Hardshell case with backpack like straps by any chance?

[kap'n kro]

Alright guys, I need some help. It's time for me to step up the protection for my bass (SR5).

Currently I have it in a Ritter gig bag that is nice, but isn't enough protection.

Price is no option, though the only caveat is that I need to be able to wear the bass on my back. Weight isn't as much a concern - I know it seems strange, but are there any hard-shell-ish cases that come with straps?

I did a search and found a bunch of older posts - surely new products are coming out all the time. So what is it? What's the best case for me at this point?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Phalex]

Check out the Body Glove hybrid. They look pretty sweet.

[kap'n kro]

Body Glove Hybrid

Wow... that thing looks pretty nice. Anybody have any experience with these, or have any other contenders?

Thanks for the help, I'm already super glad I started this thread.

[kap'n kro]

Nobody else has any thoughts? Would anybody out there be able to compare this Body Glove bag to one of the Incase bags?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by kap'n kro

Alright guys, I need some help. It's time for me to step up the protection for my bass (SR5).

Currently I have it in a Ritter gig bag that is nice, but isn't enough protection.

Price is no option, though the only caveat is that I need to be able to wear the bass on my back. Weight isn't as much a concern - I know it seems strange, but are there any hard-shell-ish cases that come with straps?

I did a search and found a bunch of older posts - surely new products are coming out all the time. So what is it? What's the best case for me at this point?

Thanks for any suggestions.

The Sadowsky Porta Bag is pretty darn good.... 80% of the protection of a hard case, in a gig bag type configuration. It's IMO better designed than the current version of the InCase Slim, which is also great.

If you want 100% of hard case protection with straps, the Zero G cases that Roger Sadowsky and Mike Tobias use would be the closest thing. However, it is literally like strapping a hardcase to your back. So, you lose some of the 'gig bag' comfort to gain full protection.

[kap'n kro]

Originally Posted by KJung

If you want 100% of hard case protection with straps, the Zero G cases that Roger Sadowsky and Mike Tobias use would be the closest thing. However, it is literally like strapping a hardcase to your back. So, you lose some of the 'gig bag' comfort to gain full protection.

I'm intrigued, but I can't seem to find any information about it anywhere on the web. Anybody know where I can at least find a few pics of this thing - let along where to possibly buying one?

[Fab_Superlative]

Zero G cases are made by TKL.

[kap'n kro]

Alright, so a quick update is in order. Out of the cases I was looking at I decided to actually order both an Incase slimbag ($199), and the Body Glove hybrid ($89 from MF).

While both seem to be respectably built - and either really would have been a nice step up in protection from my Ritter, the Incase blows the Body Glove out of the water (and at over twice the cost it should!).

First off, the body glove: Probably has the least information posted about it on the web out of any gig bag, and has at this time only one decent picture that I could find. I suppose the mysteriousness intrigued me. Upon pulling it out of it's large box, the first thing I noticed was the "amp bag" that sits in the front compartment. I knew that the bag had this feature, though I guess I expected a little bit more from it. It essentially just slides around all willy nilly in that front compartment. After a few more minutes of checking out the total package I was a little disappointed in the aesthetic aspects of the bag, though that's personal preference. What's not as much personal preference was the lack of a neck brace. It seems kind of odd to me to have such a protective case without a neck brace. Then I moved on to the straps. I like backpack type straps, always have. After unzipping the compartment that holds them, I was very under impressed with the quality of the straps themselves. They seemed flimsy to me, though passable. Overall I'd rate the case well, as it offers a superior level of protection in a small/light package, but the lack of a neck brace is troubling.

The Incase - Amazing. Right out of the box, the first thing I thought about was how well designed it is aesthetically. This bag is gorgeous. As I said above though, this is subjective. The bag though was very rigid, while still feeling, at least to me extremely light.

Neck brace? Check.

Storage pockets?: very well thought out. enough and in the right sizes to be useful, but nothing too crazy - and the small pockets that line the neck brace are amazing. I dunno what I'd do without these as there's really no other place to put small, easily losable items such as picks and ear plugs.

Straps?: superb. extremely solid. I've heard some complaints about some people preferring the old style better, though I have to say I really enjoyed the backpack straps. It took a little bit of arrangement, but eventually I figured out that I could neatly tuck the "waist straps" behind the lumbar support to keep them out of the picture. Thankfully I was also able to loosen the straps so as to be able to wear the bass fairly low on my back (only about a foot is above my head) while having it still be comfortable to wear.

Lastly, and most importantly, the level of protection is awesome, and my SR5 fits inside snug like a glove. When laid out, the Incase is actually shorter than my Ritter because all of the wiggle room has been cut out from the inside.

In summary, both are probably very good at their respective price points, but when it comes down to quality there's no competition. The Body Glove will be sent back today; I couldn't be happier with the Incase.