One of the first things I noticed when I started classes at UNT was how the drum set students schlepped their gear. The stretch from the practice buildings to the lab band halls wasn’t far, but the hardware, snare drum, and cymbals was a full load. I still wonder, with all of the fancy cases available to us, what are the best drum cases?
If I were to do it all over, I would use a particular hard shell hardware case, a cymbal backpack, and a hard shell snare drum case. I use a variety of bags and hard drum cases. Occasionally, I’ll ditch the drum cases altogether, especially if it’s easy to load in for the gig and the drums are light.
- Hardware: My SKB Mid-Sized drum hardware case just fits into the trunk of a mid-sized sedan. It has wheels and an adjustable handle, which is also replaceable if it breaks – mine hasn’t broken in almost 500 gigs.
- Snare drum cases: Enduro cases are my favorite for snare drum. I buy whatever is on sale and provides the quality and protection I need.
- Cymbal backpack: I’m all bag in the cymbal department. The backpack cymbal bag is especially useful because it frees your hands and arms from an otherwise potentially awkward schlepp through alleys and up stairs.
- Tom cases: The bags are nice because some manufacturers use materials that significantly reduce absorbing heat from the sun’s rays. Leave the drums in the car for a bit, and it’s no big deal. The drums cannot live in the bags, in your car. A few hours in an intense sun, and my Roadrunner drum cases are rather cool for the conditions.
- Stick bag: I’ve had several stick bags. The one that works best is the one that gets all of your sticks and various implements to the gig and back home. Reunion Blues is my favorite brand for luxury drum cases.
These choices are working well for me, and it took a lot of trial and error to get to this point. I’m better off than I was in college, yet I still keep an open mind about better ideas. Share your drum cases and other ideas with us in the comments below.
When is a hardware bag a good idea?
Never underestimate a good top-load canvas bag from the army surplus store. I used one for my hardware all through high school and undergrad. I think a cat peed on my army surplus bag in college. I left it at a jam space in someone’s house. That was the end of that.
Since I had gigs and not much extra money, the hardware bag was my only option. This time I bought a bag designed for drum stands and lugged that thing around for about five years. I was doing local gigs at the time while finishing grad school. It’s still on the shelf in my basement and works if I ever need it, again.
The bag was also easy to fit into my car. If I only needed a couple stands, the bag was a couple stands big. Unlike the hard drum cases that are the same size not matter what, the bags conform to the size of the drum or hardware.
What’s so great about a cymbal backpack?
Backpacks are great for carrying lots of gear. It frees up your hands to push or carry other things, which means fewer trips into the venue with drum cases. I’ve seen cymbal bags that you can pull and snare drum cases you can put on your back. I choose the cymbal backpack because it’s the best balance of weight and awkwardness.
My cymbal bag is a Zildjian Gig Backpack. It’s been through a lot and needs to be replaced. But I have to give it credit for how many times it’s been grabbed, scraped, and smooshed. It’s still gig worthy for local use, but the seams are coming apart and handle is falling off.
I’m less concerned about the brand of the bag and more concerned about the strength of the stitching, whether it has dividers in between the cymbals, how the handle is attached, the location and size of the pockets, and the quality of the zippers. And I’ll likely look at the Road Runner backpack cymbal bag or the Humes and Berg cymbal bag. But I’ll keep an open mind to get the best value.
Related: 9 Different Types of Cymbals to Complete Your Drum Set
When should a hard case be necessary?
The snare drum and symbols are the most key components to a drum set player’s sound. I’m comfortable with a bag for my symbols, but the snare drum needs a hard case.
Snare drums have some delicate pieces and need to be cared for similarly to an acoustic guitar. This is not to say that your toms or kick drum can just be banged around and dropped.But when it comes to choosing drum case for a snare drums, I like to go with the most protection for my budget.
When I recently bought a Ludwig Supraphonic snare drum, I went with the Humes and Berg Enduro foam lined case. This was the second case of its kind that I’ve purchased, and the new handles are much nicer than the old ones. Although I’m not taking this snare drum in this case as checked luggage anytime soon, it’s still perfect for local gigs and some regional touring.
What’s the best brand?
The specific brand is less important to me than the quality and price. I own at least one case from at least half of the top brands that make drum cases. In some cases, it was the deal at the time, while other drum cases were purchased because of particular features.
Here are the cases I can comment on.
- Humes & Berg: The Tuxedo bags are light and tough. They last at least ten years of weekly (local) gigging. Like other Humes & Berg drum cases, they come with a solid plastic name tag that attaches to the bag. Enduro are another popular line of cases from this brand. These cases are hard and come with the option of being lined or unlined.
- Gator / Protechtor: I have both a Gator hardware bag and hard case for a snare drum. I also have a Protechtor tom bag and snare drum hard case. The Protechtor drum cases are better quality than Gator, but neither one is as good as Humes & Berg.
- Nomad: If you want a very medium duty hard case that’s lightweight for local gigs, Nomad cases stand up to the task. The plastic hardware on the strap broke on mine, but it didn’t cost much. You get what you pay for. The benefit of the Nomad case is that it is lightweight like a bag yet easier to load drums after hours of playing, burning the midnight oil.
- Road Runner: These bags are the best economy bags I’ve ever had. The stitchings hold up like Tuxedo bags, and the material keeps my drums cool when the sun is beating down on them. The handles are sold, too, but the zippers only lasted about six or seven years. They have two zippers, so I’m still in business.
- Beato: I have one beato case. It’s a 12×14” bag for my timbales. I like this bag because the quality is very good and it has a pocket for cymbal. I can fit a 16” crash in this bag, which is perfect for my timbale setup.
- SKB: I love my SKB Mid-sized hardware case. It has wheels, an adjustable handle, and it’s the perfect size. SKB makes a bigger model, but it’s too much for the way I role. I also have a hard case for a piccolo snare drum. It’s padded, has a great handle and strap clips, and it’s stackable (interlocking with other SKB cases) like most of the SKB hard drum cases.
What about playing on the road?
If you’re playing on the road And the band has a trailer with plenty of space, the ATA road cases are the best choice. Nothing will protect your drums better than custom ATA drum cases.
But not every band on the road travels the same way. I was on the road with the band for about two years, and we were able to put most of my drums under the bus. This was especially safe for the drums and made it easier to load in because I could use lighter weight hard cases and bags as if I were playing locally.
Sometimes, you can find road cases that just need to be modified a bit. For example, I found a lightly used lighting case on craigslist for about $60. I added some medium duty casters to the bottom, a divider inside the case, and finished it off with a tray that was perfect for my loose tools wing nuts and mic clips, etc. This case was used for my kick pedals, microphones, mic cables, and a two channel mixer so I could have some control over the click track and the monitor mix.
What are the best drum cases for flying?
The Pelican Hardigg storm series cases are my choice for flying with my drums. I bought the largest case you can check without having to pay extra, and I usually put percussion instruments, sticks, kick pedals, and a snare drum in that case.
Unless the band you’re playing with has a healthy budget, I recommend playing gigs with back line. A lot of venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn, for example, have drums and amplifiers for backline. You can also expect that many festivals have a back line. It’s just something your manager or tour manager has to work out in advance.
Some of my friends play all around the world and have gear in storage on different continents. I’ll probably never have that problem, but it’s nice to know what people do to solve their logistical issues.
Why luxury cases?
Reunion Blues makes awesome leather drum cases. I have a large stick bag that works great for all of my different sticks, mallets, and brushes. You can also find matching snare drum bags and cymbal bags, which are on my list for future purchases.
I like the luxury cases because they are great quality and look amazing. If drums mean a lot to you or if your instruments are critical to your profession, why not take pride in the way you protect them and transport them?
Hard Cases or Bags?
It all depends on how you’re transporting your drums. If you’re driving to a gig and all you’re doing is taking your drums out of your car, hard drum cases are not really essential for the toms or kick drum. I would spend hard case money on the snare drum cases.
Let’s say the band you’re traveling with is using a 15-passenger van with storage in the back. You may still get away with bags in this case. I’ve even had to put my drums inside one another to save space in the back of a van.
If the group you’re with has a utility trailer, use medium duty hard drum cases. I’ve played for bands that had hard drum cases, so I placed my drums in bags and dropped them into the cases provided. This made it easy to transport my drums to the bus call.