The Trekpak Case Divider System is a beautiful piece of design. It’s simple, it’s clean, and most importantly, you can switch-up your configuration to your needs. It’s meant to replace the current pick-n-pluck foam system that Pelican and other hard shell manufactures use. The problem with the pick-n-pluck system is once you pull out the foam, you’re stuck with that set-up. If you decide to change the set-up, your only option is to replace it with a new foam insert. This will set you back at least $30, depending on your Pelican case and size.

My sole complaint with the Trekpak system is its cost. If you look closely at the materials used, there’s nothing you can’t pick up at your local art store. Essentially it’s 2 layers of EVA foam glued to a corrugated plastic board.

I have a couple of Pelican cases and over the years as my camera system has changed and evolved, I’ve had to reconfigure what gear goes in these cases. And every time I reconfigure I end up buying a new pick-n-pluck insert, which as I’ve said before, gets expensive.

So I decided to DIY my own Trekpak system for both my Pelican 1400 and Pelican 1150 cases. Took me a couple of hour to put this together and the results were magnificent not to mention, every-bit professional looking!

Materials for your DIY Trekpak

The materials needed are straight-forward. You could pick up almost all these items at Michaels Art Store. Amazon I’m sure has all this as well.

Black EVA Foam

Black Coroplast (also called Corrugated Plastic sheet)

Super 77 Spray Adhesive (use with N-95 mask)

Cutting mat

Utility knife

Long ruler or straight edge

Bobby pins or jumbo paper clips

Roller

Latex glove

The most important items in this project are the EVA Foam and Coroplast.

Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) is a closed cell foam. It’s used for exercise mats, sports equipment and props for cosplay. Closed cell means it does not absorb water, so don’t go out and get any old foam, it’s gotta be EVA foam. And if you’re thinking of cutting up your old yoga mat, don’t! The ridges in the mat won’t glue flat onto the Coroplast board and you’ll just end up with a mess.

EVA foam comes in different lengths, so you’ll have to figure out how much you need for you own project. The most important detail to pay attention to is it’s thickness. My recommendation is 2mm. I made the mistake of buying the 5mm, and it turned out to be too thick – usable – but a bit thick.

If you feel the 2mm foam will be too thin, them go for the 4mm then. Don’t forget by the time you’re done, you’ll have 2mm of foam on each side, plus the Coroplast, which itself is 4mm thick. Your total thickness of each divider end up at 8mm, just over 1/4″ thick.

By itself, the dividers are not that rigid, but once you start assembling your configuration, the system hold itself together firmly.

Where to get EVA Foam

Adhesive Backed EVA Foam

If you want to avoid the spray glue step, I recommend buying the Adhesive Backed Foam Sheets instead. Less messy and your lungs will thank you. The cost is slightly more for these, but well worth it.

Adhesive Backed Foam

Size: 9” x 12”

2mm thick only

Price: $1.10/sheet

Adhesive Backed Foam

Size: 24” x 24”

2mm or 4mm thick

Price: $3.95/sheet

Regular EVA Foam

This is the regular version of the foam. You’ll have to use spray glue if you use this.

In the US

Michaels Art Store

Size: 12” x 18”

Thickness: 2mm only

Price: $1.10 / sheet

TNT Cosplay Supply

Size: 24” x 60”

Thickness: 2mm or 4mm

Price: $7.95/sheet

In Canada you can get the same EVA foam from Michaels, but the Canadian website experience is terrible. I promise you they have this item in stores, you just may not find it on their tangled mess of a website.

In Canada (Montreal)

Canada’s Cosplay Supply Store – True North Cosplay

Size: 40” x 40”

Thickness: 2mm or 5mm

Price: $8.00/sheet

Where to get Coroplast

Coroplast (Corrugated Plastic Sheet) is widely available at any art store or even at the Dollar Store. The standard thickness is 4mm, it doesn’t need to be any thicker than that.

In the US

Corrugated Board at Michaels

Size: 20” x 30”

Price: $4.50

In Canada

Deserres

Spray Adhesive

Scotch® Super 77™ Multi-Purpose Spray Adhesive

This is nasty stuff (just read the warning label). You definitely want to use this product outdoors. I usually line the area I’m spraying with newspapers so the ground doesn’t get all sticky from the spray glue. I highly advise the use of an N-95 mask so you’re not coating your lungs with spray glue. It’s not a bad idea to use latex gloves as well.

Putting your DIY Trekpak together

It’s best to start this project on a sheet of paper. Draw out your configuration so you’ll know how much EVA foam to buy and a game plan of how to put this together. Because you’ll end up making more dividers than needed, it’s not critical to be absolutely precise – just have a basic idea. Start by measuring the interior space of your Pelican case. If you measure the dimensions of the old pick-n-pluck insert, that gets you the same measurements.

In my case, the interior is 12” in length x 9” in width x 3.5” tall. I needed to assemble the interior perimeter first before worrying about the dividers. I wasn’t too worried about getting the fit perfectly so I made each panel longer than needed and then trimmed it down to fit.

If I add up the length (12″) and width (9″) of my case, I get 21″ in total. I made 2 of these perimeter inserts at a length slightly longer than the 21″ for some wiggle room. I rounded the corners as I went along and trimmed off the extra length and used pins to join the 2 sections together.

Since I used 5mm EVA foam instead of the 2mm, shaping the corners took some effort. By the time you glue the EVA foam to both sides of the Coroplast, you’re looking at a thickness of 14mm (over 1/2” of material). That’s why I recommend using the 2mm foam instead.

Once the interior perimeter was inserted it was time for the dividers. The EVA foam sheet that I bought was 24” wide, so I made as many 3.5” x 24” strips as I could. I first cut the Coroplast down to 3.5” x 24” strips and then glued the EVA foam to one side. The glue dries fairly quickly once it’s on the foam. I used a roller to apply pressure for better adhesion. I then trimmed off the excess foam with a utility knife. I repeated the same process on the other side. Once that was done I could start cutting them down to size to fit my configuration.

The depth measurement are different in my 2 Pelican cases so I repeated the same process above for the the other case. It all worked out.

Divider Pins

To finish this project off, you need pins to join the interior dividers. These I’m sure are custom made for Trekpak so I not expecting to find these on a store shelf. Getting a bit creative, I bought bobby pins, which in the end work great. Get the biggest ones you can find and you’ll have an easier time manipulating them. I also experimented with jumbo sized-paper clips. If you snip the ends off, they work just as well as the bobby pins.

For the pull tabs I found some Peel-and-Stick felt lying around the house. I cut them into strips and wrapped them around the bobby pins. The Peel & Stick felt is dirt cheap.

Peel & Stick Felt

Peel & Stick Felt

Cost: $1.20/sheet

Cost comparison

If you’re wondering what the cost comparison between buying the real Trekpak system vs the DIY Trekpak version. Here is the breakdown:

For the Pelican 1400

TrekPak Divider Kit for Pelican 1400 Small Protector Case

Cost: $60.00

For the Pelican 1150

TrekPak Divider Kit for Pelican 1150 Small Protector Case

Cost: $35.00

That’s $95.00 total for two cases.

I’ve also read reviews from people who have bought the Trekpak system and their main complaint is they do not provide enough dividers with the system. So you’ll end up buying additional dividers, which of course adds to your cost.

My project costs:

I already had some Super 77 spray glue from another project. I also had some Peel & Stick felt lying around. I made the DIY Trekpak inserts for both my 1400 and 1150 Pelican cases and had plenty of extra dividers for future configurations.

EVA foam: $9.00

Coroplast: $7.00

Bobby Pins: $3.50

Total cost of this project in Canadian dollars $19.50 – about $15.00 in U.S. currency.

Conclusion

The end result looks just as clean and professional as the real thing. I will at some point redo my dividers and use the 2mm foam instead of the 5mm. There’s no need for it to be so thick, plenty of protection with the thinner foam.

I’ve got the flexibility to adjust my foam insert system for future configurations and I saved a wack of money doing it myself. I consider this DIY Trekpak project a success. Alright, Alright, Alright!

2020 Update

How things have held up over the past year?

Well, I’ve been using my DIY Trekpak system for over a year now and it’s still amazing – no complaints so far. I’ve been out on many extended trips, in hot and cold weather environments and everything still works as it should. I was a bit worried the spray glue might start to separate in hot weather, but that hasn’t happened either. Perhaps if you leave your Pelican case in 100˚F weather for days on end in full sun, the glue might eventually start to break down, but I would be more concerned about what’s happening to the actual gear inside the case.

I do have a few suggestions based on my year-long experience.

Skip the spray glue adhesive and just get the self-adhesive EVA foam. Even after a year, whenever I open my Pelican case I still get a whiff of the adhesive spray glue – not sure why – perhaps this stuff never fully cures. In any case, the extra cost for self-adhesive EVA is so insignificant that there’s no reason not to get it. Again, you lungs will thank you.

Even after a year, whenever I open my Pelican case I still get a whiff of the adhesive spray glue – not sure why – perhaps this stuff never fully cures. In any case, the extra cost for self-adhesive EVA is so insignificant that there’s no reason not to get it. Again, you lungs will thank you. EVA foam thickness. I’ve been experimenting using different thickness of the EVA foam and here are my conclusions. For the outside perimeter I would use a 4mm / 2mm combination. This gives it structure and protection from bumps and drops. For the rest of the interior dividers, 2mm works just fine. At first it will seem too thin, but once you put it all together, it all locks in place and it actually has a lot of structural integrity – like a honeycomb, the whole is greater than its parts.

I’ve been experimenting using different thickness of the EVA foam and here are my conclusions. For the outside perimeter I would use a 4mm / 2mm combination. This gives it structure and protection from bumps and drops. For the rest of the interior dividers, 2mm works just fine. At first it will seem too thin, but once you put it all together, it all locks in place and it actually has a lot of structural integrity – like a honeycomb, the whole is greater than its parts. Make extra dividers. I am always tinkering with what gear to bring in my Pelican case. So spend a bit of extra time and cut a few extra dividers. That way you’ll never run out of configuration options. Or better yet, leave the extra dividers uncut, and you can then configure the interior however you want in the future.

Everything else has worked like a charm.

Updated 2020 edition of my DIY Trekpak dividers for my DJI Mavic drone. I picked up this Pelican case off of Craigslist for $10. It’s more compact and my drone fits perfectly.

I reused the 5mm for the outside perimeter and switched to the 2mm foam for the interior dividers. I didn’t even bother with the felt pull tabs because this Peli case has become my drone case, so I won’t be switching configurations anytime soon.