Cases - Hard v Soft

I currently use hard cases which are great when other people are 'roadie-ing' my kit around, however I'm now in a band without such luxuries and I am the only one handling my drums.

It's a really tight squeeze getting my 22", 16", 14" and "12 kit (plus hardwear) into the back of my car, and was wondering whether anyone would recommend using soft cases instead?

Do soft cases take up as much room as hard cases (in a car, for example)?
Do they offer as much protection from slight bumps?
Are they easier to handle?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Cheers,
SSA.

shakesomeaction said:

Do soft cases take up as much room as hard cases

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No. They are certainly a little more flexible than a rigid hard case and tend to take up less space.

Do they offer as much protection from slight bumps?

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As much protection? No.

But for the guy loading his own gear into his car, a good quality bag can certainly offer excellent protection from dings, scratches, scrapes and general wear and tear involved with transporting. Obviously it's not a hard case, so just don't expect it to offer the same level of protection for falling amps or some clown standing on the things etc.

Are they easier to handle?

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Easier to carry, I reckon. Not always easier to insert the drums though......especially the bass drum, due to the sides not being rigid. No big deal. I tend to put the drum on the floor and place the bag over the drum.

Bags are a viable option for gear that won't be rolling around in the back of a van with all the other amps, PA's, lighting rigs etc etc. I use Protection Racket these days and couldn't be happier with them. http://www.protectionracket.co.uk/

Like Pocket said,
If you are toting drums to local gigs by yourself then soft is the way to go.
You can shoulder several bagged drums by the carry straps and they pass easily through doorways. They have enough padding to survive a drop from a few feet without the drum incurring any harm. They won't scratch the interior of your car or the walls in your house either if you bang them or slide them into things.
I have never damaged a drum in a soft bag in 40 years of using them.
You can stack your drums in them for storage when they are not in use.

Bob makes a good point about the bags being good to not only your drums but your car and house. I'm looking at buying a new Subaru (the un-official official car of New England) and definitely don't want the leather seats getting damaged.
The hardware bag may be another issue. You may want to look at the new bags from Ludwig. Or the Drum Seeker line from Hume and Berg - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3DtQxyX1gM

Thanks very much for your help, guys.
SSA

I have a number of soft bags from Gator and Ahead for my Roland TD-20 kit and find that they're miles better than the old hard cases as when I've only got a hi-hat, snare stand and a couple of mic stands in one of them (ie: less than half full), it can easily be crushed down and slid into quite a thin space in the car yet still afford good protection. They're also much easier to fold up and stick beneath a table or in a corner when doing a pub gig making the 'during performance' storage problem a lot easier. It also means I can have bags for my throne seat, thus keeping it pristine (suede topped), when in the old dirty gardening business van we sometimes use.

017 said:

Take a look at the AAA line from Protection Racket. They're essentially their much touted bag with a polycarbonate liner (slightly different type of foam than their Proline bags, though).

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These. Best thing out there, best of both worlds.

We use Protection Racket soft bags a lot too. Great for those who carefully transport their gear, but not so great if your bandmates decide to help out Knock them against a door frame, or something similar, then expect the possibility of damage. Soft bags are great for everyday scuff/minor knock protection though.

Their AAA rigid cases are just perfect for transporting by car, as well as in a trailer or truck, or by bandmates. Super well made, will take a good thrashing, soft on the outside so kind to car interiors. Light weight too, & much easier to get your drums in & out of than soft cases. Cannot recommend them highly enough. I have a set for my gigging kit, we equip all our demo kits with them, & we now offer them at very attractive prices to any Guru customer to accompany their new drum/drums.

I use the Beato bags (the cheapest vinyl ones). They are not very protective but I put my own protective materials in there like towels and blankets. One time we had to shove the guitarist's, bassist's, and my drum stuff into a Toyota Prius and drive with all three of us 4 hours away for a gig. I ended up having to stuff my floor tom inside of my bass drum and take 4 bags (including snare) instead of 5. I stuffed it good with pillows and stuff and it worked but I wouldn't recommend doing that all of the time unless you like to put strain on your bass head.

Soft cases work granted you are not throwing your set around.

All good points made so far.

If you're touring or your stuff is going in a van with other equipment then everything should be in hard cases.

If it's just you handling your gear then soft cases for the drums and a hardcase for the hardware. With decent hardware being so heavy these days, bags can easily break and are just not practice. Many hardcases have wheels make it a lot easier to transport from car/ van to venue. It also protects the hardware better and you can put smaller boxes inside the hardcase ie a pedal case and headphone case etc.

I've used a soft PR hardware case for a number of years and it hasn't let me down at all in any way. It's lasted at least as long as the hard case that preceded it, is more practical (much easier to move about and is kinder to the inside of my car) and nothing has been damaged in it.

017 said:

I wish PR got an Australian distributor in time, because I was willing to wait to get some AAA's (and had been waiting for about half a year). But alas, no distributor yet and no one can/will tell me when they'll get one, so I had to move on. Shame.

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That is a shame, but their loss eh! I did speak with the PR guys, & they do have something lined up in Australia, but it's taking time to cement the details. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy whatever you chose instead.

Andy.