Travelite cases

[shiloh]

HI
Does anyone out there own a Travelite mandolin case? #Are they protective enough? #I am used to the durability of a Weber case. Are they an acceptable case, or http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

Thanks.
Jill
San Diego

[Eric F.]

Jill, I kept a Breedlove KF in a Travelite. I liked it. Sturdy, light and convenient. I prefer the Travelite to a "standard" hard case. I think it is at least as protective.

[Steven Stone]

Travelites (the ones from Stew Mac) rule.

I use one for my 2002 Gibson Varnish Fern and one for my Stanley F-5. I've had the first one for over 4 years and its held up to numerous flights and festivals.

Given a choice between my travelites and my Calton or Pegasus, I almost always choose the travelites. I also much prefer the travelites to the standard or vintage style plywood cases.

[Jeffrey Lewis]

I've had one for about one year now, and it's very awesome. The only problems are it has not got alot of room for stuff, and the top dents pretty easy. But forget that, their great! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[J. Mark Lane]

I have one -- it's the second one I've owned. #The first one I ordered new from Stewmac. #This one came with my Bibey. #

They're ok. #Not great, but reasonably good. #Negatives are that there is basically *no* room in there for anything other than the mandolin (and a few things in the little storage compartment). #I even end up taking the strap off, because otherwise it presses too much on the instrument. #The thing is a pain to open and close, with a snap thing that has to be closed first (and doesn't necessarily always want to line up right), then the zipper all the way around, then a flap that folds over, then the carrying handle that has to be folded together. #Four steps. #And for dummies like me, I tend to get the order wrong at least once. #There is no outside pocket, either, which means there is no place to carry sheet music, notes, etc. #And although these are fine for "around town," there is no hard surface in there to speak of -- I wouldn't trust one for any real challenges (like air travel). #

Still, for a short local trip, I do tend to grab the Travelite rather than the GWW hard case. #It's lighter, and it's easy to toss around, and has a nice shoulder strap. #The main drawback is having to take the strap off.

All that said, I have to note that the price of these things is very low, so I would say *for the money* they are excellent.

I will add that I bought the Modern Supercase from Mary Yanocsko, and it is truly an excellent case. #Shaped like the Travelite, and having the same strap convenience and very heavily padded interior (fabric covered interior, unlike the foam-only Travelite), it is a completely different animal. #Tough, hard shell, covered with fabric, plush interior, and a large pocket for carrying books etc. #Lots of room, a much better (padded) strap...this is the case I will now use day to day. #Oh, and I got to visit with Mary, too -- she dropped off the case today on her way to a friend's house, and what a fine person she is! #You meet the nicest people on a mandolin!

Mark

[glauber]

I will add that I bought the Modern Supercase from Mary Yanocsko, and it is truly an excellent case.
Mark, is there an URL for that?

Thanks,

g

[Jim Rowland]

Gosh,Mark! I sounds like you got a different Stew Mac lite from the four or five that I own. It has no "snap thing" or lineup problems,and the handle is a standard solid one piece job. There is a spacious outside pocket for music,tone gard etc. I ship all mandolins in one and have never had a problem. You also get a nice shoulder strap that comes in very handy.
Jim

[Walter]

It appears that the Stew-Mac case is different than the Travelite case. I only say this from looking at photos, I have no first hand experience with either. Interesting though that they are about the same price.

[Eric F.]

I believe the Modern Supercase is no longer made. Too bad, because that was a fine case.

[J. Mark Lane]

You may be right, Jim, that there are two different varieties of this thing. FWIW, mine says "Travelite Quality Cases" on it. The one from StewMac may be different, I don't know.

And yes, the Modern Case Co. sadly went out of business earlier this year. There was a public statement that they couldn't keep up with the Asian imports any more. Very sad, a good American company, making top quality products, gone. Make no mistake, this is not an isolated event.

Sorry. I'll get off my soapbox. I'm glad I got one of the Supercases, as you can't buy a new one any more.

[AlanN]

As has been said, it's a "right tool for the right job" kind of thing.

For a day's running around a festival, perfect. For a more vigorous travel situation, a larger, flight case thing makes more sense, IMHO.

One can never have too many cases, I call it CAS http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Mando4Life]

I have the Stew Mac Ultralight case. #It works fine for me. #I can't keep the strap on the F-5 but I can live with that.

It's a great case for the $$$. #But like AlanN said, it depends on how you plan to use it. #I've had Caltons in the past and they are great cases, just more than I really need. #I still miss that Pag case I had....

WBL

[GVD]

I've had one for a couple of years now and think it's great. As others have said there's not a whole lot of room for extraneous junk but the compartment is big enough for a tuner, picks, small tools etc. whcih is all I need to carry with me anyway. The light weight, thermal and impact protection vs. cost make it hard to beat.

GVD

[Big Joe]

We began using them in production for shipping new mandolins because they are safer to ship in than hard cases. They offer great protection for the instrument and breakage (which is pretty low anyway) has dropped to zero. Many of us here have used them for flying with our instruments. They are much lighter than the Calton and unless you check it, they are safer. If you drop your Calton with the mandolin in it, it is possible to damage it. In the Travelite you could throw it across the room, bounce it off the wall, jump on it two or three times and the mandolin would probably be safe (legal disclaimer ***do not do these things to your mandolin in or out of any case. It is not covered by warranty http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif ). They do limit the amount of stuff you can carry in them and they are not as pretty as some other cases, but bottom line is they work and work well.

[jasona]

Mike Marshall uses one for his Loar. I think that speaks volumes.

[levin4now]

I like mine, but I DO have problems with that 'latch' that JMarkLane was referring to. It seems to have pulled loose a bit from [the foam?]. So it doesn't "line up" well either. I usually just latch it, and grab one zipper pull and pull it around to the front when I'm at home. I don't do all the flaps and velcro unless I'm taking it somewhere.

[glauber]

Mike Marshall uses one for his Loar. I think that speaks volumes.
Probably spent too much money on the mando and now can't afford another case! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[danmills]

I like the look of the Eastman rectangular cases, i.e. the one they come with (not the fiberglass cases), but I haven't seen one in the flesh. They look light but protective, roughly in the same vein as the Travelite, with two storage spaces parallel to and on either side of the neck. Can anyone comment on how they compare to the Travelite? Thanks.
Dan

[Eric F.]

Those Eastman cases you refer to look an awful lot like the Bobelock case I have. If they are constructed the same way, they'll be pretty heavy. The Bobelock is a really sturdy case, though. My Arches was shipped in one with a fairly minimal amount of other protection, and did just fine.

[shiloh]

HI everybody!

Thanks for the info and comments. I have a Travelite coming this week (with an F 5 Lebeda tucked inside!) so looks like I'll find out soon!

I was hot to buy a rectangular tweed case, but maybe you guys talked me into just keeping the Travelite?! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

I also heard that the Calton cases (which are sexy, don't you think?)are not exactly fitted to the instrument, thus allowing possible damage.

[Eric F.]

Jill, I bet you're going to love what's inside the Travelite. If you do decide you want a sturdier case, the Bobelock I mentioned above offers great protection and plenty of storage at a pretty reasonable price.

[earthsave]

I got one for my cheapo F-style originally, then I realized my Flatiron actually fit better in it and the case weighs next to nothing.

What I like about it is the D rings on the back that allow you to carry it as a backpack, freeing up your hands. It has a zipper closure, lockable latch, velcro flap, and velcro handles.... so you can close it up in many ways securing the top.

The inside of the case has more room than my TKL hardcase. SAGA makes the Travelite... same company as Kentucky Mandos.

[AlanN]

Mike Marshall uses one for his Loar. I think that speaks volumes.
Feel the same way
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Big Joe]

Hey Shiloh...The Calton case is the best case in the industry at the current time for extreme situations. They are designed for the mandolin and you can specify certain makers and the insert will be adjusted for it. Most have such close dimensions that they fit pretty universally. We have a new one that will be introduced to the market in the near future that will give more room inside the case and still give the protection the Calton is known for. The Travelite is great for every day use where extreme situations are not expected. It should handle about anything except being run over by a truck or bus. The Calton may even withstand that. Both are great cases. The Calton lists for around 800 for the deluxe. The travelite is under 100. Lot of bang for the buck, but don't expect the Travelite to replace the Calton in the lineup. I use the Travelite quite a bit, but I still have a Calton for each of my mandolins.

[olgraypat]

I like the Travelite because it has "back straps." Very handy when you have arms full of instruments.

[biscuit]

I have a Eastmen and I like the case it's a little heavy wish they made a lite case for an A style.

[GVD]

Has anyone tried the Travelite fiddle cases? I need to get a new fiddle case and am thinking of getting a Travelite to match my mando case.

GVD

[Walter]

I noticed that folkmusician.com has both the Travelite brand and another case called Featherweight from Guardian company. The Featherweight appears to be similar, but with more storage. Has anyone seen, or had experience with this model? Anyone know the difference between the two brands?

Thanks

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Mike Marshall uses one for his Loar. I think that speaks volumes.
So does the fact that he uses it as a foot rest during shows. #No kidding. #He grabs the empty case and slings or kicks it across the floor in order to get his left foot on top of it.

I could be entirely wrong about this but I think I saw Chris Thile using the same type of case in exactly the same way at the Mandolin Symposium.

I have an unbranded version of the Travel Lite case. #I bought it from Elderly a few years ago. #I've been very happy with it. #But the Symposium gave me Case Acquisition Syndrome, and now I want a Calton and a Pegasus too. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Daniel