating interior foam and can add any features you need. Our design team can provide you with a simple foam liner or include a foam design with plastic dividers, interior walls, die cuts, panel mounts, shock mounts and more.

Customize Colors, Handles, Locks & More

If you’ve been searching the web for a high-quality “plastic carrying case with handle,” you’ve come to the right place. Generally, most carrying cases do include a handle, but at Bel-Air, we offer a huge selection of handles, including a telescoping handle that can be a perfect addition to a case with wheels.

Additionally, you can customize the case wheels as well as the hinges, locks and latches. We also can provide you with a variety of color options. Our standard case colors are silver and black, but we do offer several additional stock colors including blue, green, olive, red, orange, yellow and white.

We also can build cases with molded-in logos or add custom engraved plates or decals. Imagine a fleet of carrying cases and shipping cases featuring your company logo in a distinctive color. This level of customization adds a truly professional touch and it can be a great option for sales kits and OEM cases.

Order Plastic Carrying Cases Today

Whether you need just one plastic carrying case with a handle or you need dozens of cases, we can build cases that meet all of your specifications. We also can build custom shipping cases and custom trade show cases with wheels. To get started on a case project, just click on the Contact Us tab on our homepage and fill out our quick contact form.