New Incase Slim Bag vs Sadowsky Portabag

[mashed potatoes]

I happen to be in the market for a new gig bag and I think it's come down to these two for me. Anyone else heard anything about the clips failing on the backpack straps of the Sadowsky bag? Their backpack straps look a bit more comfortable but I won't let my precious baby drop to the ground as a friend had happen with his portabag twice. Enlighten me, oh generous TBers

[KJung]

Been using mine constantly for over a year now... no problems. I prefer the Sadowsky bag to the current InCase bag.

You should also check out the Protec Contega. I have not seen one yet, but they are supposed to be first rate (Pete Skjold and Rob Allen (Mouse) use these bags as their gig bags.

They look well designed and solid, and the retail is right at $100 or so... I assume the selling price will be a touch less.

K

[Tony G]

I have no direct experience with the Sadowsky Portabag, but I absolutely love my Incase Slimbag (thanks Ken! ). Before I got the slimbag, I would only use hard cases to transport my basses. IMO the slimbag has 90% of the protection of a standard hard case, while giving a very similar portability compared to a standard gig bag. Some people here think the backpack system of the Slimbag is more complicated than it needs to be, and prefer the simpler design of the portabags backpack system. This is a non-issue for me as I prefer using the long single shoulder strap. I also believe that Incase slimbag is a couple lbs heavier than the Portabag. Again, not really an issue for me as I usually don't have far to carry my bass from my car to the rehearsal room, gig, etc. One thing I like about the Incase bag that isn't on the Portabag is the internal pockets up near the neck support. I like to keep my extra batteries, microfiber cloth, allen wrenches, ect., in there. Also, the Incase has a rigid outside pocket, but is only the bottom half of the case. The Sadowsky bag seems to have a pocket that covers almost the entire front of the case, but doesn't look rigid.

Regardless of which case you decide on, I doubt you'll regret getting either the Incase and Portabag. One little issue I have is that I wouldn't be crazy about using a Portabag if I didn't have a Sadowsky inside it. Something about carrying a case that says "Sadowsky" on it and then pulling out another bass seems weird to me. I obviously don't have this problem with the Incase bag. This is likely a non-issue for a lot of people, but for me it is a little pet-peeve.

[funkometer]

I have the protec pro pac case, and its the best case Ive had in a while..........

[mashed potatoes]

Thought I should add that I'd be doing a lot of walking with this case on my back as I'm moving to a city and getting rid of the car. A loose right shoulder socket means this bad boy needs to be comfortable and healthy for me too.

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by mashed potatoes

Thought I should add that I'd be doing a lot of walking with this case on my back as I'm moving to a city and getting rid of the car. A loose right shoulder socket means this bad boy needs to be comfortable and healthy for me too.

Then it sounds like the Portabag might be the right choice for you. Can you better explain the problem your friend is having with his portabag?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Tony G

Then it sounds like the Portabag might be the right choice for you. Can you better explain the problem your friend is having with his portabag?

Hey Tony,

You know, given the OP's back issue and walking a lot with it, I'm thinking the InCase might be the way to go. As you know, I love, love, love the original InCase Slimbag. I tried the newer model that I sold to you, and while it's a great bag, the reason it didn't work for me was that 'alpine backback system' with all the straps and belts and clips (like a high end backpack). Since I mainly go from house to car to gig to car to house, and never do more than a single trip, I needed a more standard backpack sysem like the original InCase and the Portabag (i.e., the alpine system was way overkill, but the 'single strap' option didn't work at all as I was pushing my rig or cart into the gig).

However, if you are going to do a lot of walking, and/or have back problems, that alpine system with the hip belt to redestribute the weight, etc., that new InCase Slimbag might be the thing.... super duty strap system designed to walk long distances and distribute the weight evenly across the shoulders and hips, like a good backpack system.

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by KJung

Hey Tony,

You know, given the OP's back issue and walking a lot with it, I'm thinking the InCase might be the way to go. As you know, I love, love, love the original InCase Slimbag. I tried the newer model that I sold to you, and while it's a great bag, the reason it didn't work for me was that 'alpine backback system' with all the straps and belts and clips (like a high end backpack). Since I mainly go from house to car to gig to car to house, and never do more than a single trip, I needed a more standard backpack sysem like the original InCase and the Portabag (i.e., the alpine system was way overkill, but the 'single strap' option didn't work at all as I was pushing my rig or cart into the gig).

However, if you are going to do a lot of walking, and/or have back problems, that alpine system with the hip belt to redestribute the weight, etc., that new InCase Slimbag might be the thing.... super duty strap system designed to walk long distances and distribute the weight evenly across the shoulders and hips, like a good backpack system.

There you have it. That makes perfect sense. It seems from your description here that the while the Incase is a couple pounds heavier than the Portabag, the "alpine backpack system" of the Incase should more than make for that weight and may feel even better distributed.

[mashed potatoes]

Originally Posted by Tony G

Then it sounds like the Portabag might be the right choice for you. Can you better explain the problem your friend is having with his portabag?

Where the backpack straps meet the ring on the bag there is a metal clip on each strap that clicks and locks around the ring. While I wasn't there to witness the incidents, he claimed that twice one of these clips has broken and let go of the bag, sending his bass to the pavement. Again, I don't know the circumstances and I have never heard of this from anyone else. The bag may have been overloaded or he may have tried to squeeze through a doorway and not have made it. Who knows, just wondering if anyone else had these problems.

Also, how does the size of the incase bag compare to that of the Sadowsky? I know the Sad is much lighter. I really wish I could try them both on.

And will both be ok with my 35" scale Laklands?

Thanks TBers. This place is always a great source of info

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by mashed potatoes

Where the backpack straps meet the ring on the bag there is a metal clip on each strap that clicks and locks around the ring. While I wasn't there to witness the incidents, he claimed that twice one of these clips has broken and let go of the bag, sending his bass to the pavement. Again, I don't know the circumstances and I have never heard of this from anyone else. The bag may have been overloaded or he may have tried to squeeze through a doorway and not have made it. Who knows, just wondering if anyone else had these problems.

Also, how does the size of the incase bag compare to that of the Sadowsky? I know the Sad is much lighter. I really wish I could try them both on.

And will both be ok with my 35" scale Laklands?

Thanks TBers. This place is always a great source of info

Interesting. No, I've never heard of the problems your friend is having, so it might be he's just having some unexplained problems or he's not telling you the whole story. As I said, I don't have any hands on experience with Portabag, but it is my understand that while it is ligther than the Incase, it isn't significantly lighter. As posted above, if you take advantage of the Incase's heavy duty backpack system, it may even feel lighter in comparison. I have nothing to back that up. It's just an educated guess. Yes, 35" scale basses fit in the Incase Slimbag. I'm not sure about the Portabag, but I believe they should fit just fine in there as well.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by mashed potatoes

Where the backpack straps meet the ring on the bag there is a metal clip on each strap that clicks and locks around the ring. While I wasn't there to witness the incidents, he claimed that twice one of these clips has broken and let go of the bag, sending his bass to the pavement. Again, I don't know the circumstances and I have never heard of this from anyone else. The bag may have been overloaded or he may have tried to squeeze through a doorway and not have made it. Who knows, just wondering if anyone else had these problems.

Also, how does the size of the incase bag compare to that of the Sadowsky? I know the Sad is much lighter. I really wish I could try them both on.

And will both be ok with my 35" scale Laklands?

Thanks TBers. This place is always a great source of info

The Lakland fits fine in either. The Sadowsky actually has an extra pad at the bottom that can be removed for larger basses if needed.

[Phil Smith]

Originally Posted by mashed potatoes

Where the backpack straps meet the ring on the bag there is a metal clip on each strap that clicks and locks around the ring. While I wasn't there to witness the incidents, he claimed that twice one of these clips has broken and let go of the bag, sending his bass to the pavement. Again, I don't know the circumstances and I have never heard of this from anyone else. The bag may have been overloaded or he may have tried to squeeze through a doorway and not have made it. Who knows, just wondering if anyone else had these problems.

The straps on the Portabag are a problem in particular the metal clips do come loose.

My base hit the pavement and got damaged i.e. the top most tuner on my AtelierZ 6 broke into two pieces.

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by Phil Smith

The straps on the Portabag are a problem in particular the metal clips do come loose.

My base hit the pavement and got damaged i.e. the top most tuner on my AtelierZ 6 broke into two pieces.

Wow, that doesn't sound good.

[mashed potatoes]

Originally Posted by Phil Smith

The straps on the Portabag are a problem in particular the metal clips do come loose.

My base hit the pavement and got damaged i.e. the top most tuner on my AtelierZ 6 broke into two pieces.

Ordering an Incase Slim in the AM

[Tony G]

Originally Posted by mashed potatoes

Ordering an Incase Slim in the AM

I hope you love it as much as I love mine!

[andrewd]

I have also had strap clips break on my Portabag. I am hoping I can sell it and get an Incase.

[Sadowsky]

I have just discovered this thread. I was unaware we had a problem with the clips on the straps. I can assure everyone that I will get working on resolving this right away.

Roger

[andrewd]

Cool, thanks Roger!

[albass111]

Originally Posted by andrewd

I have also had strap clips break on my Portabag. I am hoping I can sell it and get an Incase.

I've broken two straps and received two immediate replacements. The key to this is to take off the straps when you set it in a trunk, overhead bin or something. I broke two in the first month, and the bag has been great since I thought about my user error. Oh yes, and it does fit in American, Southwest and United overhead bins.

[albass111]

Originally Posted by mashed potatoes

I happen to be in the market for a new gig bag and I think it's come down to these two for me. Anyone else heard anything about the clips failing on the backpack straps of the Sadowsky bag? Their backpack straps look a bit more comfortable but I won't let my precious baby drop to the ground as a friend had happen with his portabag twice. Enlighten me, oh generous TBers

The biggest plus of the portabag is all of the room. I have the following in my pockets.

2 5' speaker cable's
2 12' instrument cables 1 20' cable
Extension cord
Power Cable
Boss TU-2 pedal
Mini Tool Kit
3 prong power cord
Genz Benz Shuttle with cover
Strings.
Shure SM57 and Mic Cable.

Because of the pockets within the pockets, Nothing gets jumbled up.

Unfortunately, I carried a Nitro finished UV Sadowsky in it, but that is now fixed too as the people at Sadowsky took care of that. Outside of possibly replacing some straps, This will be the last gig bag I have. A1 service on a $200 product!

It is possible that there is a better clip design, but I'm sure that will be made known as it comes along.