Vaultek LifePod Guide: Every Model From Micro to Rifle Case

The Vaultek LifePod started as a single portable lockbox and has grown into a product family spanning everything from a micro case that holds a passport to a 42-inch rolling rifle case. That growth is why the naming is confusing: X, XE, 10, 20, XR, XT, XRC don’t tell you which is bigger. This guide sorts the line by size and use case, covers the one model people buy for reasons that have nothing to do with firearms, and helps you pick before you order the wrong one.

The Size Ladder

Start here, because the model names give you nothing. Sorted smallest to largest:

Two things worth knowing about that table.

XE is slim rather than small. Vaultek describes it as a briefcase-style case with a brand-new size — thin profile, wider footprint. It’s not a smaller version of the 20; it’s a different shape for different places.

XRC is a different product category. At 42 inches with wheels, it belongs to the rifle-case world rather than the lockbox world. More on that below.

Which LifePod Do You Need?

Micro and Slim: LifePod X and XE

LifePod X — The Travel Lockbox

Best for: Documents, keys, and small valuables — travel and hotel use.

The X is the smallest LifePod, and it also makes sense for reasons that have nothing to do with firearms. It’s a genuinely good hotel-room lockbox: passport, cash, spare keys, a watch. Tether it to something fixed and you’ve solved the problem of leaving valuables in a room you don’t control.

Vaultek’s current X runs roughly 8.125 by 5.5 by 1.9 inches externally with an interior around 7.625 by 3.5 by 1.375 inches, and ships with a security cable, carabiner, tray, and organizer. Depending on dimensions, some compact electronics may fit as well — measure before assuming.

It’ll hold a very small pistol, but if a firearm is the primary contents, the 10 or 20 gives you room for magazines too.

Check the LifePod X on Amazon →

LifePod XE — Slim Briefcase Profile

Best for: Places where thickness is the constraint — a laptop bag, between a seat and console, a desk drawer.

The XE is one of the newer additions and it isn’t simply a size step. It’s a briefcase-style case — slim profile, wider footprint — which Vaultek calls a brand-new size in the lineup, with a redesigned interior and modular accessory system.

The practical difference: a chunky lockbox doesn’t slide into a bag alongside a laptop, and it doesn’t fit in a gap where thickness is the limit. The XE does. Vaultek positions it for everyday carry, the range, and travel.

Standard and lid-organizer configurations are available, plus a removable drop-in tray with anchor points and quick-release buckles for strapping gear in place.

Check the LifePod XE on Amazon →

The Core: LifePod 10 and 20

These are the models most people mean when they say LifePod, and where most buyers should start.

LifePod 10 — Compact

Best for: One handgun plus essentials, in a case that fits more places than the 20.

The 10 is the compact version — enough for a pistol and a magazine or two without the bulk of the full-size. If you’re leaving it in a vehicle console or a smaller bag, the size difference matters more than the capacity you’re giving up.

Check the LifePod 10 on Amazon →

LifePod 20 — The Full-Size Standard

Best for: A full-size pistol, spare magazines, and personal items — the default LifePod.

If you’re not sure which one you need, this is usually it. The 20 handles a full-size handgun plus magazines with room for a wallet, phone, and documents alongside.

Available with keypad or biometric access — worth checking which version you’re ordering, since biometric is optional rather than standard across the line. Weatherproof construction with a security-cable attachment point.

Check the LifePod 20 on Amazon →

LifePod 2.0 Variants

The 2.0 generation remains available in a couple of configurations. The organizer version adds interior organization for gear beyond a pistol, and the SlingBag bundle pairs a case with a carry bag — which makes sense for range trips where you’re carrying more than the case itself.

Vaultek also produces special editions including SIG SAUER, Smith & Wesson, and Colion Noir collaborations. Some of these carry different interior configurations as well as different branding, so check what’s included rather than assuming it’s only a colorway.

Modular: LifePod XR and XT

XR and XT are Vaultek’s larger modular-capable LifePods. Standard configurations use foam interiors, while Range Editions and compatible accessory kits add removable trays that accept pistol and magazine modules.

That distinction matters more than the model names do — capacity depends on which configuration you buy, not just which model.

LifePod XR — Configurable Mid-Size

Best for: Larger loadouts where you want the option to arrange the interior yourself.

The XR is lightweight, lockable, and all-weather with room for full-size pistols and gear. Standard versions ship with foam; the accessory tray that accepts pistol and magazine modules comes with the Range Edition or a Range Starter Kit.

If modularity is why you want it, make sure you’re buying a configuration that includes the tray.

Check the LifePod XR on Amazon →

LifePod XT — Large Modular Case

Best for: Range trips with several pistols, or overland and vehicle storage.

The XT is the largest pistol-sized LifePod, built around a high-impact polymer shell with a dual anti-impact latch system, biometric scanner, and touch-sensitive keypad. Water-resistant, dust-proof, and airtight.

But capacity depends heavily on configuration. Standard versions use crate foam with lid compression foam. The XT Range Edition adds a removable modular tray with five pistol racks, one magazine rack, a lid organizer with mesh zip pockets, a drop-in tray, and accessory storage.

If hauling several pistols is the reason you’re buying an XT, the Range Edition is the configuration to look at — the standard version won’t organize them the same way. Pluckable foam is also available if you’d rather build custom cutouts.

One feature the XR doesn’t have: a mounting plate accessory for wall mounting or attaching to an ATV luggage rack. That’s aimed at overlanders and anyone who wants the case secured to a vehicle rather than riding loose.

Check the LifePod XT on Amazon →

The Outlier: LifePod XRC Rifle Case

Best for: Traveling with a rifle or shotgun.

This one belongs to a different category than everything above. The XRC is a 42-inch rolling rifle case with biometric access — the LifePod concept scaled up to long guns.

Vaultek highlights a number of rifles with barrels around 16 inches or shorter — AR-15, AKM, AK-103, Galil Ace II, SOCOM 16, lever actions — plus semi-auto shotguns like the Beretta A300 Ultima Patrol, bullpups including the Hellion, Tavor X95 and Steyr AUG, and hunting rifles with shorter barrels and minimal optics.

Barrel length alone doesn’t determine fit. The usable interior is 40.3 by 12.9 by 5.25 inches, so measure the complete firearm with optics, stock position, and muzzle devices installed rather than working from a barrel spec.

The compression latches make the case airtight, and the design lets you work both latches simultaneously with two hands. Rolling wheels handle the weight, which matters at this size.

Check the LifePod XRC at Cabela’s →

The Cigar Version: LifePod Humidor

Best for: Traveling with cigars, or keeping them locked at home.

Yes, this is real — and it makes more sense than it first sounds.

A LifePod is already airtight, water-resistant, and dust-proof. Those are precisely the properties a travel humidor needs. Vaultek built a version specifically for cigars, and the result is a case that protects a collection from humidity swings, crushing, and anyone who might help themselves.

It’s an unusual overlap: the same engineering that keeps a pistol dry in a truck bed keeps cigars protected in a suitcase. If you’ve been carrying cigars in a soft case and losing some to travel, this addresses that directly.

Worth knowing that people also buy standard LifePods and add their own humidification — but the purpose-built version handles it without improvising.

Check the LifePod Humidor on Amazon →

Flying With a LifePod

LifePods are frequently marketed as TSA-approved travel cases, and it’s worth being precise about what that means.

Ammunition has separate packaging requirements, and airlines can impose their own rules on quantity, weight, locks, declaration procedures, and baggage handling — and those policies differ more than many travelers expect.

Our complete guide to flying with firearms compares ten major carriers side by side. Check your carrier’s current policy before flying.

Living With a LifePod

One more thing worth thinking through: a LifePod solves a different problem than a mounted safe. If you want quick bedside access, a mounted quick-access safe is the better tool — our complete Vaultek guide covers the mounted side of the line, and the DS2i review covers the nightstand model in depth.

Where LifePod really earns its keep is everywhere that isn’t home.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

The LifePod line makes sense once you sort it by size rather than by name. X for a passport, XE when thickness matters, 10 for a compact setup, 20 for the standard handgun-plus-magazines job, XR and XT when you want to configure the interior, XRC when you’re moving a rifle.

For a buyer who wants a general-purpose handgun LifePod, the LifePod 20 is the logical starting point — enough room for a full-size pistol and magazines without being awkward to carry. Step up to the XT if you’re hauling several pistols — in Range Edition trim if you want them properly organized — or across to the XRC if long guns are the point.

Two things to check before you order: which access method the listing includes, and which interior configuration. Both vary within the same model name. And whatever you land on, tether it — a portable case that isn’t attached to anything is just a box with a good lock on it.

Continue Your Research