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Hardigg Xtreme Review

Cases So Tough, Even SUPERMAN Would Want One!

Hardigg Storm Cases claim to be tough, rugged, lightweight, airtight, watertight, impervious to Mother Nature, dent-resistant, shatter-resistant and virtually unbreakable...."We will be the judge of that".

Over the span of 30 days, NEMO Regional Training has been on a self initiated crusade to not merely test the Hardigg Storm Case iM2370 but to put Hardigg's "feet to the fire" if you will, through some of the most extreme product testing we (NEMO Training), have prepared to date.

With the access and safety of a remote, 300+ acre farm, clear from any onlookers or civilians, the location offered a safe and environmentally pleasurable setting for our proposed testing.

For our first test, (by means of our farms 15 acre lake) we proposed to tow the iM2370 behind a wave runner at approximately 40-50 miles per hour. With a Supercharged 1494cc four-stroke - 255 hp Supercharged Intercooled Rotax 4-TEC engine, the Hardigg Storm Case iM2370, put up one heck of a fight in our tests.

With a large rope, we attached the iM2370 by its handle to the attachment point on the rear of the wave runner. Initially, we checked the buoyancy and floating characteristics of the case while merely sitting in the water. The case appeared to be extremely buoyant and at times, becoming a struggle to keep under the water. This quickly changed however as we started our "powered" runs behind the wave runner.

Initially, at low speeds behind the wave runner (approximately 10 miles per hour) and in tow at approximately 10 feet behind, the iM2370 was quickly pulled under the water by the jet wake. From my position, it appeared that the wake being generated had somewhat of a downward angle and spiral effect on the case. Some of this I believe was due to the handle being extended outward in order to tie or attach to the case. None the less, it was an immediate and obvious strain on the wave runner as the case appeared to submerge approximately 2-3 feet under the surface of the water with a visibly extreme pressure being placed on both the handle and the case.

With a loud and affirmative yell for my driver to, "STOP", I increasingly became concerned with the possibility of the iM's handle breaking or coming off of the case in the form of a possible projectile that would jeopardize the safety of my driver.

As we came to a mere crawl, I pulled the rope in to retrieve and inspect the case; there were absolutely no visible signs of stress cracks or wear on the case or its handle. As I advised the water craft driver of the condition the case was in, I then instructed him to attempt 40 miles per hour and that I would redeploy the case at that speed.

Speeding along the water, I heard the driver yell, "40"! I then threw the case back into jet of water shooting out the rear of the watercraft. I then observed the case initially floating or skimming on the surface of the water rather than immediately submerging. As we began to reach 45 mile per hour, the case immediately submerged under the water while thrusting both the driver and I forward. This time, without instruction, the driver released the throttle as the case resurfaced once again.

Following our water testing, we opened the case and to our revelation, the laptop appeared to be completely dry and free of any moisture and thankfully booted with no problems.

For our final test, we opted to take the iM2370 to 1,000 feet msl and release the case from a helicopter.

There were some immediate concerns with this particular test, mainly who was going to stand on the ground and video the case plummeting to the earth with both an unknown resting spot and indefinite speeds as it returned to the ground. After much deliberation, I felt it was in the safety of the entire crew to remain a safe distance from the drop area and rely on footage from the helicopter/deployment.

With various contents (There was no way I was using my laptop on this one), safely enclosed within the case and a gorgeous clear day, we placed the iM230 in the helicopter as we took off to our prescribed altitude and drop zone. With a brisk 15 knot head wind as we slightly hovered over our target area, I launched the case out the door of our heli. As I tried to remain focused on the case with my camera, it was very difficult to stay "on target" as the case quickly accelerated out of view.

As I stopped recording to watch the remaining 200-300 foot flight path of the case, I faintly observed the case enter a tree in the middle of our property. As marveled at the bounce the case had made off of the initial impact, I could not wait to get to the ground and inspect the damage.

Descending through 600 feet, the pilot and I began chuckling as to how many pieces the case would be in and the possible whereabouts of the thousands of tiny plastic pieces.

As we proceeded to the point of landing, a red blur was spotted out of the corner of my eye as the "recovery team" was speeding towards the same location in a red pick up truck. After a few minutes, deep in a wooded area, one of the team members screamed, "I've got it". As I ran to the location, at first glance, the case appeared to have suffered minimal damage. As inspected the case further, it is believed that the (2) two latches had "blown" open at impact as the contents of the case were spread in a one-two foot radius around the case.

As the crew and I debriefed, we came to a very quick and unanimous conclusion.

These cases are so tough, even SUPERMAN would want one!!

Darin Logue started his law enforcement career in 1998, but has been involved in fugitive apprehension since the mid-1990s. He is considered a skilled practitioner in the areas of narcotics, interview and interrogation, and fugitive apprehension and tracking. He is a frequent lecturer to criminal justice classes, as well as a guest speaker at many police academies and departments throughout the Midwest . Darin has served as one of Missouri 's youngest chiefs and is an active member of the law enforcement community, working with several agencies in Missouri . He conducts training seminars on undercover narcotics and fugitive apprehension and tracking and can be reached at www.nemotraining.com and lnirt@hotmail.com.