I may have let you guys talk me into making a mistake.

DrumDoug

DrumDoug

Senior Member
I needed new cases for a kit and since most of you guys seem to like bags so much I decided to buy a set of Ahead bags. I used them for the first time this weekend for a couple of gigs. While it was a bit easier to move the drums around and put them in the car, the amount of extra work getting them out, and especially back in the bags made the overall process take longer and was more work. I’m going to have to really rethink my load in and out workflow at gigs to see if I can make these work. Would some of you gigging drummers who like bags be willing to share in detail how you handle them once you get everything to the stage area? I know the trick of putting the bag on the bass drum instead of the other way around. That was still a lot of work. With hard cases I don’t even have to take anything off my cart to take the drums in or out since I can stack the empty cases on top of each other without have to take up more floor space to unpack and pack up.
 
I have drum seeker bags and the drums load in and out of the bag pretty easily. I do have a really cheap bag for different kick that is a pain because it is so flimsy. I have to tun the drum on its face and put the bag over it instead of putting it in the bag.
 
They have the zipper down the back. The bags are still floppy and you have to pull the sides up to get the drums in there. The bass drum bag is easier than my Drum Seeker bag but not as easy as a hard case.
bongoman said:
The Ahead bags you got, they have the zipper down the side, right? Those are the easiest bags in the world to load and unload. But maybe you found some without the side zip?
Click to expand...
 
I have found that the best way to use bags is to buy them one size bigger than you need. For example, I put a 12 inch tom in a 13 inch bag. Peace and goodwill.
 
Both in & out, but especially when pulling them out, I turn the drum back & forth like a steering wheel from the top rim. This helps them "slide" out easier. Sometimes though, I still have to assist pulling the bag off.

On the bass drum, I step on the bottom corners/edges about an inch on either side with my feet to hold the bag down on the floor. Grab the bass drum hoop at the top and steering wheel twist while pulling the drum up. Not that hard. It's intuitive.

Regardless of order, and whether it's cased or not, I always put the rest of the drums on top of my bass drum that's turned on end in order to get a reasonable height and effective table. This helps save the back as casing all the smaller drums is tougher to do on the floor.
 
Instead of individual bags for my toms, I use a multi-tom rolling soft case. The 12", 14" and 16" can ride in this stacked, with padded dividers between them.

Does it take more time to case and uncase my toms and bass drum? Absolutely. But are my drums also protected as I load them in and out of cars, in and out of bars? Also absolutely. It's a tradeoff, and my multi-tom roller case makes it a quick load-in and load-out at least.

1721005270867.png
 
alparrott said:
Instead of individual bags for my toms, I use a multi-tom rolling soft case. The 12", 14" and 16" can ride in this stacked, with padded dividers between them.

Does it take more time to case and uncase my toms and bass drum? Absolutely. But are my drums also protected as I load them in and out of cars, in and out of bars? Also absolutely. It's a tradeoff, and my multi-tom roller case makes it a quick load-in and load-out at least.

View attachment 148585
Click to expand...
Ive had one of these for years ( 2 actually but the first one fell apart after a lot of use no complaints). They really work well and as long as you are the one doing the handling there are no issues, they roll nicely up and down stairs too.
 
DrumDoug said:
I needed new cases for a kit and since most of you guys seem to like bags so much I decided to buy a set of Ahead bags. I used them for the first time this weekend for a couple of gigs. While it was a bit easier to move the drums around and put them in the car, the amount of extra work getting them out, and especially back in the bags made the overall process take longer and was more work. I’m going to have to really rethink my load in and out workflow at gigs to see if I can make these work. Would some of you gigging drummers who like bags be willing to share in detail how you handle them once you get everything to the stage area? I know the trick of putting the bag on the bass drum instead of the other way around. That was still a lot of work. With hard cases I don’t even have to take anything off my cart to take the drums in or out since I can stack the empty cases on top of each other without have to take up more floor space to unpack and pack up.
Click to expand...
So my bags are both 16x16, My floor tom is a 14 so it slides in quickly without any fuss.
My other bag i put my snare bag in the bottom, then my 12 inch tom on top.
Im the one hauling them around so the extra size in the bags makes no difference to me, I handle the bags with care.
At todays gig i used my cart with my new hardware bag, everything fits so easily.
I dont use a bass drum bag, I did when i had a laquer finish, I now use wrap to minimize damage from so many gigs.I have one but I leave my rail mount alone so it wont fit in the bag anyway, I also have a bass mount for the ride which i loosen and lay over but leave on the bass. I put the gear in my car so nothing rolls around or moves, so everything is safe.



1721011632579.jpeg
1721011677730.jpeg
1721011707833.jpeg
1721011727384.jpeg
1721011752064.jpeg
 
“We” led you to a mistake? I don’t think so. Like everything here, your mileage may vary and usually those of us who know, are the ones who’ve done it and discovered if it’s good or not for your/our situation. So I would say you can chalk this one up to experience gained and now you know.

But like everything else, with enough practice you’ll get fluent at using bags. Give yourself some time.
 
Those Ahead bags are "teardrop" shaped to accomodate suspension mounts etc. When you put the bass drum bag over the drum itself, make sure the tom receiver on the bass drum fits into the flat part of the bag (the top of the tear drop). Pull the bag down with both hands on either side and gently work it around the spurs. When you flip it over (so the lid is now right side up), gently tug upwards on the non-lid part of the bag (just the bag, not the drum), just to make sure the drum is in all the way. Pull the lid down gently. It should zip up easily at this point. This trick also works well for floor toms; I always put the bag on the drum for floor toms, just like the bass drum. The bass drum takes a few seconds more, but honestly, taking toms and snares in and out of bags literally takes me a few seconds.

As Bo said, give yourself a little time to get used to the bags. You probably have, subconcious or otherwise, a bias to bags because they are "not what you are used to". It happens to everyone. Just keep an open mind and stick with it for a few weeks and you might change your tune.

As far as a tip for once you get everything to the stage area, you can stack the drums in the bags just like you can with hard cases. I stack the toms and snare in one stack, largest to smallest. I leave the bass drum seperate, because it's typically the first thing to come out (other than the rug). I usually play a 4 piece, so it's a stack of three. A five piece would be a stack of four. I recommend not stacking the drums any higher than 4 total. I set up the bass drum, pedal and all my hardware, then I mount the drums and then the cymbals last. I reverse the process for packing up. You can also nest all of the bags together inside of your bass drum bag for storage while playing. I put my rack tom bag in my floor tom bag, put that in the bass drum bag and then put my snare bag on top of them, smoosh it down and zip it up.

With hard cases, the case stays put while you pull out the drum inside with one or both hands. With bags, as you've discovered, the bag tends to "come with" the drum. For smaller drums, I use one hand to pull the drum out of the case, and I use the other hand to hold the case so it doesn't want to follow the drum. As stated above, the trick of putting the bag over the drum for bass drums and floor toms comes in very handy. Remember to also reverse this process when it comes to unpacking. Unzip the lid on the floor tom/bass drum, flip it over with the lid completely open (supporting the drum inside with a hand or forearm) and then it's easy to just lift the bag off the drum. When it comes to putting smaller rack toms and snares back into the bags, again use one hand to "steady the bag" and use the other to place the drum in, then gently tug the bag upwards with both hands. Obviously, make sure the flat part of your Ahead bags line up with the tom bracket, strainer etc.
 
Last edited:
To echo the above - I've got a full set of Aheads, which I didn't actually order (I ordered Protection Rackets, but the store didn't have a 12", so switched to Ahead, they did check first!).
I really like them - the kids love using them as hidey-holes/boats/beds, so they get clambered in and on, but when packing up, they retain enough shape to just drop the drums in, I don't even both undoing the "down" zip, just the top. The teardrop shape to accommodate the tom-mounts is a great idea too.

Personally, when loading the floor toms, I leave the legs on, put the tom in the case, then unscrew - and then to remove, put the legs in, and lift - less stage space needed.
 
Heck, if you don't like them, send them back. There's absolutely nothing wrong with trying something and it not working out well. If you prefer hard cases, then use those.

Here is a list of things that I tried and abandoned:

Flat-base stands
TuneBot
Floor tom suspension mounts/baskets
Low Boy Power Switch for my DW pedals
The Remo Powerstroke 3
Evan Hydraulic heads
All Vater Sticks
...and many, many more!

Don't count it as a defeat. Not every product can be a "win" for you, even if the majority may disagree. Use what works well for you!
 
My experience with bags is always buy a size up, except for Ahead bags. Those Aheads with the oval design are fine, in my opinion, with the correct size. I always move my own stuff and bags just fit better in my car, if it takes a few seconds to finagle the drum into the bag, so be it. Hard cases, especially the bass, will not fit into the typical sedan in my experience.
 
+1 for “use bags that are larger sizes.”

I’m not a fan of bags, myself, as I like the stability and durability of hardcases for touring and such. I like to pick up the drum and put it into the case, not wrestle with a bag, as I put a drum into it, or put it onto the drum. But, even when putting my drums in hard cases, I run into the problem of tom mounts/brackets and bass drum spurs snagging or “catching” on the sides of the cases as I put them in (especially when the spiked ends of vintage bass drum spurs finally break their way through the rubber feet).

I have a 10/13/16/12(snare) kit that I have bags for. The bag sizes I use are 12/14/18/14(snare). I’ve tried using the appropriately-sized bags for drums before, and that was a non-starter for me—too much wrangling and finessing the case than it’s worth for me.
 
I use the correct size bag and put the bags on the drums. Don’t put the drums in the bags. The bags collapse if any part of the drum catches the edge. That will really annoy you. I am able to put my floor tom bag on the tom with the legs on, flip it over and remove the legs. Give that a shot. I’m not a fan of bags either, but cases take up a lot of space, especially bass drum cases. I can’t even fit an 18” bass drum, in a case, in my car.

(I do have a nice Hardcase brand case for my snare, but that’s all.)
 
I was pulling security as a reserve deputy at a large outdoor festival. I had access to the VIP area and walked around to make sure everything was "safe". In reality, I was also checking out gear. :) It seems that the touring pros all go with hard cases. I didn't see a single soft case. Everything I saw was well-worn hard cases; mostly Enduros with a few SKBs.

I realize @bermuda likes soft Beato Pro 1 cases, but this is just what I saw the other day. Most of my cases, are Beato Pro 1's so I suppose I'm in line with at least ONE pro! :)

Three of the four bands were using 20" kicks with only one guy using a 22". The magic of the sound board can make the smallest bass drum sound like Bonham.
 
A J said:
I was pulling security as a reserve deputy at a large outdoor festival. I had access to the VIP area and walked around to make sure everything was "safe". In reality, I was also checking out gear. :) It seems that the touring pros all go with hard cases. I didn't see a single soft case. Everything I saw was well-worn hard cases; mostly Enduros with a few SKBs.

I realize @bermuda likes soft Beato Pro 1 cases, but this is just what I saw the other day. Most of my cases, are Beato Pro 1's so I suppose I'm in line with at least ONE pro! :)

Three of the four bands were using 20" kicks with only one guy using a 22". The magic of the sound board can make the smallest bass drum sound like Bonham.
Click to expand...
It makes sense to use hard cases if they're going to be loaded into a van or truck with the rest of the backline and PA but for most of us who drive to our own gigs, padded bags are good enough. I definitely make an exception for cymbals though, I have a Gator hard case for them and won't ever use a soft cymbal bag.
 
  • Like
Reactions: A J
I have Protection Racket bags. I have flown with the padded cymbal bag - no problem.
The drum bags keep their shape, so drums drop straight in. They sell slightly oversized bags to accommodate suspension mounts.
I wouldn't use soft sided bags. The PR bags have a lot of padding for protection, but they're still very light and can be stored one inside the other back stage. I have used the same bags for about 20 years and never had any damage to my drums or cymbals.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top