How much clearance should a camera equipment case interior leave?

Answer: Ten millimetres around the body, fifteen above, twenty between body and lens. Past thirty the foam stops pressing and the gear moves.

Should the shell go up a size for a body with a grip?

Answer: Measure total height with the grip first; a larger shell adds forty millimetres each way, and that space needs shims again.

Can foam liners be cut by hand?

Answer: Only EVA. Foam will not cut straight and sheds crumbs; EVA takes repeated shallow passes and stays clean.

Does standing a lens upright damage the mount?

Answer: Upright, the weight runs down the lens axis, so the mount sees compression rather than shear. Lying flat with the mount unsupported is what damages it.

Can a camera equipment case be checked in?

Answer: Yes, with three checks: a purge valve, a reinforced wheel housing, and a combined external dimension within the airline limit. ---

Camera Equipment Case Selection: Body, Lens and Accessory Zoning

Quick answer: Choose a camera equipment case in the order body bay, lens bay, accessory bay, then size. The body bay sets internal height, the lens bay sets foam thickness and slot direction, and the accessory bay decides what is left for batteries and cables.

Camera equipment case zoning starts at the body bay
Lens bays: upright, flat, and slot direction
Accessory bays: separate cells for batteries, cards and cables
Liner materials: what each foam does
Shell size and hardware: interior, wheels and check-in
FAQ

1. Camera equipment case zoning starts at the body bay

The interior is not one open box but a set of assigned pockets, and zoning starts at the body, the only item that cannot be stripped down or take load. Seat it centrally so the lenses have a datum; pushed aside, the case twists when carried.

Measure length, width and height with the grip or cage fitted; a grip adds thirty to fifty millimetres and the lid meets it first. Leave ten millimetres around the body and fifteen above, which is liner compression rather than finger room.

The same case from a low side angle, lid closed and flat, front handle between two latches

2. Lens bays: upright, flat, and slot direction

A lens is a cylinder of varying length, so only two slot directions are useful. Flat, axis parallel to the floor, uses less area and lowers the centre of gravity; upright presents the mount face up.

A flat slot is cut to the longest lens, an upright slot to the widest mount; the rest rattle and need shims, which get lost and count as consumables. One side of the mount must stay unsupported, or lying flat it takes the whole weight as shear.

The case open at an angle, plain moulded interior below and a checker-pattern face inside the lid

Lens bay	Flat	Upright
Floor area	small, can stack	large, one per slot
Access	slide lens out	mount up, lift out
Load path	barrel centre supported	mount side floating

3. Accessory bays: separate cells for batteries, cards and cables

The accessory bay decides whether this camera equipment case travels in one trip. Batteries, cards, chargers and adapters are numerous and irregular, and one open cell saves foam at the cost of digging.

Batteries need their own cells with dividers, for compression rather than for the battery itself: the shell is thin-walled, a lens pressing on it loads the terminals first, and a deformed terminal will not seat in the charger. Cards and reader share a deep cell; cables get a slot sized to the connector.

Keep small parts under thirty per cent of the interior, or the body and lens slots shrink.

A smaller case in the same family, front view, handle raised, square recesses at the lid corners

4. Liner materials: what each foam does

A camera equipment case liner is not one material throughout: polyurethane foam handles contact and cushioning, EVA handles shaping and dividers, EPE handles light filler. One alone always compromises.

Foam rebounds well but absorbs water and crumbles; crumbs on a lens are worse than a scratch, so face it with fabric or keep it in the lid. EVA cuts with a clean edge but is hard, with a short cushioning stroke, so the usual build is an EVA skeleton with foam bonded on top.

Open from above, egg-crate foam in the lid above pre-cut foam in the base, latches along the front

5. Shell size and hardware: interior, wheels and check-in

Internal size decides whether the kit fits; external size whether you can carry it. Walls run three and a half to five millimetres, thicker at the ribs, so measure clear of them or the width comes out generous.

Wheels touch down first in check-in, so the landing load runs through the housing into the wall and the reinforcement around it matters more than the wheel. A gasketed case holds itself shut when pressure changes and needs a purge valve, or it must be pried, which damages the seal.

Conclusion

Selection reduces to a sequence: fix the body bay and its clearances, choose the lens slot direction, carve an accessory area under thirty per cent, and only then pick the shell. Starting with a shell you like ends with an oversized camera equipment case and a bag of shims.

This article discusses container-side specifications and design meaning only, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.