In what order should a Gear Case be chosen?

Answer: Volume first, carrying second, ingress and latch last. A wrong volume forces every other choice to change.

How much fits in a 22 L case?

Answer: About 14 L at a 65 percent loading limit, roughly a hand tool set and two cable drums.

Is IP67 always necessary?

Answer: No. Dust indoors is met by IP6X; only short immersion or washdown needs IP67, and then with a pressure valve.

How often do latches need replacing?

Answer: A butterfly latch is rated for 20,000 cycles, about eighteen months at 40 a day. A draw latch rarely fails inside 5,000.

Why is four-tier stacking underestimated?

Answer: The lid sees 54 kg and deflects past 8 mm, so upper tiers settle inward and the stack leans.

Gear Case Selection: Five Tests in Order

Quick answer: Choosing a Gear Case means five tests in order: usable volume and compartments, carrying method against empty weight, ingress rating against the environment, opening frequency against latch type, and stacking or transport fit.

Start With Usable Volume, Not Outside Size
Carrying Method Against Empty Weight
Match the Ingress Rating to the Environment
Opening Frequency Decides the Latch
Stacking and Transport Fit
FAQ

1. Start With Usable Volume, Not Outside Size

The first test is the volume a load occupies, not the outside size. A Gear Case measuring 465×355×215 mm holds 22 L inside once walls, lid depth and foam are removed; at a 65 percent loading limit, about 14 L is reachable.

Usable volume	Compartments	Cell size	Load shape
22 L	4 to 6	180×120×95 mm	hand tools and cable
38 L	6 to 8	220×150×120 mm	instruments and accessories
60 L	one open bay plus two boxes	none fixed	long items and whole units

More cells is not better: each partition takes 8 to 12 mm, and six cells to nine narrows the cell from 120 mm to 78 mm, where a wrench no longer lies flat. Lids open 100 to 110 degrees, so a 55 mm lid leaves 90 mm and fingers need 35 mm.

2. Carrying Method Against Empty Weight

Empty weight decides the carrying method: 4.2 kg empty lands at 14 to 18 kg loaded, and a 25 mm moulded handle stops being comfortable past 1 km. Wheels suit loads over 20 kg on hard floors, though anything under 100 mm jams on a threshold. Batteries belong next to the handle, because at the base centre, 120 mm below it, the wrist moment grows.

Gear Case: close view of a black corner, a wide yellow latch seated in a recess and pressed down, the parting line running along the edge, fine pebbled texture

Method	Load ceiling	Distance	Cost
Moulded handle	12 kg	under 1 km	fingers compress
50 mm shoulder strap	16 kg	3 km	ring fittings, 0.3 kg
Two shoulder straps	20 kg	over 5 km	back panel, 0.6 kg
Handle and two wheels	30 kg	hard floors	wheels under 100 mm catch

3. Match the Ingress Rating to the Environment

A higher rating is not a better choice. Moving a 22 L Gear Case from IP65 to IP67 adds about 40 N of latch force, because a double-lip gasket needs more compression.

Environment	Seal	Rating that suffices
Indoor workshop, dust only	labyrinth rim, single lip	IP6X
Open air, rain	single lip plus drain channel	IPX5
Short immersion or washdown	double lip plus pressure valve	IP67
Salt atmosphere	silicone gasket	IPX6 with 48 h salt spray

Drop is separate: 1.2 m onto 26 faces, corners and edges is carried by R8 radii and a 3.0 mm wall, not the gasket. At minus 20 °C nitrile hardens while silicone stays flexible for ten percent more, and summer sun takes the inside to 75 °C, so the foam adhesive needs a limit.

4. Opening Frequency Decides the Latch

Forty openings a shift make the latch a wear part; four a day make it a lid holder. A butterfly latch holds 520 N, opens one-handed and fatigues at 20,000 cycles; a draw latch survives 5,000 but needs two hands.

Gear Case: a black case open on white, a folded dark garment, black goggles and a yellow coiled lanyard inside, two yellow latches and a yellow handle at the front

Above 30 cycles a day, choose butterfly and stock seats; below 10, choose draw; in between, ask about gloves, since butterfly opens twice as fast gloved. Two 4 mm stainless pins carry 20,000 cycles, a moulded hinge wears oval by 3,000.

5. Stacking and Transport Fit

Stacking loads the lid of a Gear Case, not the side walls. Three tiers at 18 kg put 36 kg on the bottom lid, and a 500 N centre load is closer to a forklift setting a case down than an even spread.

A 1200×1000 mm pallet takes six units per layer, two layers, twelve in all; without corner grooves the stack shifts 20 mm after wrapping and stops clearing a container door. Above three tiers add a 5 mm PP sheet, above that a 90 mm timber skid; at four tiers the lid passes 8 mm.

Conclusion

The five tests run one way: volume sets compartments, weight sets carrying, environment sets ingress, frequency sets the latch, tiers set stacking. Skip a link and the gap is closed with hardware, which shows up as mass and cost. Run the chain and the Gear Case choice holds after delivery.

This article discusses only the container (case body) side of specifications and design intent, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.