Thinkpads Forum

Does anyone have the T61 15.4" with 9-cell battery and the Pelican 1490CC#1 DELUXE case. According to the specs it looks like the T61 will be about 1/4" too deep with the 9-cell battery attached. My guess is that it would fit snuggly, but I'd like to hear from someone who has tried it out.

http://pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1490CC1

It would definitely fit in the 1495 model, but the specs sound too huge compared to the 1490.

I have the a T61p and a 1495 and I would say it is a snug fit without the battery fitted... There is room for a A4 notepad, some pens and a mouse in the lid but after that you're getting tight.

I just spent a week in the Atlantic on a fishing boat in Force 10-11 gales which is as about as an extreme environment I want to be in and wouldn't have been without the Peli. As you can probably imagine the case and laptop took a lot of abuse. At one point the (unprotected) laptop fell 3 feet onto a solid steel floor without any even a scratch...

I have a pelican 1490 but I bought mine before the CC1 / 2 versions . . . Mine has the "lid organizer and fitted shock absorbing tray", so I suspect it's the same as the CC1. It fits my 14" T42s with room to spare. I have a 14" T61 on order with a 7 cell battery . . . Not sure if I'll be of any help? I image, though, that the "depth" (you're talking front to back, right? not top to bottom) would be the same for a 14" / 7 cell as a 15.4" / 9 cell. I've been waiting over four weeks for the T61 to arrive, so I may forget this in my excitement when it finally does. Do feel free to remind me about it.

I bought the Brenthaven and I have the same laptop and battery as you guys. It fits perfectly - like it was made for it. Nice case - love it.

http://www.brenthaven.com/catalog-prolite-ii.html

Thanks for all the responses guys.

@ran007 - that's a nice looking case. However, I was looking for a waterproof hard case.

I ended up getting a sweet deal off e-bay for the Pelican 1490CC#1 Deluxe:

I hoped this case would fit the T61 15.4" w/ 9-cell battery. I was able to "force-fit" the T61 with 9-cell. Unfortunately, it was too tight of a fit. However...

This case is a marriage made in heaven for a T61 15.4" with 6-cell battery!!!
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3905 ... t61yf0.jpg

My new home for the 9-cell battery. It sits nicely in the compartment under the laptop. The "pick and pluck" foam makes it easy to get a perfect fit. I think my PSP is going on the right side!
http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/9444 ... 61bso3.jpg

T61 sits flush with the top of the bottom compartment.
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/3066 ... 61cze3.jpg

I love this case!!!
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6376 ... 61dax6.jpg

This thing is water-proof and crush-proof!!! I think it is a very nice looking case considering it is built like a tank (just like the T61). It's like a tank protecting a tank!

If anyone is interested in this case, you should read the more thorough review by Kevin here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=112081

It's a great review. It just lacks pics with a Thinkpad sitting inside it!

Note from Moderator: Points for the pic warning in the subject line, but there's two pieces to that rule. Images should also be <50k. I converted to links.

How do these Pelican cases work? For example If I put a 14.1" T61P (12.3x10) in a 1490 CC1 case, that is almost 2 inches shorter than the 15.4" T61 (14.1x10). So, can you cut/add foam to make up for the room and is it possible to make a snug fit environment inside? Does it come with a solid block of foam that you can cut to size any way you want? This 1490 CC1 looks like a sweet case.

Edit: Never mind - I found the answer

Harryc wrote:How do these Pelican cases work? For example If I put a 14.1" T61P (12.3x10) in a 1490 CC1 case, that is almost 2 inches shorter than the 15.4" T61 (14.1x10). So, can you cut/add foam to make up for the room and is it possible to make a snug fit environment inside? Does it come with a solid block of foam that you can cut to size any way you want? This 1490 CC1 looks like a sweet case.

Edit: Never mind - I found the answer

You shouldn't have to buy anything extra. If you notice in my first pic you will see a block of foam behind the laptop. That block of foam was actually "L" shaped until I broke off a piece that was about 2" thick going down the side all the way to the front of the case. If I would have left the original "L" shaped piece of foam intact, I'm sure a 14" model would fit perfectly. All of the foam inserts have multiple perforations so it is very easy to just tear off pieces to custom fit.

You can find some pictures of this on the pelican home page. These pictures are tiny, but there is one thumbnail that you can click on that shows the foam insert and you can see what I'm talking about if you look closely.
http://pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1490CC1

Also, for what it's worth. I got an incredible deal on this from e-bay. $103.50 and I was able to avoid shipping charges because the person happened to be local. If you google for awhile, the cheapest I found it on-line was $152 free shipping.

Thanks for the information. Do you still have the insert material? Mind measuring the interior laptop cavity with the extra inset material present?

Harryc wrote:Thanks for the information. Do you still have the insert material? Mind measuring the interior laptop cavity with the extra inset material present?

Here's a pic.
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/8194/pelicanesg1.jpg

No foam: 10 15/16" D x 14 3/8" W

Foam as I have it pictured for my 15.4" T61: 10 1/4" D x 14 3/8" W

Foam as pictured here : 10 1/4" D x 12 1/4" W

The piece that I tore off is ~2" thick. Can you see the perforations? You can tear off 1/4" strips to make it 1 3/4", 1 1/2", 1 1/4", 1", 3/4", 1/2", or 1/4" strip down the side. I'm sure if you needed another piece of this foam pelican.com could probably ship you a piece for next to nothing. It's not like you need an entire foam kit.

Note from Moderator: 119197k is NOT <50k!

Foam as pictured here : 10 1/4" D x 12 1/4" W

Perfect fit. Thanks for the information and for taking the time to put up a pic.

Note from Moderator: 119197k is NOT <50k!

My apologies Mr. Moderator. I did look back to see your first correction. I did not see my first mistake when I made the second one.

That rule seems pretty dated for todays standards. Regardless, now that I've been reminded of that rule I will follow it. In the end, I think I did more good than harm with my posts.

Harryc wrote:

Foam as pictured here : 10 1/4" D x 12 1/4" W

Perfect fit. Thanks for the information and for taking the time to put up a pic.

You are very welcome!

stallen wrote:That rule seems pretty dated for today's standards.

I, for one, am thankful for the rule. Internet bandwidth is NOT cheap in all parts of the world, and while a picture may be worth a thousand words, sometimes a few words says enough. Glad you like the pelican--I've used mine for about 4 years (with a 14" (4:3) T42) and it's been great!