Cheap PAR Cases

hemismith

Active Member
From the looks of most lights I've seen it appears most people just throw them all together in a bin with no protection. I'm somewhat anal and keep them in their original boxes. But I'm hoping to find a cheap tote that can hold at least 2 at a time. The best I've found is a 27 gallon one at Lowes that is 19" tall and almost holds 2 in their boxes but not quite. (I don't want a huge case that is hard to carry by myself.)

So I'm trying to figure how how to pad them without a lot of expense or work. At a minimum I could just put a piece of cardboard between them, but I was thinking of cutting up a cheap closed-cell foam camping pad, maybe all around. Any thoughts/ideas?

Thanks.
 
Make your own road case. If you keep all the original boxes glue and tape them together then frame it with luan add handles or wheels and whala.

Also I’ve never seen anyone just throw pars in a bin.

Theatre is meat racks
Tour/One Offs road cases.
 
I've seen loads of people just toss Pars in a bin. It's even more entertaining when they haven't cooled down yet! This is usually at the band/church/community theater level, but it definitely happens.

Craig, what kinds of Pars are you talking about? At least in my experience with cases, you get what you pay for, and if you don't have the budget for proper cases then you shouldn't have professional expectations for them. Have a look at Road Cases USA:

https://www.roadcasesusa.com/categories/Lighting-Cases/

They're probably the most budget case builder that I've had an okay experience with. Just keep in mind that you get exactly what you pay for with them and nothing more. Handles, hinges, latches - if it's not listed as part of the case it's something you'll need to pay extra for. That's not a bad thing per say - you just really need to know exactly what you want.

If that's still above your budget I've also had good luck with the Stanley tool chests you can buy at Home Depot. They're strong enough to stand on (and thus avoid getting crushed in transit) but not overly expensive. I've also never had the bottom fall out unlike the cheaper storage totes you can get for $9 at any big box retailer.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Q5LZT4/?tag=controlbooth-20

It just depends on what you need out of these. I'd never send a Stanley box on a tour - for that you want all your gear in "real" cases, often built to truck pack dimensions using no less than 1/2" wall thickness. For just local "casual" use the Stanley boxes are nice. I use them for toting around my arsenal of various effect lights that don't see enough use nor go far enough to warrant a dedicated proper road case (unlike my consoles and moving lights). Hope this helps!
 
Thanks! These are just cheap conventional pars, usually used for non-profit events, so I hate to spend more on a case than I did on the lights. And I need something fairly lightweight. That's why I haven't looked a "real" road cases. But when I can afford "real" lights I'll look at better cases. But I like that company, lots of stuff.

I like the idea of building my own cases out of the boxes, I will look into that! But I'll also check out those Stanley boxes. There are lots of heavy-duty totes, but never the right size for efficient use of space. And I would still need to figure out the best way to make dividers, but maybe some fiberboard or something.
 
...so I hate to spend more on a case than I did on the lights. And I need something fairly lightweight...

I hear ya! That's why I like the Stanley boxes - cheap and lightweight enough to be practical yet strong enough to handle almost any local or regional use. If you're talking Par 64s you'll still only be able to pack 2-4 into one, and depending on how many you have that still might not be practical from an investment standpoint. I have a few dozen conventional 38s in inventory and they pack up much nicer! For 64s and above you'd probably be better served with a meat rack idea which can be easily built for less than the cost of a single Stanley box. Just keep in mind the space they take up if you even need to move one in something less than a utility van or box truck. Best of luck with your project though!
 
Also I’ve never seen anyone just throw pars in a bin.

Lol, I should introduce you to some of the folks I work with at Burning Man. They're amazed that I coil cables on site, store instruments in cases with cut foam inserts, and actually clean all my gear once I get back to civilization. Throwing pars in a bin is a step UP for these folks.

They're also amazed that my equipment works out there year after year, and that I can find the pieces I need in seconds flat. (OK, I'm kind of amazed that the Chauvet DJ led pars have held up this long)
 
Many years ago I used the bin method, but with one little added feature: A girl I knew was nice enough to sew up about 80 pillow-case sized bags out of old blankets. Used to slip them into the bags and stack them in laundry carts. Kept them from getting all scratched up. As time went on, I moved to consolidating them on bars of 4 that would drop in open-top coffins that would stack for transport. Then moved to pre-hung trusses where the pars rode inside. Retired now, down to about a job or two a year, and back to the 4-bars in coffins.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back