GigGear

GigGear: custom road and flight cases for professional equipment

GigGear is an Australian company with a workshop in Bayswater, Melbourne, that designs and builds custom road and flight cases, as well as selling hard cases and accessories from recognised brands. The company states that it has been manufacturing cases for over twenty years and that its products are shipped Australia-wide.

Custom manufacturing at the Bayswater workshop

GigGear's Bayswater workshop produces custom road and flight cases. The process begins when the customer sends the equipment list or the dimensions of what needs protecting; from there, the company designs the case and CNC-cuts the foam to fit the equipment. The cases are manufactured to ATA 300 Category I specification, with plywood and aluminium panels. Construction features highlighted by the company include mounts for microphone arms integrated into the lid, recessed butterfly latches, recessed handles, aluminium edge extrusions and castors.

The company recently showed a case project for a podcast desk, designed for a Rodecaster and four boom arms, with a lid that converts into a desk. This example illustrates the type of custom solutions it develops.

Custom cases by equipment

GigGear organises its custom case range by the type of equipment to be transported. Categories include cases for amps and cabinets, cameras, guitars, keyboards, desktop PCs, mixer consoles, pedalboards, TV/LCD screens, drawers and workstations, lighting equipment, laptops, tablets and iPads, equipment packers, speakers, server racks and projectors. The company also manufactures road and flight cases in standard sizes for racks, amps, mixers and other equipment, and offers the option to build custom if the standard size does not fit.

Hard cases and accessories from distributed brands

In addition to its own manufacturing, GigGear sells hard cases from brands such as Gator, SKB, Armour, HPRC and MAX. The range includes moulded cases for instruments, racks and waterproof cases, as well as padded bags. The company presents itself as an authorised Pelican distributor and offers the full range of this brand: Protector, Air, Storm, Vault and Spacecase, plus accessories such as dividers, foam, organisers and O-rings. It also distributes products from A-Mode, Panaro and SLNT.

The shop organises Pelican cases by use: phones and small gear, laptops, firearms and long gear, tools and trade, 4WD and vehicles, and hiking and field. It also sells hard and soft luggage, backpacks, travel bags, organisers and coolers from Pelican and SLNT, and a line of Pelican torches that includes handheld, tactical, headlamps and hazardous area approved models.

Custom foam inserts

GigGear manufactures CNC-cut foam inserts to fit specific equipment, both for Pelican cases and other hard cases. The company offers custom inserts, camera inserts, lid organisers, replacement foam sets, padded divider inserts and Trekpak divider inserts, among other accessories. The customer can send the equipment or the drawings so that the foam fits precisely.

Customers and industries served

The company states that it has manufactured cases for organisations such as the Australian Defence Force, ABC Television, Channel 9, NSW Ambulance, Qantas, BHP, Siemens, CSL Limited, Google, Mercedes Benz, Moto GP and Australian universities. The industries it serves include music and touring, government and defence, film and broadcast, IT and AV, mining, industrial and engineering, and medical and scientific.

Featured catalogue and availability

Among the best-selling road cases that the shop showed are the 1U short depth rack (AUD 145.00), the 2U short depth rack (AUD 190.00), the 4U compact 19-inch heavy duty rack (AUD 285.00), the StackIt Rack locking modular 2U to 12U (AUD 295.00 to 555.00), the heavy duty briefcase large (AUD 225.00), the 4 drawer road case with lid compartments (AUD 1,055.00), the 5128 utility briefcase (AUD 130.00), the 10U rack case with wheels heavy duty (AUD 510.00), the 4U short depth rack (AUD 246.00) and the heavy duty briefcase medium (AUD 162.00). The shop indicated that these products were ready to ship.

The site also showed a sale section with discounts on the distributed brands: Panaro 50% off, HPRC 30% off, Gator Cases 15% off, SKB up to 15% off, Armour 15% off and Pelican 15% off.

Location and contact

Phone: 03 9720 2550 · Email: sales@giggear.com.au · Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 to 17:30