Sienna Plein Air Pastel Box (CT-PB-1411)

I bought this for plein air adventures while traveling to take in my carry-on luggage and discovered that I can only secure my half sticks in the two center rows. If you place pastels on the outer rows, lay the foam back on, close the box and then roll your box around, the pastels roll!!! Even fully loaded with half sticks, they rolled out of place. So, if you are traveling and plan on carrying the pochade, I recommend that you fill the middle two rows completely with your favorite colors. I used the other sections with blending tools and pastel pencils. I also enclosed it in a giant Ziploc bag to prevent any pastel dust from getting on clothes. It fits nicely on my Makoto tripod that has a quick release. It's sturdy, opens easily, easy to use and beautiful! PS... I had no issues with TSA!

Box arrived in perfect condition. First impression was the box was very well made and nicely finished. Everything worked perfectly. I was a little concerned from the description that the box was a bit small. Not so. It holds my 120 half stick Sennelier pastels, extra whites and still has room to spare. Foam appears to be high quality.The lid/easel is very sturdy. Tried mounting it to my video tripod, the connection was very robust. I see no reason that this box shouldn't last as long as I am able to use it. Lifetime investment. There are cheaper boxes out there but I can't imagine they could be as good as this one.I do wish it had rings for a shoulder strap but those should be no problem to install.

Not for me

Used for pastel. Contains adequate but slightly limited storage for pastels, an extra tray, a built in easel and a connection plate to attach a camera tripod. This is very versatile. It fits into a backpack along with the normal camera tri pod, baby wipes/or paper towels, pastel board, insect spray, etc. My whole set up with backpack weighs less than 15 pounds. It has adequate padding to protect the pastels. I add an additional fitted sheet of thin bubble wrap for extra protection. I don’t see a great advantage to owning a Smaller Heilman box for 3 times the money. I am very pleased with the Sienna and I do quite a bit of plain aire.

Wow, extremely well made. I researched the dimensions before I purchased this and was able to put 96 full-sized Grumbacher pastel sticks into it with room to spare. Am including conte crayons as well as charcoal sticks in a tin (second photo). Note (last photo) the ability to use almost any size painting surface. Also (last photo) note cover to keep pastels in place. Will pack pastel pencils separately. This may not be how I finally pack it , but am excited for these results. I Want to do Plein air with this. So will use the tripod attachment.Updated my pastels. So there are 96 half sticks of the Grumbacher and 80 half sticks of sennelier plus a few conte crayons and charcoal sticks.

Perfect box for Plein Air painting with pastels. The inside is 10x12” and deep enough to hold even my Terry Ludwig pastels. I was able to pack so many colors for on the go. The box fits easily on a sturdy tri-pod we already owned. The easel-lid is easy to adjust and sturdy. I also love the side tray which stores in the lid. The finish on the box is beautiful. I’m so pleased with this box.

I love the size, it fits into a backpack and is just the right size to keep in the car for spur of the moment plein air. Before I did anything with it, I tried out my camera tripod’s quick release...it worked great! (I have 2 larger, heavier plein air pastel boxes that were too unstable for my liking and had to take a heavier wooden easel (a Mabef) that had a secure way of having my pastel box at an adjustable height. All of which was too much to carry into the field.). I then filled my new Sienna Pastel Box with my selection of pastels. I filled all 4 foam-lined channels (it holds a nice number of pastels of all different shapes.) and placed the thin, rubbery top liner over top of all the pastels. The first time I used it, it was great. Easy and convenient to use and had carried it in my backpack. The magnetically attached wooden tray to hold the pastels you are using is ingenious! HOWEVER, THE 2nd TIME I USED IT IS A DIFFERENT STORY! The 2 outside channels holding my pastels were NOT SECURELY PROTECTED BY THE THIN RUBBERY TOP LINER! They shifted, rolled into and onto one another and some pastels were broken! The INNER 2 CHANNELS were barely better! Two Terry Ludwig’s were chipped and one cracked in half. What is the problem?...It is the built-in easel mechanism that is attached on the underside of the lid. I guess the designer of this box THOUGHT that this built-in easel would put enough pressure on the thin rubbery foam liner to hold ALL of the pastels in place. IT DOES NOT! And the broken pastels are still ticking me off! I ended up going to a craft store and buying some 1” thick foam. My husband cut it to fit and was even able to cut shallow pieces out of the new foam to accommodate the shape of the easel hardware. THIS SIENNA PLEIN AIR PASTEL BOX NEEDS A MEMORY FOAM LINER TO PROTECT AND HOLD THE PASTELS IN PLACE.They almost got it right.

Update 1.2.2020: I purchased a second box for holding a different set of pastels and sketching supplies, and I also bought 2 sheets of craft foam and cut pieces to fit between the wooden slats. Large pastel sticks might stay securely in place in the box as is, but smaller ones will not. The extra padding keeps everything in place, so that I can carry the box under one arm. This well-designed box is beautifully crafted of solid wood with finger joint construction. Make sure to read the instructions for opening the box and using the easel. *Update* - After a few months of use I am still very pleased. It is easy to over-tighten the knobs, so be careful.