Firearms storage and transport solutions run the full gamut, from mild to wild. Some shooters are fine tossing their guns in the back of a vehicle unprotected. Others may employ an abundance of caution in babying their beloved safe queens and will lament even the slightest spot of discoloration on a weapon’s finish. Most of us fall somewhere in between, with certain guns getting a bit more care paid to them, and others existing closer to the “beater gun” or “truck gun” side of the spectrum. Commonly, the level of shielding we provide our weapons is going to depend largely on the situation. For short car rides with a smaller equipment load, many times a decent soft case may be sufficient. However, for longer travel or with more gear, a more protective hard shell case is often necessary. In particular, if you’re going to fly with a firearm, a quality hard case is essentially an absolute must. For years, Pelican has served as the gold standard for hard cases in the firearms world. Although there are certainly other options, most other gun case makes and models tend to scale back from the Pelican level, offering decreased toughness and weight in exchange for lower price points. However, now one new company, Bear Hyde, is looking to go upscale. See their introductory press release, copied below.

The interior eschews traditional pick-and-pluck foam for a Vacuum Rigidizing Structure. See this video to learn about this system.

Currently, Bear Hyde offers single- and double-rifle versions, respectively called the Goat and Bear models.

In short, Bear Hyde cases are meant to be the ultimate premium gun case solution, with feature sets and MSRPs starting at $2000 to match. The keys to this quest for preeminence are in their interior VRS system, (Vacuum Rigidizing Structure) and in the carbon fiber construction, as well as details like CNC aluminum hardware. With typical cases from other brands, higher levels of protection (i.e. sufficient for air travel) come with a fair amount of added heft. For example, most of Pelican’s rifle-intended models tip the scales at more than twenty pounds. Bear Hyde’s use of a carbon fiber shell allows them to build a tough case that’s still light. The Goat, which is Bear Hyde’s single rifle model, weighs in at only twelve pounds – that’s less than half of its most comparable Pelican version.

What do you think, readers? Could this be the new top of all top-of-the-line options, or is it overpriced/overkill versus competing products? Let us know what you think in the comments! See you at the range.

Photos courtesy of Bear Hyde.