Percussion Instrument Bags & Cases

Percussion Instrument Bags and Cases

Percussion instruments take a beating while they’re in use, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be protected when they aren’t being played. Proper percussion bags and cases can greatly extend the life of your instruments. Many percussion instrument manufacturers also make bags and cases, including Zildjian, Ashton and Tama.

Hard and Soft Cases

There are two main kinds of percussion instrument case: soft-sided bags, and hard-shelled cases. The main advantage of hardshells is their durability. An armoured polyethylene shell can shrug off an impact that would damage a drum in a soft case. Many also include foam interiors for extra cushioning. If you need to move enough equipment for a whole band, hard cases provide extra peace of mind when the instruments are in the back of a truck. Soft bags, on the other hand, are much more portable. While a hardshell drum stick case is small enough to carry around, a rigid bass drum case is heavy and unwieldy. Soft bags also come with plenty of padding for impact resistance, which also helps to protect the instrument’s finish.

Drum Stick Bags and Cases

Most drummers won’t get far without at least one set of drumsticks. Drum stick bags vary widely in their sizes, materials and features. At their simplest, a bag may hold a couple of pairs of drumsticks and very little else. At the other extreme, drumstick bags can provide organised pouches for multiple pairs of sticks and mallets, plus pockets for pencils, sheet music and other essentials. Like drum cases, drumstick cases can be hard or soft-shelled.

Trap Cases

Trap cases are designed to hold miscellaneous drum equipment, including any drum parts and accessories that you might need. While bass drums and cymbals get their own carriers, the traps case is for all the smaller items that a drummer needs, including drum stools, pedals and music stands. Trap cases can be hard-shelled or soft-shelled. Because they are inevitably fairly large and heavy, trap cases almost invariably come with wheels for easier transport.

Specialist Cases

Typically, a full set of drum cases includes a bass drum case, tom cases, a snare case, a cymbal case and a trap case. Many case manufacturers sell five-piece sets for one bass drum, one snare and three toms. However, some manufacturers also make specialised cases for more unusual percussion instruments such as congas and steel drums.

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