Best carrying case for audio adapters?

[Dave O'Heare]

As a bottom-feeding audio guy, I've ended up with what seems like a million
audio adapters, any one of which I might need at an instant's notice. You
know the drill -- gender changers, 1/4"-3.5mm-XLR-RCA-NL4-NL8-banana-BNC-
TNC-VGA-HDMI-12,000,000 different Mac video adapters, etc.

Currently, I'm using a Plano fishing tackle case with three divided lidded
boxes, and it's a) not really big enough, and b) not really durable enough
to be thrown in the back of the truck with the road cases and assorted
junk.

I'm looking for suggestions, please. Do I bite the rather large bullet and
invest in a Systainer? Is there an off-the-shelf case that will work better
than a fishing lure case?

Dave O'Heare

dave.oheareATgmail.com

[William Sommerwerck]

I'd get sheets of stiff(ish) foam, similar to the sort found in Pelican
cases -- but not precubed. I'd cut long slits in it, and force the adapters
into the slits.

[Frank Stearns]

Post by Dave O'Heare
As a bottom-feeding audio guy, I've ended up with what seems like a million
audio adapters, any one of which I might need at an instant's notice. You
know the drill -- gender changers, 1/4"-3.5mm-XLR-RCA-NL4-NL8-banana-BNC-
TNC-VGA-HDMI-12,000,000 different Mac video adapters, etc.
Currently, I'm using a Plano fishing tackle case with three divided lidded
boxes, and it's a) not really big enough, and b) not really durable enough
to be thrown in the back of the truck with the road cases and assorted
junk.
I'm looking for suggestions, please. Do I bite the rather large bullet and
invest in a Systainer? Is there an off-the-shelf case that will work better
than a fishing lure case?

Home Depot has (or had) a flat case, 3"-3 1/2" high or so, brief-case sized, with
several removeable trays and I think snap-in dividers for some of the trays (might
be wrong on that detail, however).

Bright yellow body, charcoal colored trays, clear top, really good snaps to latch
the top. Works well for my collection of adaptors. It is (or was) US$10-15.

Now, there was a similar case, but not as thick (perhaps 2"-2 1/2") and made from
lesser plastic. Don't like it nearly as well, not sure where I got it.

But the Home Depot one was nearly made to order for the application.

Frank
Mobile Audio

[t***@gmail.com]

A standard tackle box - with the top two or three levels that accordion out when the lid is open.

[t***@gmail.com]

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Audio adaptors
Video
Network/IT

Large bottom space for splitters, roll of gaffer, solder, and a multi-meter! :)

[Bob Vaughan]

Post by Dave O'Heare
As a bottom-feeding audio guy, I've ended up with what seems like a million
audio adapters, any one of which I might need at an instant's notice. You
know the drill -- gender changers, 1/4"-3.5mm-XLR-RCA-NL4-NL8-banana-BNC-
TNC-VGA-HDMI-12,000,000 different Mac video adapters, etc.
Currently, I'm using a Plano fishing tackle case with three divided lidded
boxes, and it's a) not really big enough, and b) not really durable enough
to be thrown in the back of the truck with the road cases and assorted
junk.
I'm looking for suggestions, please. Do I bite the rather large bullet and
invest in a Systainer? Is there an off-the-shelf case that will work better
than a fishing lure case?
Dave O'Heare
dave.oheareATgmail.com

What I do is to use a series of cordura zipper bags in various colors
to segregate the various adaptor types, and then toss the lot inside
a larger case (ie: anvil briefcase or similar.)

I also tend to edit the number of adapters to a reasonable number, while
maintaining flexibility. (ie: do you really need 1/8"-XLR? or will 1/8"-RCA
and RCA-XLR do?) I tend not to mix cable and non-cable type adaptors in
the same bag, and I tend to sort them by major connector type (ie: XLR wins
over anything else.), or lowest common denominator.

So, you might end up with a bag of stuff that goes to NL8, a bag of NL4,
a couple bags of XLR, a bag of Mac adaptors, a bag of BNC adaptors, a bag
of RCA-whatever, a bag of XLR tools (pads, xfmers, phase reverse, etc), etc.

Of course there is a finite set of colors, but if you sort by type of use
(speaker, XLR, non-XLR, XLR tools, video, other), and give each a color,
you can grab the bag(s) of that color, and look at the labels, or just ID
the contents by feel.

Sometime I will put the small stuff (RCA-1/8, RCA barrel, BNC, etc) in
small tackle boxes.