A robust protective casing is provided that includes an inner tubing having a
passageway
therethrough, an outer tubing, and a plurality of flexible strength members disposed
between the inner and outer tubing. The protective casing has a wall tubing thickness
ratio of the inner tubing wall thickness to the outer tubing wall thickness of
about 0.5 or less while still inhibiting the kinking of the protective casing during
relatively small bend radii. Additionally, an outer diameter of the protective
casing is relatively small while still allowing the routing of a standard sized
900 micron tight-buffered optical fiber through the passageway. Thus, the protective
casing is advantageous in applications where limited space is available space.
A fan-out assembly using the protective casings is also described.