eisprl

Hey all.

If you HAD to check your trumpets at an air port what case would you trust the most? Are there any good flight cases out there?

Personally I would take my horns out and bring them on the plane with me and check the case and treat the instruments like my children (which they are :)).

Also, I am beginning to add to my horn arsenol (Now I have a flugel, new this summer, C and Bb). How do people normally travel with all their horns?

And if you do travel with all your horns I pose the same case question, what would you do at an air port and what case(s) would you trust the most?

Eric

__________________
Eric Sproul
Practice is like filling a leaky bucket

Bb: Yamaha Xeno 8335
C: Bach Stadivarious 239L and 25A leadpipe (Owned by Eric Sholtz)
Flugel: Yamaha Bobby Shew 6310Z
Mouthpieces: GR tech
www.stadband.ca

Jimi Michiel

Eric,
You might have noticed (or not) that I've mentioned my frustrations on this subject in a few of my posts. There are very few cases out there that I would trust to check under a plane. The only one that I would really trust is the Pelican Case. I saw the one that Manny Laureano has and it's really amazing. Pelican cases are heavy duty cases built for cameras and other fragile equipment. They come with "Pick and Pluck" foam that you can literally pick apart to customize it for whatever you need, including trumpets. They are less expensive than most cases and provide an incredible amount of protection. Check them out here:
http://www.pelican.com/cases/cases.html
Maybe Manny will say a few words about them...

I also have heard of people checking Walt Johnson cases, but I can't speak from experience. I once checked a Bach quad case, but that turned out to be a bad idea...

I've traveled a lot this year with my horns and I've done it a few different ways. My situation is a little more complicated because I have a heavy Monette which demands its own case and a D trumpet that is too long to fit in most standard cases. The best solution I have found is the Marcus Bonna Quad case. The only problem is that they're impossible to get ahold of, so I have to borrow a freinds (I'm on a few waitlists, so hopefully I'll luck out eventually). You can arrange the Marcus Bonna a bunch of different ways to fit different combinations of horns. They also fit in the overhead bin on an airplane, which is nice (just make sure to get on the plane early so the overhead room doesn't fill up). I don't really travel with a flugel ever, so that hasn't been too much of a problem, but I'm sure the MB case could be arranged to fit it.

Jimi

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Jimi Michiel

I don't mean to cause trouble, but why won't they let your carry your instruments on the plane? I would ask your school to buy you a flight case and pay for insurance if they aren't going to let you take your horn on the plane.

-Jimi

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Alex Yates

Those Pelicans look pretty nice. I will eventually be looking into one of those when I get my new horn. Perhaps my holiday present for next year. LOL.

For the past 12 years I have successfully used my Wolfpak quad case without one incident. Easily, it has gone under the plane over 100 times with 30 transatlantic flights. I have heard that the newer WP are sub-quality to the earlier cases (which is what I have), but I have been very happy with mine. Most of the quads today are about the same design. It is possible to bulster their strength by inserting additional foam and additional support sheets in the outer lining.

If the sky is the limit, I would defintely get a Wiseman. Good luck with your decision.

Alex Yates

For future reference Dan, (and anyone else who cares) - if there is nothing in the front zipper pocket of the Wolfpak Quad (where you would normally put music), it will indeed fit in the overhead compartment of a full-size airplane storage bin. Just an FYI.

gchun

I can speak for the Pelican as I used on for trumpet/flugelhorn on a trip from Honolulu to Singapore and back. They are pretty light and very protective. One caution is that when the pick & pluck foam gets old, it starts to crumble. You can add to the longevity of the foam by airing it out whenever possible. Excess moisture will make the foam crumble. So, every once in a while, leave it open so it dries out.

I've also used cases made from Zero Hailliburton. They are just like the pelican, but they cost more.

Biggest problem with Pelican/Halliburton is finding the right size without getting a case that is overly large. The new pelicans have wheels, which makes this less of a problem.

As far as premade cases, Walt Johnson's are my choice. The torpedo's look good, but they are only singles and I have never actually seen on in person.

As any case with that many horns (3+), they could get heavy. One option is to get an anvil style trunk that will house your regular cases. Use the anvil only for putting your stuff under the plane. Once you hit your destination, leave the anvil at the hotel and just carry your regular case(s) Larger cases by pelican, skb or anvil would be suitable.

Hope this helps.
Garry

Martin Williams

Ive checked horns(saxes) in Hiscox Lite Flite cases very sucessfully a number of times, those cases are like tanks. As for my trumpet, Ive never had a situation where I had to check it. It was in the protec case, though that wouldve been a bad case to have it in had it been checked. It went over my head no problem.

If they give you touble at the gate, I would suggest showing them this document, it worked for me quite well when they tried to hassle me over and alto sax in the skb case. http://www.mindspring.com/~atlmusici...ms/carryon.pdf

JStrube

Try this site: http://www.anvilcase.com/
These are the cases we used in the Marine Corps for travel. We never had problems when we used these, and we traveled rough. They are pretty heavy, but protect very well. They have stock cases for some horns, but can make custom cases as well.

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Jim Strube

Dan Millheim

For me, the problem with flight cases was once you have flown you have a bunch of money tied up in a "boat anchor" sitting in your closet as it is a bear to lug around to gigs. I bought a Wiseman as it can go on top or under a plane with no problem-think anvail case wrapped in leather at a fraction of the size. It is super strong and small so it works for me when I need to fly or not. I bought some canvas material and had someone make a protective cover for the leather so that it would not get trashed in a cargo haul. With this combination I have the best of both worlds: Style, Function, and Protection for any need I may have.

Buy the best and enjoy it for a life time! It is a beautiful case and well worth the costs. Afterall doesn't your prized axe(s) need a prized cased? Use my code for a 10% discount. Howard is a pleasure to work with and you will find the same world class craftsmanship you expect from the top horn builders of the world. It also has a life time replacement or upgrade offer that nobody offers...or at least I am unaware of. That alone makes it worth it.


Finish Well,
Dan

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Eclipse Custom XLR (Beyond beautiful 24k scratch) gold (05 Eclipse Contest Horn)
Getzen Genesis (Beautiful 24k scratch gold)
Wiseman Double Case (10% discount code: T624)
Monette/Harrelson B1-1 prana custom one off.
Horns/MPC Cryo'ed at Cryo-parts.com

dizforprez

dan,

how strong is that wiseman case? can you stand on it, run over it etc.....

how much can it take?