Opinions on picking a new hard pedal case

Road Bull

Silver Member
I have been looking for a good option for transporting my DW9002s in a hard case. I am not thrilled with the idea of the hard case that came with the pedals. For playing gigs that require fast load-in and load-out, it is just not practical to break pedals down, taking the beaters off, disconnecting the connecting arm, collapsing said arm, locking them into their designated places.

Ideally, I would love to be able to keep them set up and ready to go, AND have them protected. I have been putting them inside my SKB medium trap case, braced into corners the best I can, but riding along with all my other hardware. I don't want the stands, or whatever else to be putting lateral pressure on the beaters that transfer that pressure to all the bearings and whatnot.

This is what makes me want to get their own little home when traveling. Plus, it would make set up and tear down a bit faster. Disconnect pedals from bass drum, place in case, close case, and done. I am trying to do this with a reasonably smallish footprint. So far, these are some things I have come up with. I know they are not cheap options and not for everyone, but these are some things I have been tossing around.

I returned a SKB medium trap case that I was thinking about using to transport my DW9002s to gigs. I already have one for other hardware, and having THAT big a case for pedals is a bit crazy.

So I was thinking of something only slightly less crazy. What I want to do, ideally, is to leave the DW9002 double pedals set up, or close to set up, while being able to safely store them in a case. I really like the idea of the Pelican-foam-lined cases, like the IM2950. This option, while being on the larger size for cases, should allow the pedals to be stowed fully set up. (outer base-plate to outer base-plate is ~29".

The other option would be to get something more compact and break the pedals down, maybe just take disconnect on of the connecting arm sides from the pedal. By doing this I could probably use a smaller case and lay them in the case like shoes in a shoe box. While this option offers no advantage as far as leaving the pedal fully set up, it would protect them while allowing for the use of a smaller case.

I know this might not appeal to everyone, but what route would you go to pack them in a case like this? I am weighing the primary goal of keeping them set up and ready to go out of the case VS. smaller footprint case.
 

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I think you're over-thinking it. When I use my trap case, the stands go on the bottom, and the pedals are placed on top of all that stuff. In your case, you could simply take the connecting arm off, and put the pedals on top of the other stuff. When I transport my stuff in my small trap case, my pedals suffer no damage and I can leave the beaters in them. They might move around a little bit, but never enough that there's pressure being put on anything. I suggest you try that before spending more money on a specialized case.
 
lol, Of course I am over thinking it. I do that often. Reason might not stop me though. I am kind of between using a Pelican style case, (that could double as a suitcase for trips), and possibly something a bit smaller like an SKB 12 x 14 Marching Snare Drum Case. This should be big enough to fit the pedals side by side, beaters on, connecting arm off, and maybe a pillow to fill the void for bracing.

http://www.skbcases.com/music/products/proddetail.php?f=&id=60&o=&offset=1&c=100&s=77
 
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What about a durable soft case? I also own the 9000 double and I'm thinking of getting a soft case. Because the hard shell case that came with the pedals is way too bulky for me.
 
What about a durable soft case? I also own the 9000 double and I'm thinking of getting a soft case. Because the hard shell case that came with the pedals is way too bulky for me.

Well, I looked at a few. I can say that I am not impress so far at least with what I have seen. I looked at a Gator soft bag today. It was padded, but way too flimsy for my tastes. If I was to get a soft case, I might take a good look at Protection Racket, or Ahead Armor soft cases.

I have soft Protection Racket cases for all my drums, and I have a SKB medium trap case for my hardware at the moment. This covers most of my bases, I just would like to keep my pedals separate from my other hardware. I would be OK with good soft case if I could manage to keep at least the beaters on the pedals.
 
I got the new 9002 and the nylon case it came in is as sturdy as you could want. Unless you're stacking a ton of bricks on top I don't see why it wouldn't protect them. I don't take these pedals anywhere but I avoided that hard case like the plague.

I would just take the connecting rod in my backpack with my sticks or something.
 
I got the new 9002 and the nylon case it came in is as sturdy as you could want. Unless you're stacking a ton of bricks on top I don't see why it wouldn't protect them. I don't take these pedals anywhere but I avoided that hard case like the plague.

I would just take the connecting rod in my backpack with my sticks or something.

Do you leave the beaters on?

I remember someone here with a new 9002 that came with the bag had a bad experience with the zipper separating not too long ago.
 
No, I've only transported it once and I took the beaters off, it might be possible.

The iron cobra pedal case allows you to do that. I don't think my mapex or pearl cases were designed for that either.
 
The case in the original post is definitely overkill! Also, remember that travelling with a case that's built like it's bulletproof is the weight. All that adds up to costs, especially if you're flying.
I'd suggest getting a duffel bag for transporting it if you don't like to break it down. If you must travel, then break it down and put it in a hard shell suitcase.
 
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