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Ronin's Review of Magpul Industries DAKA 38.8in Hard Case
A few things to know about this case. It’s sturdy, and heavy, especially when loaded up. Don’t get this if you want to be able to easily maneuver it around. It has wheels on the bottom for a reason. But it feels bomb proof and substantial. The latches are easy to manipulate and the Daka grid organizer feels like giant foam legos.
With all that said, I was able to get two ar-15s with sizable optics into this thing. It’s a little tight but that’s the beauty of the DAKA grid system. You can add blocks where you need them to make things work and keep things secured. This also means you can readjust your internal case setup to provide different options depending on what you want to put in the case that day.
I would suggest taking a picture of a setup that works for you for each type of setup you have for this. For example, if you are taking two rifles with you to the range, take a pic of what that looks like. That way if you reorganize the case later to fit a shotgun and a few pistols, you can refer to the pic of the rifles and reorganize the case quickly. Doing this for every particular setup you create is extremely helpful and means you don’t have to start from scratch again.
Every one that has a video on this case and all the written reviews I read said specifically this was a one rifle case, and to jump up to the R44 if you need 2 rifles to fit. That’s b.s. They were wrong and I wish I’d just gotten this instead of the R44 because that thing is gigantic and feels very difficult to manage compared to the c35 model. Yes, the rifles will be a bit tight, but the size difference between this case and the r44 Daka case is SUBSTANTIAL. IN MY R44 I can put in two rifles with the stocks fully extended, suppressors, 2 handguns and multiple mags. That’s great if you just want to take one thing to the range but that also means that the r44 ends up being heavy and makes you feel like you’re dragging around a boat. And, it’s extremely long. Getting a case the length of the r44 into your average sized car is not going to happen unless you can put down the back seat and push it into the trunk. I have a big SUV and I have to put one of my back seats down to make the r44 fit. I don’t have to do that with the c35.
One other thing, I would suggest buying the Daka straps that Magpul sells to secure your weapon and any loose accessories you don’t want bouncing all over. The Daka straps that work well are the ones with the red tabs. The Velcro that comes with this case is woefully inadequate and will only really secure a loose mag or random parts you have in the case.
You can remove one of the grids, like the one in the middle, if you need to store additional magazines or other items without it impacting your ability to store your weapons.
This case, just like the pelican, is dust proof and water resistant. What this means in practice is that it can trap moisture. Make sure you toss in some desiccant packets into the holes in the Daka grid to keep your weapons from rusting if you intend to use this for long term storage. The cases have the ability to add a lock and you could use a steal cable to attach the case to something so it couldn’t be dragged away easily, but this is not a replacement for a good safe either. The material could easily be sawed open if one has the time and inclination to do so.
Lastly, if you have flashlights in your guns like I do, you can cut the foam in the top of the case but I didn’t find that necessary. The foam is pliable enough that when the case was closed, my light just made an intention in the foam, still keeping some padding around the flashlight, and keeping my foam fully intact.
Bottom line, I chose this instead of a pelican because I wanted the option to rearrange the case based on my needs. Instead of buying and cutting multiple pieces of foam, this case and Daka system allows me to reconfigure the case however I need for what I’m going to be carrying with me to the range that day. This is EXTREMELY valuable to me, as I have multiple weapons. You could also get this if you just have one rifle and a pistol, and set it up how you need it to work. There’s genuine flexibility here that makes the high asking price worth it.
With all that said, I was able to get two ar-15s with sizable optics into this thing. It’s a little tight but that’s the beauty of the DAKA grid system. You can add blocks where you need them to make things work and keep things secured. This also means you can readjust your internal case setup to provide different options depending on what you want to put in the case that day.
I would suggest taking a picture of a setup that works for you for each type of setup you have for this. For example, if you are taking two rifles with you to the range, take a pic of what that looks like. That way if you reorganize the case later to fit a shotgun and a few pistols, you can refer to the pic of the rifles and reorganize the case quickly. Doing this for every particular setup you create is extremely helpful and means you don’t have to start from scratch again.
Every one that has a video on this case and all the written reviews I read said specifically this was a one rifle case, and to jump up to the R44 if you need 2 rifles to fit. That’s b.s. They were wrong and I wish I’d just gotten this instead of the R44 because that thing is gigantic and feels very difficult to manage compared to the c35 model. Yes, the rifles will be a bit tight, but the size difference between this case and the r44 Daka case is SUBSTANTIAL. IN MY R44 I can put in two rifles with the stocks fully extended, suppressors, 2 handguns and multiple mags. That’s great if you just want to take one thing to the range but that also means that the r44 ends up being heavy and makes you feel like you’re dragging around a boat. And, it’s extremely long. Getting a case the length of the r44 into your average sized car is not going to happen unless you can put down the back seat and push it into the trunk. I have a big SUV and I have to put one of my back seats down to make the r44 fit. I don’t have to do that with the c35.
One other thing, I would suggest buying the Daka straps that Magpul sells to secure your weapon and any loose accessories you don’t want bouncing all over. The Daka straps that work well are the ones with the red tabs. The Velcro that comes with this case is woefully inadequate and will only really secure a loose mag or random parts you have in the case.
You can remove one of the grids, like the one in the middle, if you need to store additional magazines or other items without it impacting your ability to store your weapons.
This case, just like the pelican, is dust proof and water resistant. What this means in practice is that it can trap moisture. Make sure you toss in some desiccant packets into the holes in the Daka grid to keep your weapons from rusting if you intend to use this for long term storage. The cases have the ability to add a lock and you could use a steal cable to attach the case to something so it couldn’t be dragged away easily, but this is not a replacement for a good safe either. The material could easily be sawed open if one has the time and inclination to do so.
Lastly, if you have flashlights in your guns like I do, you can cut the foam in the top of the case but I didn’t find that necessary. The foam is pliable enough that when the case was closed, my light just made an intention in the foam, still keeping some padding around the flashlight, and keeping my foam fully intact.
Bottom line, I chose this instead of a pelican because I wanted the option to rearrange the case based on my needs. Instead of buying and cutting multiple pieces of foam, this case and Daka system allows me to reconfigure the case however I need for what I’m going to be carrying with me to the range that day. This is EXTREMELY valuable to me, as I have multiple weapons. You could also get this if you just have one rifle and a pistol, and set it up how you need it to work. There’s genuine flexibility here that makes the high asking price worth it.
Would Recommend:
Yes