Dual (2 bass) Gig Bag

[DJWhitJr]

Thanks for everyone’s input. I went ahead and ordered the Protec double. It should arrive tomorrow.

 

[MegaSwing]

Thanks for everyone’s input. I went ahead and ordered the Protec double. It should arrive tomorrow.

Never had a Protec that I didn’t like. Use it well.

 

[DJWhitJr]

For the price it’s worth the experiment. If I dont like carrying 2 at a time, then I can use the other compartment for extra accessories, etc.

 

[Clark Westfield]

I have a Gator double that has been great for many years.

Durable padding protects my basses perfectly.

The Mono stuff is also amazing.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I've been using a Mono dual bag for two years.
Bought it used here in the classifieds.
The thing I don't understand are the straps on the back.
With 2 basses in those things, NO ONE should ever strap those things to their back.
Can get heavy.
I don't worry about my basses in the Mono. VERY well constructed

That is my story almost to a T. Bought it off the TB classifieds and never looked back. I play short scales so I added a small piece of foam in the bottom of the cavities for the basses and good to go. It's a little heavy and more bulky than I was used to but it's served me well.

I appreciate all the comments / suggestions. There have been a few regarding the avoidance of using the backpack straps. Is it because they are heavy or the straps are unreliable?

In my experience using the back pack straps is "scary" because that means you normally have your hands full of something else and if something gives way you have little chance of avoiding the ground/floor impact. I didn't remove the straps but I don't use them, just tied them off so they don't drag or get caught on doorknobs or other things.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Long story short, I’m tired of lugging around my hard cases. They take up a lot of room, yada yada yada.

I have a gig bag to use but like to bring a backup to gigs so either need a 2nd bag or could get a dual bass bag.

I’m interested in experiences of those of you who has or use to have a dual bass bag. Do you like them, wish you would have went with 2 separate bags, etc. Note I have a 3rd bass so my current bag won’t go to waste/collect dust if I get a dual bag.

Where I currently am on this issue:

I continue to transport my gear by personal vehicle inside the passenger compartment. Aka no pickup truck bed. The hard shell case(s) generally take up no more room (and no functional space saved) on the back seat than soft case(s) in one vehicle, while in another, the availability of a soft case is the single detail that allows the bass(s) to sit in the back seat, when no square, hard case would work. Depending on bass, or basses and vehicle, which vehicle I have access to, or even where/if I can safely park one vehicle versus another, I use both soft cases and hardshell rectangular ones.

I have considered a dual case very strongly and spent a LOT of time reading threads and commentary, but I continue to find not all that much advantage for me, and not even factoring in the investment cost in a good bag.

Because of the very portable and expensive nature of the instruments when I'm loading in, the basses tend to be the first thing to get out of the vehicle and into the club, band space, stage, etc.. and when I leave, they are the last things to go back into the vehicle. I carry one bass in each hand. First, they generally counterbalance each other, and after a strap failed once and slightly dented a guitar 5 years ago when it fell to the concrete, I've never trusted another shoulder strap. Full stop. The instrument case (whatever it is) goes in my hand, or it doesn't get carried. Period. So that brings up the next thing. Second, a dual bag basically saves me (only) a half-trip in, because each time I come in or go out, I generally have one thing in each hand except amp, where I could possibly put two basses in one hand. And that's going to be about 25 pounds, roughly. The only other thing that weighs in that ballpark as a gigging bass player, is the amp at 38 pounds. While I'm strong enough to carry a dual bass bag at roughly 25 pounds in one hand, and an amp in the other hand at 38 pounds, I try (with the exception of the combo amp that you can't split of course) to split loads for ease and not to be unweildy trying to open doors, etc...

The dual bag IS a good idea for some people based on their very specific situations and all of the details, habits and priorities that come into play at almost every moment from when one loads up to head out, until the last piece of gear is back in the home at the end of a long gig. I think any number of factors that differ even slightly about how one acts upon the details, habits and priorities make the difference between whether individual hard shell rectangle cases or some sort of dual-instrument case/bag thing will be best for you... or not the best for you.

I guess I'm also not completely tired and unable to carry or tolerate hard shell cases anymore when their pluses (including simply already being owned) is a big impediment to me further considering changing to a dual bag and the costs to acquire one, to determine only sometime afterwards in weeks or months of gigging use, whether that investment was worth what I paid (not only in the new dual bag) in improvements in gigging ease, but also the sunk cost of hard shell cases that were purchased explicitly for a particular instrument, or which came specified with the bass, sitting empty doing nothing.

I'll continue to allow the possibility of a dual gig bag in my future, but there's going to have to be some change in what I do, how I do it, and what I prioritize, and I'm not a person that always takes to change easily, and if there's one thing that saves me so often is the ROUTINES of what I do and when and how- to keep track of gear, process, and time. I think even aging alone, will keep me with single instrument cases with the weight relatively evenly distributed between each hand, arm, shoulder and ultimately spine and back.

Hopefully you'll make the right choice. Think carefully.

 

[joel the bass player]

I've preferred a bag over hard cases for a while, but still would have one of each most of the time I was heading out to play (everything but practice). Went with a Mono Dual a bit more than a year ago now and am still quite happy. Yes it is heavy, but I'm big enough that it isn't a bother, and having both on my back makes it easier to navigate doors and what not with a pedalboard in one hand and the other free. There were times in the past that I would forget something at home (in ears or a strap I wanted) in another bass case that because I change things up and have too many basses. Now it is all just in the dual bag all the time.