This is a quick review of two brands of waterproof cases for your gear. The Pelican Case Micro 1060 versus the Otterbox 3000.

These cases aren't the same size but are close enough to compete. I have the two different cases because they fit the two outer pockets of my Condor II backpack like they were made for them.



I won't go over the differences that are obvious in the pictures.

The biggest difference in my opinion is the hinge. The Otterbox has one long hinge/pin. This seems a little more durable to me.



But, both have been thrown around pretty hard, and neither show signs of failure.

The Otterbox is also thicker plastic. I assume this makes it stronger as they seem to be made of similar plastic.

The Pelican case has an inner, rubber liner to help with shock, but it is only on one side. It also acts as the gasket for sealing the closure. The Otterbox has an inset gasket that I would guess is better at sealing the box.

Otterbox is on left



This seems like a moot point to me since I use them for rain and possible submersion of less than 10 feet. Otterbox guarantees their cases to 100 feet. I can't find any guarantee for depth on the Pelican Case site, but they do say "Unconditionally guaranteed forever." That's a pretty strong guarantee.

Another difference is the latch. The Pelican has one long latch and the otter has two latches. Seems like they went opposite of their hinge differences.



Also, the Pelican case has an automatic valve made of Gortex to allow for barometric pressure differences. They say it helps with things like closing it in low pressure and then opening it in a higher pressure. So, if you close it on top of Everest, it will stabilize the pressure inside, without letting water in, and allow you to open with ease at sea level. I think this is more useful in bigger cases with more surface area pressing it closed. I have had issues opening large sealed case before, but have closed the Otterbox at 10K + feet and opened it at 1K with no issues.

Otterbox gives you a set of "rings" to put a lock on your box.



At this size, i think it is useless. It is small enough for a thief to just take the entire thing with ease and just smash it later.

Who's the winner?

Despite Pelican's rep. and forever guarantee (I am not going to mail a less than 20 dollar box in for replacement anyway), I have to go with Otterbox for it's gasket design and thicker plastic. Larger cases is a different story.

However, Otterbox doesn't command a strong enough lead to sway my decision in purchases. I will buy whichever is cheaper and fits the space/gear I have for it.