Long Term Storage of Drum Set

Hello,

I've got a monster 9 piece drum set that I need to store but I have very limited space. I was wondering if it's possible to store the shells inside each other by just removing the heads. My primary concern is that the lack of tension would do some damage to them since they were clearly designed to retain tension.

I figure if I leave the heads on and stack them on top of each other that the cumulative weight would end up putting a lot of stress on the heads and lugs of the bottom drums.

What do you guys and gals think?

You can do the russian doll trick (what you said) with no problems. My three piece has been sitting like that for a few months now, sadly. There's really no ill side effects, besides not having them to set up to play. Just make sure the place is dry and the drums don't get wet. Avoid extreme temps too. It's not so much the lugs you want to worry about as the wood itself.

I stored my 7 piece Gretsch for 15 years. I simply stacked the larger drums on shelfs in my laundry/utility room with the heads on and I covered the drums with an old bed sheet. Four of the smaller drums I stored in a bed room closet on a shelf. Four years ago I put new heads on the kit and I began playing it again. There have been no problems with the drums.