A Case to Find a Case for My Case

[marmiteonpizza]

I'm so proud of that title, I'm not going to lie

Basically, I may be allowed (by the parents) to take my rig to uni for the second term after Christmas. Obviously, I want to avoid all damage to my PC during transportation.
Is there such thing as a soft "carry bag" kind of thing for cases? I mean like the laptop cases, but for towers.

Or, alternatively, do you guys have suggestions for other means of protection for transportation?

...I know I didn't have to make a thread about this and could have done some of my own research, but as soon as that title came into my head, it wouldn't go away...

 

[Xzibit]

6 ft. Strap-a-Handle - EZ Clip System - Carry 50lbs

 

[patrico]

Hey have you heard of Xbags? http://www.dansdata.com/xbags.htm think they do exactly what your looking for
not sure where youd find one though :/

Id say best bet ebay

 

[patrico]

if youve got more money than sense I found this

 

[thebluebumblebee]

The box the case came in?

 

[Xzibit]

The box it came in, if not a cardboard box and rope to make a strap ( hand or shoulder ) you'll score points with the enviromentalist at uni.

 

[Bo$$]

I'm so proud of that title, I'm not going to lie

Basically, I may be allowed (by the parents) to take my rig to uni for the second term after Christmas. Obviously, I want to avoid all damage to my PC during transportation.
Is there such thing as a soft "carry bag" kind of thing for cases? I mean like the laptop cases, but for towers.

Or, alternatively, do you guys have suggestions for other means of protection for transportation?

...I know I didn't have to make a thread about this and could have done some of my own research, but as soon as that title came into my head, it wouldn't go away...

Make on extra trip if you are so worried about it.. towers aren't really heavy.

 

[m4gicfour]

Yeah, original box if you have it. Also may want to take your CPU cooler off if it's big and heavy, same with any REALLY big gpus.

That said, I've carted my old build around plenty in an antec 900 just setting it on one of the seats of my truck and pulling the seatbelt around it; using the child height adapter dealy to make sure the shoulder belt crosses the case. Stays pretty stable.

if youve got more money than sense I found this

You call that more money than sense? Pfft.

If you've got more money than sense build the PC into a rackmount case like this and then mount it into a shockmount SKB case with wheels, or even better, use a 6U version of the SKB and fit a 2U UPS along with it.

 

[Jetster]

http://shippingcasesnow.com/skb-hig...ull-handle-case-without-foam-3skb-1913mr.html

 

[m4gicfour]

http://shippingcasesnow.com/skb-hig...ull-handle-case-without-foam-3skb-1913mr.html

something something Great Minds something.

I'd want to measure thrice before ordering if I was actually going to use any type of general SKB case though; they're not cheap and finding out the PC doesn't fit would really suck.

Order the foam to go with that style of case, and cut to fit.

 

[patrico]

You call that more money than sense? Pfft.

yes I do pfft ??

£120 plus £40 shipping for a bag,, yes lol

and yes your examples are expensive and not really for home pc's, he wants a laptop like case for his pc, not an expensive 100's of pounds business solution,
I happen to think £160 for a soft case for his pc is expensive if he is not going to use it all the time.

anyways my comments are to help the OP anywho....

hope you find a solution that works, or hopefully someone else has some actual useful information or point you in the right direction

 

[rtwjunkie]

I spent about 6 months once travelling back and forth to home every weekend from where I was working about 200 miles away. I took my tower with me each time.

All you need to do is lay it flat on its backside on a thick pillow. You need a springy pillow, and this will allow the pc to ride on almost a hydraulic bed. You can surround it with blankets or other pillows if you want.

With this method, not one thing ever broke loose and I had no HDD damage!

 

[rooivalk]

bubble wrap?

 

[m4gicfour]

yes I do pfft ??

£120 plus £40 shipping for a bag,, yes lol

and yes your examples are expensive and not really for home pc's, he wants a laptop like case for his pc, not an expensive 100's of pounds business solution,
I happen to think £160 for a soft case for his pc is expensive if he is not going to use it all the time.

anyways my comments are to help the OP anywho....

hope you find a solution that works, or hopefully someone else has some actual useful information or point you in the right direction

Oh, come on. I was clearly joking

 

[micropage7]

you take it by yourself or you package it? all you need is rope and some cardboard
if you take it by yourself and you afraid snapping something, i suggest plug out your vga card especially if its heavy and secure your drive since it may get some shock when you carry it, or you can put your hdd somewhere that saver, like put it in the box with cloth wrapped
oh yea if you use heavy heatsink, put it somewhere for safer trip

 

[marmiteonpizza]

Haha thanks for all the suggestions guys

...Case closed

 

[2big2fail]

Depending on how big your rig is, you may want to try one of the Pelican transport cases (especially for air travel). I use the 1640, which easily fits mid towers. You can cut the foam on the inside to fit the shape of your rig. The problem with cardboard boxes is you never know how people are going to be throwing around your box in luggage or shipping. Plus, with a transport case like this you can pad lock it so no one steals parts from your rig.

 

[Bill_Bright]

do you guys have suggestions for other means of protection for transportation?

How will you (or rather the computer) get to school? Bus, truck, plane, personal car, train? Will the computer be out of your possession at any time during transport? That is, will baggage handlers be tossing it about or will you be gingerly loading and unloading it from your own car? Big difference in how you need to protect it.

That said,

All you need to do is lay it flat on its backside on a thick pillow.

oh yea if you use heavy heatsink, put it somewhere for safer trip

These are the two best suggestions. With the computer down flat on its right side (looking at the front), the heavy heatsink is simply sitting on top of the motherboard and not "hanging" off it.

If you will be transporting it yourself in a private vehicle that you load and unload, then flat on its side on a soft pillow or folded blanket is fine. If it will be out of your sight and handled by anyone else, then you need to remove the heatsink fan assembly before packing to avoid your motherboard and/or CPU socket from getting damaged when the computer is bounced off the floor or in the back of the truck or cargo hold.

Just remember to take some good TIM (thermal interface material) with you and apply a proper layer before re-mounting the cooler when you get to school.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

There are a multitude of ways to transport a PC tower, from expensive purpose built cases, to home made jobs.

If you forget one simple thing though, it can be all for naught. Do NOT forget to use something inside the case to keep the parts plugged into expansion slots from wobbling excessively.

There are expandable air bladders made specifically for this, or you can use foam, sealed air bladders or bubble wrap from previous parcels, or even newspaper.

Laying the case on it's right side MB down on top of some padding is the next best thing, but that is not guaranteed if it changes hands, as per bus, train, or plane travel.

The Pelican 1640 is sweet, but more appropriate for people using expensive camera gear with deep pockets. Just the replacement foam set alone goes for over $100.

Me, I would probably go the middle route and source a suitable rolling suitcase with extendable handle, and just appropriate some adequate padding with which to line it. The mini hand truck type suitcase market is extremely large, so there are many to choose from at low prices, even many with hard shells.

One thing I find odd is you didn't even mention your case size, which would have made it a LOT easier to help us narrow the search for something appropriate. That said, if you're still using the Aerocool Strike-X GT Mid Tower in your spec chart, it's 19.3" depth might present a problem regarding width restrictions of carry-on bags, and it's probably not a good idea to roll it around with it's front or back downward.

About the best it gets for US carry-on restrictions is 24"x17"x10", and a whopping 50lbs (Alaska Airlines). Even at that, you wouldn't be able to cram yours into an overhead compartment just due to the case depth exceeding 19". There ARE rolling suitcases with over 20" width, that can be had for under $150, such as the TravelPro Maxlite 29" models, but if you're going to be doing this a lot and using carry-on, I highly recommend getting a case that would fit your GPU without the unnecessary massive depth. That card in your spec chart is only about 275mm long. There are MANY smaller cases that would easily fit it.

 

[marmiteonpizza]

I'm only travelling by personal car, so will be loading and unloading - I'm not going to some executive uni on a private island or anything

I don't know the dimensions of my case and can't measure right now as it's back at home and I'm at uni, but @Frag Maniac, you seem to know anyway.

I think I'll take you advice with laying on the side with the MoBo down and on a pillow, in addition to purchasing the strap-on harness and handle that @patrico suggested (Xbags Case and Monitor Transport Strapping Systems, their company website seems to have been taken down, but eBay should yield some secondhands).

 

[Bill_Bright]

I'm only travelling by personal car, so will be loading and unloading

Then just make sure it cannot fly about in the trunk ("boot" on your side of the big pond) or backseat if you have to come to a sudden stop or get airborne over the railroad tracks. Then you "should" be okay. I would still open the side panel before plugging it in again to inspect the interior and press on all connectors to make sure they are still tight and secure (touch bare metal of the case interior first, to discharge any static in your body).

 

[marmiteonpizza]

make sure it cannot fly about in the trunk

We've got some bungee cords for securing objects in situations like these, should be no problem.

 

[Norton]

How about one of those rolling suitcases?

Hard sides, straps and padding inside, handle AND wheels. They even have plenty of pockets for cables, etc...

 

[Toothless]

Blankets and pillows let my desktop survive a 2,800 mile trip in the trunk of a car.

 

[Aquinus]

That said, I've carted my old build around plenty in an antec 900 just setting it on one of the seats of my truck and pulling the seatbelt around it; using the child height adapter dealy to make sure the shoulder belt crosses the case. Stays pretty stable.

The box is probably the best cheap thing to put it in. It will protect it and cost you nothing. That's a no brainer.