I’m thinking about getting a Pelican case for my camera gear and so the first place I checked was at Al-Sabih. But, not only did they not have the sizes I was looking for, what they did have was expensive, like double Amazon prices expensive. For example:
Pelican 1520 Case with Foam
Al-Sabih = KD73
Amazon = KD34
Then I remembered someone once mentioned a store called FITCO Systems once that also sold Pelican cases. So I googled FITCO and found pictures of what looked like a stationary store / hardware store / electronics store. I asked the guys in one of my WhatsApp groups about the store and a friend told me its a very weird place, so weird that he couldn’t explain what the store sold and that I had to go see it for myself.
FITCO Systems is located in Kuwait City right next to Tatami and behind Solo Pizza. When I first walked in I asked about Pelican cases and they have them. Their prices were also pretty reasonable:
Pelican 1400 Case with Foam
FITCO = KD32
Amazon = KD30
Pelican 1500 Case with Foam
FITCO = KD48
Amazon = KD43
Pelican 1600 Case with Foam
FITCO = KD65
Amazon = KD48
Anyway here is the interesting part. I started walking around the store to see what they sold exactly and they had so much random stuff all over the place. The store has been around since 1986 and I think they deal with businesses and wholesale (B2B) more than with consumers. So the store isn’t really in tip-top condition which is why I kept digging up so much vintage stuff.
The store has a ton of items still on the shelves from when they had opened back in 1986, items that are no longer useful but they’re still selling. The place is like a time capsule and I think I spent an hour flipping through their shelves taking photos of everything from Palm Pilot modems to storage cases for 5 1/4 Floppy Disks. They had brand new Windows 98 boxes as well as Microsoft Plus! 98. They had discontinued FujiFilm FP-100C instant film, old Nikon 35mm film scanners, a whole bunch of 8mm backup tapes and cartridges, old webcams, and just a huge amount of random items piled up everywhere. I shared a bunch of photos on my instagram story @mark248am if you want to take a look.
If you want to check the place out yourself, here is their location on [Google Maps].
They also have a website but like the store, it also looks like it hasn’t been updated since the 90s [Link].
19 replies on “Pelican Cases and Vintage Stuff at FITCO Systems”
Do they by any chance have any retro gaming consoles?
nope
I guess this is the place time travelers come to restock supplies mostly from 1990s
Didn’t really get it..
so all the vintage stuff is from the time it was actually useful, like the late 90s etc..? In that case hasn’t it gone bad already.. like all the cartridges would have dried up, the windows license expired, etc, etc..
(if that’s the case, it speaks extremely poorly of FITCO’s inventory management)
Or if they are recent supplies, are these companies still manufacturing this stuff? which would mean there are still a substantial number of buyers for this stuff?
Its just that their showroom is like that … they do b2b mostly and supply based on orders etc…some of those old inventory they could not dispose..
You can find a good variety of Pelican-style cases in shops around Al Ahmadi Industrial Area. Look for shops selling personal safety equipment there.
Got a google maps link?
Too many shops to list or pinpoint. However, drive around the explore the area and it would be worth the trip for a pelican style case or gear & equipment in general. Needless to say, neither road condition or general surroundings are Lotus friendly
https://goo.gl/maps/E8rWPx4tEGM2
Thanks will check it out now maybe
there is a shop in mutthnaa complex also..it opens only after 5 or 6 pm they have some pelican –its a saftey equp sales..they have a shop in ahmedi also…
Yup the Dickies dealer, I was there last week but wasn’t looking for pelican at that time so I should go bacj
Great post Mark it brings a lot of memories to me, you should make a separate post about these vintage stuff stores here in Kuwait.
OMG – my first job was at FITCO systems and I remember wondering why they had such old stock some 8 years back. Can’t believe it’s still there! The Indian business owner (great guy btw) is basically a hoarder and never wanted to dispose off old stocks even at the cost of added cost, I believe.
oh wow how random!
Very interesting! Got to take that time travel trip down there!
Any idea how much they are selling the Fujifilm FP-100C film for?
4.750 but they’re expired from 2003
I went around to the store today. Absolutely amazing place. My kind of store.
Graham
Sorry for the noob question. Do they custom cut the foams for any gear?
No but AAB World sell Nanuk cases and do custom cutting