Flying with a Mono Vertigo - can it be done???

[MrFabulous]

Hey TalkBass!

The topic of wether or not it's a good idea to fly with a soft case has been debated forever. In my perpetration for a 10 day tour to Poland I spent hours researching my options for traveling with my bass. The Mono Vertigo was what I landed on. The only problem, I couldn't find any real documented proof that anyone had traveled successfully. Most information I found was exactly what you would expect, travel at your own risk.

So, I decided to just go for it!

We're taking 6 different flights over the next week and a half with several different airlines. Each one has their own rules and regulations.

I'm going to post videos and commentary about my experience. Enjoy!

 

[Hotblack]

Excellent idea. Subscribed (or watched).

 

[JakobT]

Great project! I will follow this thread with interest!

 

[MattLplaysBass]

Cool. Love mine, and while I doubt I'll ever use it like this, interested to see what you find. Good luck and have a great tour!

 

[woody357]

The Mono Verigo is really nice gig bag, I use mine more than I use my hard shell case. I feel my basses are well protected. The band I play with does a lot of traveling, but I've never had a problem with it. What I really like is you don't have to find space to lay your case down to put your bass away.

 

[JakobT]

The Mono Verigo is really nice gig bag, I use mine more than I use my hard shell case. I feel my basses are well protected.

It's my favourite gig bag, but I always wondered how it would stand up to air travel, especially if one had to check it. I've never been able to find any good factual information, so it's really cool that the OP is putting his bass on the line in the name of science

 

[UK Philip]

Why don't you just use a slim hardcase?

 

[woody357]

UK has a point. Baggage handlers can get real crazy.

 

[JakobT]

UK has a point. Baggage handlers can get real crazy.

He does - but I for one am glad the OP's making the experiment. I'm sure hard cases offer the best protection when travelling by plane, but that may not be the only consideration. For one thing, they're heavy and cumbersome in any other situation, and a gig bag, if sufficiently protective, would be an appealing alternative.

 

[MrFabulous]

Sorry it's taken me a bit to update. I had to run a software update on my phone before I could get my international plan to work.

I made it to Poland safe and sound...and so did my bass!

My experience of carrying my bass was pretty awesome...honestly even better than I expected.

On my flight out of Dayton we were asked to valet check all of our instruments. Right away I was neverous. The gate attendant explained that our instruments would be held in a cargo compartment separate from the regular baggage. I got my pink claim ticket and down it went...into the belly of the beast!

I trusted the Vertigo and knew this was what I wanted to test, but I was still pretty nervous!

Our flight was a quick 45 minutes to Detroit. As I waited for I hoped that my choice was a good one. It was! The bass and case made it just fine.

My real worry were the international flight.

Air France, out of Detroit to Paris, was up next. I've always thought the best way to walk into an unsure situation is with confidence. I walked right on and found a flight attendant. I asked if they could find a place for my bass. And they did, in first class! It had a better ride than I did!

In Paris we boarded our plane to Warsaw. I confidently walked on, asked an attendant to stow my bass and after a few moment of squeezing finally fit it into a pretty small coat closet.

Out of three flights I only had to gate check it for one. I will say after walking, what seemed like several miles in 3 airports the Vertigo with a full Guitar Tick got pretty heavy.

I'll shoot a video later today and update you on how things are going. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Jim C]

Thanks for this; I just bought a Vertigo this week.
Is it safe to say that you have a much better chance of the bass being in the cabin if it's a gig bag, but if it goes into the cargo hold a solid case is a better choice?

 

[Dubista]

I imagine being able to carry a bass onto a plane varies from airline to airline. In my own experience, I've always had to gate check. (Australia)

 

[MrFabulous]

Thanks for this; I just bought a Vertigo this week.
Is it safe to say that you have a much better chance of the bass being in the cabin if it's a gig bag, but if it goes into the cargo hold a solid case is a better choice?

Here's what I think. You should just go ahead and resign yourself to the idea that you might have to check it. If you think that way you won't be bummed out if they won't let you bring it on. The smallest plane that we flew on wouldn't even let us bring our roller bags, let alone my huge bass! No amount of confidence or sweet talking was going to get that bass on board. There just wasn't room.

 

[Jim C]

OK
Let me ask a different question.
Do you think that the Vertigo would give adequate protection in a cargo hold?
I'm making the assumption that a hard case will always be better than a Vertigo or any other bag.

 

[Espresto]

Thrilled that someone's doing this. I'm also planning to fly with my Vertigo. I'll be flying from Shanghai to Boston, and then from New York to Albuquerque next month. I'll even pass through Dayton in the intervening period.

I'm shocked that the gig bag survived being checked; sometimes I feel like baggage handlers are intentionally rough on guitars. I flew with a hard case a few years back and they somehow managed to bend the metal rim out of shape. It was my favorite case too. Anyway, waiting for further updates with bated breath!

 

[Jayhawk]

So, when all was said and done, how did it do MrFabulous?

 

[MrFabulous]

All in all my experience with the Mono Vertigo was awesome! Mono has absolutely outdone themselves and created a case that is rugged, stylish and easy to tote.

Between 6 flights I was able to carry my bass on 3 and had to gate check it the other three times. Each time it was checked I anticipated a great experience and was never let down. A pink tag, a little prayer and off it went down the stairs! I honestly expected some type of damage, even a scratch or two, but it never happened at all.

Carrying the case on was a breeze. I walked on like I owned the place and either asked a stewardess to stow it or headed to my seat to try and squeeze it into an overhead bin. On one Delta flight the overhead bin fit my bass in the backside of the compartment and three roller bags in front...with room to spare!

One thing to note, I wasn't only traveling by plane. We played about 10 different events so my gear was in and out of buses, trailers and vans. I'm serious guys, this case never even showed a scratch. Super impressed.

I was never let down by the case, but here are a few observations:
-I'm not a very tall guy...5'10" on a tall day. The case sits pretty low for me, so I would resort to adjusting the straps...but after a few minutes the straps would slip back down to the longest length. It made carrying it a bit uncomfortable.
-I also have a Guitar Tick. With the Tick full and attached to the Vertigo it felt like whole thing doubled in weight. I know it didn't but it felt a lot heavier. I resorted to carrying the Tick by hand and not keeping it attached to the Vertigo very often.

This is a great case. I'd recommend it to anyone.

 

[JakobT]

-I'm not a very tall guy...5'10" on a tall day. The case sits pretty low for me, so I would resort to adjusting the straps...but after a few minutes the straps would slip back down to the longest length. It made carrying it a bit uncomfortable.
-I also have a Guitar Tick. With the Tick full and attached to the Vertigo it felt like whole thing doubled in weight. I know it didn't but it felt a lot heavier. I resorted to carrying the Tick by hand and not keeping it attached to the Vertigo very often.

This is a great case. I'd recommend it to anyone.

I'm the same height as you, and had the same problem with my Vertigo - the straps would keep slipping. I e-mailed some comments to Mono Customer Service (I had some input on the design of the buckles, as they're difficult to adjust while wearing the bag on your back) and mentioned the slipping. Mono promptly responded that the buckles might slip slightly, but not as much as that, and that it could be a warranty issue. They asked me to send them some photos of the bag, which I did, and a couple of days later I was contacted by my local distributor, who said they had a replacement bag waiting for me. The new Vertigo performed perfectly - no more slippage. The same might apply to you, so I'd drop them a line. Their customer service is second to none, so it's a good bet they can help you out. They also mentioned that they might revisit the design of the buckles, BTW.

As for the Tick, I've learned not to overload it, as it can add plenty of weight fully loaded. Since it's best to keep heavier stuff near your spine, most of my heavier things go in the pocket, if it's flat enough.

 

[CrUiSeR]

What was your reason for choosing the vertigp over the m80?

 

[Bob_Ross]

I'm making the assumption that a hard case will always be better than a Vertigo or any other bag.

You know the quote "Never assume...", right?

In my experience there are a lot of hard cases that are simply not better -- in terms of protecting the instrument from damage (which is the whole point of a case, right?) -- than a good modern gig bag. E.g., I would rather have my bass in a Mono Vertigo or M80 than, say, the stock rectangular plywood hardshell cases that Fender uses (used?). The Mono provides better support of the neck, more shock resistance, better water resistance, puts more material between the bass and any potential puncturing object, and is less likely to open accidentally. That choice is a no-brainer for me.

There are several other models of gig bag that I'd be equally comfortable using, and moreso than many other hardshell cases. IMHO until you get up into the ATA-spec cases, HSCs only give the illusion of more protection.