I don’t see the advantage of a pelican case on a hike. Too rigid and bulky. If it’s stowed in your pack it’s hard to get to. So carry it like a briefcase? No, that’s as practical as one of those hybrid backpack/rollerboards on the trail.
I recently went digital (possibly the last person on the planet to see the light), and I keep the camera (a Canon Rebel and a wide and a long zoom lens) in a fanny pack I wear on the front. (Sort of like Albert Brooks stylishly did in “The In-Laws.”) The pack is cordura with a rubberized interior liner; Compass is the brand. I keep two gallon baggies folded up inside to put the camera stuff into in case of heavy rain. I use neoprene beer-can coolies over the lenses for lightweight protection.
The waist pack gives me easy, front access to the camera while hiking. If we’ve got a camp set up and are dayhiking, I carry a backpack and ask my wife to wear the camera bag for the mobility. The joy of digital is that my 2GB Ultra II card holds 580 large quality images. That’s 20-something rolls of 24-exposure film! On a recent 6-day backpack, I had the items listed above, plus 2 polarizing filters and an extra camera battery. When we got back to the trailhead I still had 30 images and ¾’s of one of the batteries left (at the price of not doing much editing in the field). Plus no more worries about getting the film thru badly tweaked airport x-ray machines.
Main thing is that the container for the camera needs to be soft and light, yet offer some protection.