Admittedly, bags and cases aren’t the most exciting things in the world, but they are necessary if you want to move your gear around regularly. Quite recently I had cause to need a new hardware bag, although this wasn’t just for my hardware though.
In addition to my stands etc, I also carry a bunch of other things when I gig including my Porter & Davies throne and driver unit (which is in its own little hard case), a mini timbale and a few other bits. What I wanted to do was carry all of these other bits in one big bag and save myself a few extra trips back and forth to the car and also make things a little tidier back home in terms of storage.
I did some research into what my options were in terms of decent sized bags that also might be wide enough to accommodate my bicycle throne. The bag in question seemed like it would fit the bill and so I ordered one.
The bag features:
• Cordura nylon, high quality outer casing
• 2 end pockets and 1 large side pocket, all with zips
• Interior straps to secure hardware
• Tough, tear resistant interior lining
• 2 end handless, padded straps
• Centre strap with quilted pad
• Padded shoulder strap
• Rigid bottom section
• Heavy duty wheels and housing
• Heavy plastic protection strips on bottom
The dimensions of the bag are, length: 46″, width: 14″ and the height: 12″
Now, my main concern was fitting the top of my throne into the bag. This is because the seat is about 16” wide and the bag, as you’ll see above, isn’t. However, the seat fits comfortably in the bag despite this. I was a little surprised it fit quite so well, but I think the 14” width quoted is rather the width of the base section of the case rather than the expandable side width.
Despite my reservations about whether the bag would be big enough to meet my needs, I needn’t have been concerned.
In use, the bag has been sturdy and easy to get around with and has made my load in and out a lot quicker and storage neater.
I didn’t realise at the time of ordering, but this case is actually longer than my hard shelled stand case. It’s well made and actually very roomy inside, and the end and side pockets are nicely sized so you can get things like drum keys and spares in them.
Physically, the bag is long and thin and so isn’t overly wide which I felt is good. I have had bags like this before which are long but more wide which then tend to sag when filled and end up being less structurally sound.
Carrying the bag is easy with the two large top straps, or if you’re feeling particularly strong, the shoulder strap. Dragging it using the wheels – which seem nicely sized and not too small – is also straightforward using either of the two handles as there’s one on the top and a smaller one under the pocket.
While I haven’t yet put any stands in the case, it’s obvious there is plenty of room in the bag and due to the fairly rigid design of the bottom and wheels, moving a full bag shouldn’t be too hard. In fact, just the night before writing this I saw someone at a local rehearsal studio using one of these same bags and he had no issues with it.
These bags are available in sizes both bigger and smaller than this one and are quite reasonably priced.
All in all, I quite like this case. The only downside I have with it is that you can’t really stand it on its end for storage. Not a big thing though.
More at http://www.pearleurope.com/product/hardware-1/
David Bateman
