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Traveling with a GruvGear Kapsule
- Thread starter squish
- Start date
Nah.I hope it said Rimowa on it
The damaged case was a cheap Samsonite, and it was replaced with a quite nice, slightly larger American Tourister.
I reached out to the airline about my broken case and the best they can do after I fill out a form, take pictures and then physically bring it to them for inspection... is a refund of my checked baggage fee. Which was $35.
Jamie Bishop
Supporting Member
- Oct 26, 2008
- 123
- 105
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Laney Amplication
I’ll chime in with my experience, I’m actually considering putting together a video to show how my Kapsule has handled the last 2.5 years with about 200 flights logged. Overall I have been pretty impressed. My last gig was in Venice, Italy and I just received my bass after being lost for 6 days thanks to Aer Lingus (flyer beware with these clowns). It was only after this ordeal that my Kapsule has lost most of it’s use thanks to a severely damaged zipper. I’m still waiting to hear from Gruv Gear if this is repairable, but I don’t have high hopes because it’s pretty jacked.
My failures prior to this were minimal and mostly cosmetic. Last year while one of the main security zippers was knocked off in transit, which lazy me replaced with a steel wire luggage tag lanyard. I have dramatic wear along the bottom corners of the hard shell, but still structurally sound. Lots of wear around the bottom zipper area from being leaned against walls. Pull handle is a little malformed but not too uncomfortable to deal with. Those are my main issues pre-damage.
I have all my gear insured through Clarion Insurance, which I can’t recommend enough for working musicians. The peace of mind is worth it. In this case, if Aer Lingus won’t do the right thing, Clarion has confirmed the damage is covered.
As has been mentioned by others, the Kapsule has become a major part of my travel workflow, and intend to replace it despite imperfections.
My use tips:
-Gate check unless they absolutely refuse. Tell them you do this every weekend and it’s fine. I’ve only been made to check it a handful of times. More often than not I can get a pink tag and pick it up on the jetway.
-Don’t remove the wheels!!! Like, never. It gets treat much better with the wheels. Google luggage handler preferences if you need convincing. No wheels = airborne luggage.
As said, I plan on replacing and I’m looking at how to reinforce some corners and high-wear areas with a skid plate and/or bumpers. The Kapsule is not perfect, but it still seems like closest thing for me!
My failures prior to this were minimal and mostly cosmetic. Last year while one of the main security zippers was knocked off in transit, which lazy me replaced with a steel wire luggage tag lanyard. I have dramatic wear along the bottom corners of the hard shell, but still structurally sound. Lots of wear around the bottom zipper area from being leaned against walls. Pull handle is a little malformed but not too uncomfortable to deal with. Those are my main issues pre-damage.
I have all my gear insured through Clarion Insurance, which I can’t recommend enough for working musicians. The peace of mind is worth it. In this case, if Aer Lingus won’t do the right thing, Clarion has confirmed the damage is covered.
As has been mentioned by others, the Kapsule has become a major part of my travel workflow, and intend to replace it despite imperfections.
My use tips:
-Gate check unless they absolutely refuse. Tell them you do this every weekend and it’s fine. I’ve only been made to check it a handful of times. More often than not I can get a pink tag and pick it up on the jetway.
-Don’t remove the wheels!!! Like, never. It gets treat much better with the wheels. Google luggage handler preferences if you need convincing. No wheels = airborne luggage.
As said, I plan on replacing and I’m looking at how to reinforce some corners and high-wear areas with a skid plate and/or bumpers. The Kapsule is not perfect, but it still seems like closest thing for me!
After a couple cruise ship contracts my Kapsule is kaput. The zippers are absolutely shredded at the bottom and can't be zipped closed anymore. If you remove the wheels to check the bass, baggage handlers just drag the case with the full weight on the zippers on the bottom of the case. So you have to choose between risking the wheels being snapped off, or the zippers being destroyed.
It did keep my bass safe from damage for long flights and was nice to wheel around and stuff full of gear, but I definitely won't be buying another.
It did keep my bass safe from damage for long flights and was nice to wheel around and stuff full of gear, but I definitely won't be buying another.
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I just flew back from Madrid to Istanbul. It’s still going strong but every flight I dread and with the posts here I always think the next time will be the last.
I really don’t know a better solution. I still have my SKB Bass Safe but I loathe to think about using it again.
I really don’t know a better solution. I still have my SKB Bass Safe but I loathe to think about using it again.
That's how my zipper looked too. Body also had multiple cracks near the wheels. Had to put it out with the trash.
Yep, I wouldn’t buy another one either. The concept is great but the materials are just not tough enough. I’ve gone back to my SKB iseries, which is harder work, but gives you absolute peace of mind.
I’m not sure what I’d do if mine failed. The concept is amazing and I think to some degree any flight case that’s flying often is going to fail. Most SKB Bass Safes have smashed buckles or cut off belts it’s just you can still use them with a cinch strap.
I have found though that it doesn’t encourage me to go out with the bass. I’m not running around a city hitting jams. It’s gets me from a to b with some clothes in, but it does it better than any other case except maybe the Kapsulite which just about fits a cable in.
If I was Van touring the duo would be a game changer.
I have found though that it doesn’t encourage me to go out with the bass. I’m not running around a city hitting jams. It’s gets me from a to b with some clothes in, but it does it better than any other case except maybe the Kapsulite which just about fits a cable in.
If I was Van touring the duo would be a game changer.
It looks like they could incorporate some minor modifications and improve the resilience of the case markedly.
Sadowsky's portabag has a velco flap to protect the zipper and boot. A flap that covers the entire bottom and corners would save the zippers from taking the brunt of friction with the ground when baggage handlers inevitably drag it around.
Since posting, I did take a needle and thread to my Gruv gear zipper and managed to sew it back together into a somewhat usable state, so hopefully I can squeeze out some more use before it rips again and I have to trash it. But I was expecting to get 10+ years out of a $400 flight case, and instead I got about 1 year of daily use with around 10-20 flights.
So I’m currently in limbo as I move back to standard scale and as such no longer have a Kapsule or Kapsulite (both are the guitar version)
I flew recently with the stock Rickenbacker case, that got destroyed, bass was fine but the case will never fly again.
Next leg I’ll use the SKB Bass Safe as I have it here so why not.
So whilst the Kapsule might not be lasting years, they are lasting more than this case with a single business class flight (with a really respected airline).
I flew recently with the stock Rickenbacker case, that got destroyed, bass was fine but the case will never fly again.
Next leg I’ll use the SKB Bass Safe as I have it here so why not.
So whilst the Kapsule might not be lasting years, they are lasting more than this case with a single business class flight (with a really respected airline).
Attachments
Status update.
Since I last posted in August, I've taken the Kapsule on six more trips via different airlines. Thankfully the case has held up well! I believe it is because every time I hand it off to a baggage handler I say, "take care of my baby!" Seems to be working so far.
Since I last posted in August, I've taken the Kapsule on six more trips via different airlines. Thankfully the case has held up well! I believe it is because every time I hand it off to a baggage handler I say, "take care of my baby!" Seems to be working so far.
So I picked up a Kapsule recently and they seem to have adjusted the design a little, there is a bit of fabric that covers the zips at the bottom of the case. It kinda gets in the way of zipping it up but I imagine it’s there to prevent the damage we’ve seen in this thread.
No the real kicker was due to the shape of the case and how the neck meets the body the Kapsule will not fit my Rickenbacker 4003.
I was heartbroken and left with little choice.
So I ordered a Mono Vertigo and a Pelican V800.
Basically a Bass Safe 2.0
No the real kicker was due to the shape of the case and how the neck meets the body the Kapsule will not fit my Rickenbacker 4003.
I was heartbroken and left with little choice.
So I ordered a Mono Vertigo and a Pelican V800.
Basically a Bass Safe 2.0
Attachments
Too bad the Ricky doesn't fit. But Mono Pelican cases are excellent. And probably a bit more durable.
Update!
Since my last post in October I've taken my Kapsule on 17 flights. I am very happy to report that although it is showing more wear, it has not failed in any way. This past weekend I LOADED it up with clothes and gear and could barely zip it closed. No worries though. The case has proven itself again and again. I trust the case more and more with each trip.
Since my last post in October I've taken my Kapsule on 17 flights. I am very happy to report that although it is showing more wear, it has not failed in any way. This past weekend I LOADED it up with clothes and gear and could barely zip it closed. No worries though. The case has proven itself again and again. I trust the case more and more with each trip.
