Incase Tour Bag in the NYC Subway

Just to ask the obvious... have you let the shoulder straps out as far as they'll go, so the bass will hang lower on your back?

 

A few months ago I started a thread addressing this very issue and trying to get people to post measurements of how high various gig bags sit, but the thread never really got much traction:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f30/gig-bag-shoulder-strap-location-835906/

 

I'm 6'5", I've given up even trying to walk with a gig back strapped to my back.:scowl:

 

Though Ive used gig bags a fair amount, Ive never slung them over my back. Allways carried it by handle same as if it was a hard case. Never had to haul it by subway or bus etc. But I'd still rather carry it by hand same as hard case.

 

The Sadowsky Access Stage 5 is very good in the regard.
The upper attachment point is all the way at the top of the bag.

 

I have the same issue with an Igig case I've had for a couple of years. I bonk the top of turnstiles and even the subway ceiling sometimes.

I've found it to be sort of a tradeoff. On the one hand, I don't like bumping into things. On the other, I do find the case to be very comfortable on longer walks with the bass up high. My old case was a Mooradian, which lasted me about 20 years (!), and that sat much lower on my back. It was much easier in doorways and on the subway, but it was a lot less comfortable to wear.

I live a 15-minute walk from the subway. It's not a huge distance, I'll admit, but when that bag's fully loaded with bass and other extra gear, I can really appreciate the higher position on my back. I've just come to terms with the doorways and trust that the heavy padding of the bag is doing its job when I forget to duck and get a little careless.

As an aside, I was speaking to Jackson, the bass guy at Rudy's music about a nice gig bag a couple of years ago and he said "I found out that if you have too much to drink and forget to zip up the bag, it doesn't hold the bass very well at all!". Ouch.

 

IMO, this isn't just an incase problem.
Most bags have the upper attachment point in the wrong place to facilitate carrying the bag low enough to protect the headstock.

For the life of me, I can't figure why.

Clip on straps with two attachment points would give the user functional choices for situational preference.

 

You, good Sir, are a genius. Why has nobody thought of this?

In the case of the Igig bag, the straps are major-league backpack straps that are actually sewn to the bag and wouldn't really lend themselves to a moveable point, but I've seen other bags where that would be a very viable option.

I've also had bags modified by local shoemakers on occasion. Your idea is one I'll be keeping in mind!

 

As per the pic, Sadowsky/Access do this.
Why everyone doesn't, I surely don't know.

 

I have never used the straps on my Mono case. I prefer the gig bag because of the storage and the smaller space it occupies in my car. I can haul two basses in my Mono and easily fit them in the back seat of my car with both my cabs. With hard cases, one would need to go in the trunk and I'd have to carry a backpack for all my "gig stuff".

I'm also 6'5" tall, so if I "wore" the gig bag, it would be hitting basketball rims when I walked around. I'd look like a decapitated giraffe.

 

Ah. Well. The Incase backpack straps are definitely lower, but, the single, movable strap may be similar.

 

Look at the other attachment points....

 

On the Sadowsky, yessir. I've not had the incase, but it looks like it should work similarly.