Suggestions needed for gig bags

I'm looking at the Beato Pro II set and the Humes and Berg Galaxy sets. The H&G is made of cordura and only costs $15 more so I'm leaning towards it. Does anyone have experience with either of these? Other suggestions are welcome too. Thanks!

Both are good (of those two I would go with H&B), but I like Cadillac Sacks better. You can get them at drummaker.com.

If your looking at the Beato II Pro, then I'd also consider the Kaces low-end model. They are in the same price range (maybe cheaper). I got a set for less than $100 for a 5pc kit.

If your going for soft cases, I would go for a more padded case than the Kaces or Beato II Pro's. Beato makes a soft case that has 1/4" foam padding as well as Tuxeudo brands cases.

if you can, spend the extra $ on protection, cause it could cost you more if you cut corners.

I'm not sure if I need to spend another $100 bucks on bags since my kit is just a Pacific FS. If I had a high-end kit I probably would go all out. Plus, I'm pretty careful about packing gear too. The H&B Galaxies run about $115 and the Beatos are about $99.

Unfortunately, the Kaces fusion pack only offers a 20x16 BD bag, I need a 22x18.

dude, dont get bags... just get cases.

My sentiments exactly.

I know a guy who uses drumbags. he has had to replace them 4 times....for that kind of money he could have had Anvil ATA cases made.

I would suggest a set of the plastic cases, myself. I had vulcanized Fibre Cases (H&B) and they were fine, but I should have gotten the plastic models with the foam.

The Protechter cases are really nice. also SKB makes cases for most standard sizes, and they aren't bad for the money.

Go with hardcases, Your drums will thank you!

Tim

Yeah, always better to buy once.

Thanks everyone! Well, I know a guy that has decent bags and he's been using the for years without any problems. However, I'd sometimes help him tear down or set up and I'd always hate stuffing his drums into those bags. Cases make sense. I found some Nomads from Musiciansfiend that might work just fine. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=030903151519065241087177693614/g=perc/g=perc/search/bigpid/base_id/40399/

Those SKB cases are a little pricey. $120 for a 18x22? My kit is only $600 new...including hardware! That would mean my cases would be worth almost as much as my kit!

cases arent cheap. Trust me though, you will want them. Get standard sizes, and when you upgrade your kit, you should be able to use your cases.

I have had protechtor, humes and berg [enduro], those resin dipped cardboard ones and SKB cases. I really like the SKB. They are the most durable, and are made of a thicker plastic. They arent as "wobbley" as the enduro's. Also, they are lined with fabric rather than foam, so you wont have to be replacing the foam you chunk away at by putting drums away. Also, cases have a pretty good re-sale value, and seem to hold their price better than alot of music supplies. Check ebay, they sell for alot... So you can always ebay em.

I like my Beato Cordura Bags. Cordura->foam->fleece lining...and you can get them in just about any size there is! I've done probably half a dozen gigs and drug them in and out of my car a dozen times since I got em, and they still look brand new. Plus, they're easy to pack inside of each other when not in use.

hardshell cases.

I've been using Humes & Burg Tuxedo bags for over ten years and have been very pleased for the duration. Hardshell cases weren't an option for me at the time because they take-up significantly more space during transport. With the Tuxedo Bags, I get enough protection plus I'm able to haul all the other gear I'm responsible for.

I must say though, a hardshell case will obviously provide more protection than any bag. If you think your kit may be subject to some punishment - thrown in the back of a van, etc. - hardshell would be your best option.

good luck

I bought cases, but bought them used, close outs, on sale, etc. Took a while, but saved a lot of money.

While I agree spending more on cases than you do drums is not a good idea, I think you got to have a hard case for cymbals even if every thing else is in a bag. Think of the $$$ involved.

Also if you got some really good snares, one 14x14 inch case will hold two or three.

I have a hardware bag though, and its not great. Too much weight for one bag. I don't have high hopes for it lasting.

Check out the large plastic containers at your local discount department store. At the very least, you might find something cheap that you can use for stands and such.

So I would get a cymbal vault and a large plastic container or two for stands as your first priority. Then I would protect your snares next.

Oh, I got a cymbal vault. Spending $45 on one of those when they provide protection for $600 worth of cymbals is a great return. You'd be a tard not to buy a cymbal case if you have decent cymbals. I also have this huge Rubbermaid thing I got at Wally World for my hardware. It's big enough to fit a 5 year old in.

I have some OLD (some of the straps have rotten off) fiber H&B cases but it's for a standard kit (12,16,22). I'd still have to buy cases for my new snare, 10 tom, and my 14 tom. I might sell those old cases with my old kit and buy new fiber cases. Anyone have experiences with those Nomad cases? They seem like a decent deal. I'm careful with my stuff, well except hardware, and don't plan to do much touring anytime soon.

I've used H&B Fibre cases (still have a couple currently), Beato bags, and a H&B Tuxedo bags. I also have the Wal-Mart plastic foot locker "hardware case" to which I've attached casters.

Cases and bags each have their own set of advantages and disadvantages, and you also need to factor in how you use and transport your kit.

First, on the cases vs. bags issue:

Overall, both (assuming decent quality here) will work just fine for your typical gigging drummer. The other factor to consider is who handles your gear, how you get it to the gig, and where you play.

If you're the typical gigging drummer who plays a couple gigs a month and transports his own gear in his own vehicle, bags will work fine. If your band does lots of shows far away, and your gear gets tossed into a u-haul or van, you might want the added protection of cases. If you plan on flying anywhere, cases are the ONLY option unless you want to risk your drums.

Who handles the gear? Do you often have "roadies" (i.e. the guitarist's loser cousin) who "helps" you load in and out? If you're the person primarily responsible for moving your kit, you probably know how to take care of it...or if you know that you're a clumsy guy this might be important in your decision. If you think your drums might be in more danger than typical drums due to the people who may be moving them, go with cases. If you do the work yourself and take reasonable care, bags will work.

Finally, where do you typically play, and what kind of conditions do you encounter. If you think your kit might get wet, cases generally repel water better than bags (although most bags will easily repel a spilled beer or two). If you generally have NO room to store your stuff, bags are easier to pack away. If you play places that are somewhat unsecure, or too many non-band people have access to the stage and off-stage "band" areas, cases might give you some peice of mind (i.e. I once nearly killed some girl in a club who decided that my 16x16 floor tom, stored in a beato bag, would make a nice seat for her to park her fat @55 on while her boyfriend's band was on stage...if the drum had been in a hard case, I'd have only been half as angry). Bottom line, if you fear that some idiot might try to use one of your drums as a step-stool to reach up and adjust the stage lights, get cases.

In the end, both work fine depending on what you want to do. The last thing (I promise) I'll mention is that I know a guy who started out using bags and was happy with them. As his band got bigger and started doing more out of town gigs, he decided to invest in cases. He intentionally went out an bought cases that were a size or two larger than what he really needed, and now he uses the padded bags INSIDE his hard cases for travel gigs. When he's playing locally and hauling his own gear, he leaves the cases at home, and just takes the bags.

Wow, that's a lot of insightful info. You should publish that.

Yeah, I usually handle my gear but my bandmates help out too. They are level-headed and responsible individuals which gives me peace of mind. Hell, they probably handle my stuff more carefully than me because they don't wanna risk my wrath.

I'm kinda leaning towards bags for the space issue. My Cherokee has to haul all of my gear, a guitar cabinet, two guitars, and another person. If I get cases, they'll be fiber cases and I really don't think they'd offer that much more protection than quality bags. I don't wanna spend more than $130 bucks. If had a fancy assed $2000 kit it would be a different story.

Glad to help...

If you're talking thin fibre cases (like H&B or similar) vs. bags, the cases aren't really crushproof or waterproof. They basically keep your kit from getting dinged up and scratched. Bags will do the same thing.

Speaking of fancy-assed stuff...it certainly doesn't make sense to go out and spend $1500 on cases for a $800 kit either!

1500 on cases? What the hell? I got all my SKB cases for like 300 bucks?!

Maybe they are bullet proof, fire proof, and nuclear blast proof.

I just discovered something funny about myself. I'll spend weeks looking deciding on stupid accessories but I'll buy something big impulsively. When I bought my jeep it was like the 2nd one I tried out but when it was time to get new tires or an exhaust system, I'd research the hell out it and spend weeks shopping around. Just like that Pacific kit I bought and these dumb bags/cases.

My biggest gripe is that there isn't much to look at in town. I know what fiber cases are all about but know nothing about these bags, how much padding they have, how strong the material is, etc...

I was advised to do something Steve mentioned in his post - buy bags first and then buy unlined hard cases to put them inside as you get the money. I've heard that the padding inside padded cases tears up pretty quickly, hence the bags inside cases instead of padded cases.

Wade

You can easily spend $1,500 on cases for a drumkit if you go with an ATA (like Anvil).

I was considering it. The pair of kicks would go in one, and the toms and snare would go into another one, then the hardware would go in a third.

Tim

sure ATA... but I didnt think that was even being voiced as an option.

Well, the $1500 created bit of stir but I'm glad he mentioned it anyway. Doesn't really hurt to learn what all is available.

However, I'd probably never spend $1500 on a drumkit, much less cases:D

Wow, I throw out a crazy dollar figure, go away for the weekend, and BAM!...it's like setting a forest fire by tossing a cigarette butt out the window.

Sorry for the insanity.

Admittedly, $1500 was a non-researched, completely random number....although if you went the ATA route you could get to that number pretty quickly.

WHAT I SHOULD HAVE SAID was something more like this: "It doesn't make much sense to spend $500 in cases for a $300 kit." or "It doesn't make sense to spend close to the same amount or more on cases than on your kit."

BTW, Rumble, I'll sell you my used bags if you want 'em....I'll even ship 'em right to your door....for $1500 of course.