Out of all the band members, drummers perhaps have it worst when it comes to transport. Whether you're local or international, just moving your entire set around takes time, effort and can be so very tedious, which is why you need the best drum cases.
When you're small-time playing gigs locally, you'll already know the pains of having to pack up and move your entire set around to a new venue each time. At least once you've gained some traction, you'll have some help with moving things around.
Regardless, you'll always want to have a good set of drum cases. These will keep your gear safe and help make moving things around a little easier.
If you're an aspiring drummer looking for something to help look after your kit and make transport that much easier, then read on. In this guide we'll cover just what's so great about drum cases and recommend some of the best money can buy.
The Different Types Of Drum Cases
Just like there are different drums in your drum kit you would use in your set when you play, there are different kinds of cases and bags to choose from.
We'll cover what some of the best drum case options are later, but for now, let's go over a brief explanation of what the different styles of drum cases and drum bags exist.
There are many choices in terms of style you can choose from, and that's primarily because of different brands making their own takes on more generalized styles.
If we were to go through each and every option, we would be here for hours, just listing off the different features that could differ from one option to the next.
Instead, we'll cover some of the more general styles you could choose from. In short, these are:
Hard cases and soft bags are perhaps the ones you immediately think about when thinking about a drum case. They are reasonably standard options and are exactly as the name entails.
Hard Shell Drum Cases
Hard cases for drums are one of the more plentiful, and there are a few choices to be made within this category, based on material and lining.
You'll generally be picking between plastic and fiber styles, which are made using either a polyethylene plastic outer shell or a rigid fiberboard. This gives hard drum cases their signature rigidity and durability and is the best option when protection is what you want - aside from ATA cases.
Soft Cases For Drums
Drum soft cases are the lighter alternative. They're more tight-fitting over your drum set and are good options for drummers who keep their drums in the back of an SUV while on the go. The most significant advantage of these drum bags is that they are far less cumbersome to travel with.
There is overall less bulkiness and weight to work with when you use a drum bag, so you'll have an easier time moving it in and out of vehicles when on the go.
They also come as semi-rigid, padded drum bags, which offer a little more protection but nowhere near as much as hard drum cases.
Drum Hardware Cases
These behemoths are some of the best options for choosing a case for more extended travel and storage. These box-like cases have sturdy embroidery, reinforced wheels, and more rigid material, which puts them roughly between hard and soft cases.
These drum cases are made to withstand a lot of punishment and last you a long time. Some common differences you can find from model to model can make these more like a hard-bottom soft drum bag or hard drum case.
More often than not, they'll include wheels in the design to make them move much more easily for such a bulky drum bag.
Trap Case
Designed more for drum hardware and smaller parts of your drum set, these hard boxes can hold your cymbals, snares, extra drum heads, and other accessories, thanks to multiple interior compartments.
Be careful, however, as these are pretty heavy, given they are made to protect the more delicate parts of your drum set.
ATA Cases
These are like the industrial-grade equivalent for drum cases and drum bags. These massive cases are the toughest and heaviest of the lot, designed as long-distance drum travel cases in trucks or similar forms of transport.
ATA cases get their name from the fact that they are compliant with the Air Transportation Association's guidelines for the survivability of reusable cases. You're more likely to see them used at festivals and extensive tours, often off the side of the stage next, and can easily recognize them from their aluminum edges, locks and latches, and vinyl-over-wood make.
Drum Trunks
Drum trunks are a variation of ATA cases, instead designed to fit an entire 5 piece drum set in a few cases as possible. These will often be custom-made to fit your drum set in particular and will be a hard shell drum case.
Other Variations
These are all more generalized designs, but you might spot your favorite drummer using drum cases or drum bags that are more unique.
Many drummers who make it big and get the money to spend often make a custom design that incorporates different types of drum bags and drum cases to create the best drum travel case and bag set for themselves.
Benefits of Using a Great Drum Case
So why even use drum cases or drum bags?
The answer is quite simple, and any drummer can tell you why. It's because - for all that the percussive fun is worth - drum sets are a real hassle to deal with when on the move.
They're big, cumbersome, and will either take many hands or a few trips back and forth to get out of your vehicle of choice. You've to deal with hauling around your bigger bass drum and floor tom, your snares, your cymbals, and all your stands.
They Make Life Easier
Drum bags and drum cases do the job so much easier thanks to wheels, handles, straps, and other parts that give you some extra leverage, so it's easier to get from point A to point B.
They can also give you a measure of insurance that your drums will remain safe if you go with a hard case over some soft drum bags. That isn't to say that softer cases aren't valuable, as out of the whole lot, they're the easier to work with as they are less bulky and much lighter.
Look After Your Things
Every musician should be at least somewhat conscientious about their equipment. Look after your things, get some high-quality protection, and make sure that you don't accidentally hurt yourself because you decided to pick the biggest, baddest case available.
How Do You Go About Picking The Best Drum Cases?
Choosing the best drum cases for your drum set can be a bit tricky if you don't know where to start. There are so many different brands and styles of cases and drum bags out there that you can easily be overwhelmed.
Assess Your Needs
When you're looking to get a drum bag set or cases, the first thing you'll need to do is assess your needs.
If you play the drums as a hobby and won't be moving your drum set around very much, then you may want to consider getting a drum bag set. A drum bag will keep your drums free of dust and scratches when not in use and won't take up a lot of space when not in use.
If you want a bit more protection, then consider getting a hard drum case. As we've already covered, these will give you a bit more security at the cost of weight and space taken up.
If you are going to travel around with your drum kit often enough, consider getting some of the more heavy-duty cases, keeping in mind the weight and space they take up. You may need a hand or two.
Choosing A Brand
Once you've decided the type of drum cases or drum bag you need, you can start looking at different brands.
Many different companies have their styles and specialties. Some might be known for making excellent bags, while others might be known for making less-than-adequate bags but exceptional drum cases.
Here is a list of only a few brands and their strengths in terms of the product they make.
Beato
An older company with a long history of quality, Beato has made a name for themselves throughout the percussion industry thanks to their hardware, lines of drums, and accessory bags.
Impact
A bit of a younger company, but they've managed to tap into a particular type of crowd looking for unique styles of lightweight hard drum cases. They also have three lines of soft bags for cymbals, sticks, and hardware.
Humes & Berg
Another older company, these guys, are known for their Enduro line, which features smooth, protective nylon cover bags that use a foam-padding for protection.
Their Enduro Pro line is a hard plastic case variant for those who want something extra. They also have more classically styled soft bags in their Tuxedo and Galaxy bag lines which are pretty popular among many drummers.
Gator
Gator is a staple brand that is known for all sorts of drum cases and bags. Their pricing is very competitive, so you can almost always find something at an affordable price.
Their Protechtor line is quite popular with its rugged, protective design for hard cases and soft bags.
Nomad
Perhaps lesser-known, Nomad makes great universal-depth bags that can make up an entire drum bag set. They also offer lightweight hardware cases and trap cases, with some wheeled multi-drum bags that you might find helpful for snare drum cases.
Mono
A bit more limited in their selection - which is still growing - Mono were at first well-known for their snare drum cases and cymbal bags.
Best Drum Cases - Our Recommendations
There are, of course, many more brands than the ones mentioned above. To cut a long story short, we'll give you some of our recommendations with a brief review of why they're great.
1. Gator Protechtor Rolling Cart: Best Drum Hardware Case
Our top pick for drum hardware storage and movement would be the Gator Cases Protechtor Series Steel Frame Rolling Cart. Think of it as a golf bag, except it can store pretty much all of your drum hardware in all of its accessory pockets.
The steel frame on wheels makes it easy to cart around, but it's also removable so that you can strap it up with carrying handles. It is a soft bag, but the 600-Denier nylon keeps its shape and is quite durable. This is great as one of your accessory drum cases.
2. Gator Pretechtor Standard 100: Best 5 Piece Drum Bag
Coincidentally one of our choices for best drum bags also fits the category of best 5 piece drum bag. This is also by Gator and is also part of their Protechtor Series.
This is their GP-STANDARD-100 padded drum bag, and it's a perfect drum bag set for those looking for something to store their 22" kick, their toms, and their 14" snare.
If you have a set with toms bit on the larger side, these might be the choice you want to go for. Be aware that there is no bag for the floor tom.
3. ChromaCast Pro Series: Best Bass Drum Case
This drum bag set from the ChromaCast Pro Series is a smaller collection of bags that includes one of the best bass drum cases available.
A four-piece set, you have a bag for your 24" bass drum, your 19" floor tom, and a 17" snare drum case; you'll be able to tote your drums in style with these drum cases. The case-bag set is a unique combination of soft and hard drum case styles, which isn't altogether bad.
It's high-quality and quite protective if a bit small. If you're a rock drummer who wants to keep these specific drums protected, then this soft drum case might be what you're looking for.
4. Gator Electronic Drum Bag: Best Electronic Drum Case
In the case of electronic drum cases, you might not necessarily need these massive cases to lug around your floor tom or a drum bag set for all your separate bits and bobs.
Instead, all you'll need is a high-quality bag that you can use to keep everything together in a convenient and safe place. This Gator Electronic Drum Kit Bag is perfect for that reason.
One of the best drum bags for electronic drum sets, you can keep all your drum and cymbal pads together along with your drum set brain, modules, and other hardware accessories.
The interior is padded for additional support, and there is a removable and adjustable shoulder strap for easy transport.
5. SKB Cases: Best Drum Set Cases
Our pick for the overall best drum cases comes from SKB. Their line of hard drum cases is all available separately but works amazingly together.
Incredibly durable and well-designed, they are meant to work in tandem, as they are all able to stack upon one another for easy and convenient storage.
The padded interior keeps the drums inside from becoming jostled around. At the same time, the hardened exterior is remarkably durable on the top and bottom, which again lends well to their stackable nature.
They all come with heavy-duty straps and buckles to keep them sealed and have handles for easy carrying.
Conclusion
Choosing the best drum cases doesn't have to be a grueling task. Once you know exactly what you need your drums bag for, you can make a much more informed decision on what the best drum hard cases would be for you.
Look and shop around at various brands specializing in drumming equipment, as they'll typically always stock at least one style of drum soft case, hard case, or bag.
Remember to assess your needs, narrow down the style you want, and then start looking at popular brands like Gator, SKB, and more.
