Travelite f5 mando case. Older vs new design. How to tell ?

[rgp]

I am sure there are some older stock around. MF evan has them for 59.00. How can you tell in pics if it's the older design or new improved ? I have been wanting one of these but have seen some complaints. Perhaps the newer design is better? Thanks

[Rick Schmidlin]

I have had mine three years and no complaints.

Greg Boyd sells em'

[Tom F]

Great case for the $.

[swain]

Don't know about old or new or new/improved. Got mine in 2007, it holds the F model with tonegard, tuner, strings and so on. Been to Korea four times and China three times, both as carry-on and as checked baggage, with no problems either way. For $59 one cannot go wrong, old or new, or whatever.

swain

[mandobassman]

I had one for about 4 years with a Michael Kelly mandolin in it. Had no issues at all. I really liked it a lot. When I bought my current Breedlove I wanted to use it for that but it wouldn't fit. The lid wouldn't close without a lot of pressure on the mandolin top, and that was without the Tone Gard I have on it now. I would up selling it with the MK mando. I purchased a Golden Gate shaped, hardshell case and actually like it better. It's easier to open and is much stronger.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I posted a pic.of mine in another current thread. Our fellow 'Cafe member AlanN, remarked the both mine & another 'Cafe member's Travelites were different than his, in as much as the headstock compartment had more room around it,giving the scroll plenty of clearance.
I find the Travelite to be a superb case except for the zipper. The zipper itself is fine,but the cloth behind it had several loose threads in it which could have got caught in the zipper itself,causing it to jam up. I cut them off before they could do so. Also the zipper required a slight bit of lubrication to make it run smoothly.The lid does have a tendency to want to close when you're taking the instrument out or putting it in. I cut off the lid restraining cord,thinking that the lid would open more,but it doesn't. It's not a real problem. I weighed my Travelite plus Lebeda & all my bits & pieces in it,it weighed 7 lbs. My First Quality / TKL "American Vintage" rectangular case,with my Weber in it weighed 14 lbs - quite a difference,
Ivan

[AlanN]

Yes, Ivan; seems we are the un-official Cafe Case Curmudgeons :) - an honor I take with little or no concern...

Travelite niggles:

Biggest one - 'my' headstock space is too darn small, the big scroll touches the side. I think this has been dealt with in newer cases.
Less Biggest one - the front neck cradle (there are 2) has flattened on mine, such that the neck, were I to do nothing, would rest on the wooden lid to the stuff box - not good. I placed 2-3 cloths under there, as cushioning. Not ideal, but works.
Minor things - zipper, clasp - yes, cheap and flimsy. Good that there are 4 ways to keep the case closed. And to keep the lid from closing when I want it open, I fold the handle underneath the case, so it's rocked back a bit.
Wish list - small, outside pocket.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Alan - To be honest,i don't think that the 2 'cradles' were ever really edequately padded in the first place. There seemed to be little or nothing under both the front & rear cradle coverings in mine to begin with. Having said that,there's next to nothing under the cradle in my TKL case either !.It seems to be covered with the lining fabric & nothing else. Neither of my Mandolins have suffered in any way due to the lack of a comfortable resting place. I was going to pad the cradles out somehow,but ''if it ain't broke don't mend it'' springs to mind. I'd hate to pad the things & raise the neck, only to find that maybe the lid won't close,
Ivan

[AlanN]

I'd hate to pad the things & raise the neck, only to find that maybe the lid won't close

Yeah, thought of that, but the height I add with the cloths =< that which was lost in the deflated cradle. Just a better material inside that thing would do wonders. And there are some folks who say this has not happened in their cases, go figure.

[Scotti Adams]

I really like mine. I assume its the new stock. I purchased it from The Mandolin Store about a month ago

[Ivan Kelsall]

A piece of 1/4" thick felt would do it,or even a piece of foam carpet underlay,after taking out the remains of the old padding,
Ivan

[Ron McMillan]

I'm really looking forward to receiving mine, kindly arranged by Ivan, and about to be hand-carried to Bangkok by my long-suffering courier daughter!

rm

[Steve260]

Any ideas on how to make an Eastman F fit? I ordered 2 Travelites & received them yesterday. Plenty of clearance around the headstock, BUT, the neck would need to be about 1 inch longer for the headstock to make it all the way to the compartment. Body fits like a glove, but the "neck support" section is about 1 inch too long, so 2 of the tuning pegs (1 G and 1 E) rest solidly on the support, preventing the headstock from fitting down into the headstock compartment. Unless there is some trick I am missing, Travelites don't fit Eastman F mandolins.

Looks like they will have to go back...

Steve

[Glassweb]

Would love to see somebody, maybe Colorado Case Company, produce a higher end version of a travelite-type case... The same concept using better design and materials. Boy, I bet a lot of those would be sold. To me the travelite almost makes it, but not quite. Would rather pay more for a "professional" version.

[ColdBeerGoCubs]

Any ideas on how to make an Eastman F fit? I ordered 2 Travelites & received them yesterday. Plenty of clearance around the headstock, BUT, the neck would need to be about 1 inch longer for the headstock to make it all the way to the compartment. Body fits like a glove, but the "neck support" section is about 1 inch too long, so 2 of the tuning pegs (1 G and 1 E) rest solidly on the support, preventing the headstock from fitting down into the headstock compartment. Unless there is some trick I am missing, Travelites don't fit Eastman F mandolins.

Looks like they will have to go back...

Steve

Good thing I read this, I was going to order one. Looks like I'm going to try a Gator.

[Steve260]

Good thing I read this, I was going to order one. Looks like I'm going to try a Gator.

I will be very interested to learn how the Gator works out with your Eastman - hope it fits well!
Steve

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Glassweb - "To me the Travelite almost makes it, but not quite.". The Travelite isn't the perfect case - which one is ?. But purely out of curiosity,if you could ask SAGA,the makers of the Travelite to improve it,what would you ask for. I'm assuming that you have an up to date model,& please consider the fact that the weight is an important factor in the case as it is right now,so no armour plating please,:grin: My Travelite plus Lebeda Mandolin, & all my bits & pieces weighs 7lbs. I really wouldn't want more than an added 1lb to its weight,otherwise it would be a ''Travel not-so -lite'' case,
Ivan~:>

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Good thing I read this, I was going to order one. Looks like I'm going to try a Gator.

Same here, as I was contemplating getting one myself. I am currently using a Gator ABS mandolin hardshell case for my Eastman 315, and the body cavity of the case is a tad bigger than the mandolin itself. Here's a shot of the mandolin in the case:

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll312/voipsoapbox/DSCN1878.jpg

The gap is more obvious in the shot below. The widest point of the gap measures approx 11/16"

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll312/voipsoapbox/DSCN1880.jpg

On the other hand, the length of the case is perfect for the Eastman and the headstock rests where it's supposed to be:

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll312/voipsoapbox/DSCN1879.jpg

This prompts me to look for some other case that will provide for a tighter fit than the Gator ABS. I know Gator also makes a 'travelite' type case called the GL. Has anyone tried that with a Eastman?

[ColdBeerGoCubs]

The GL is what I'm ordering, but there on backorder for a couple of weeks so any input might have to wait, unless I can find one around here. I also tried an Access stage 3 and the outside was solid, but I can't remember a thing about the inside now.

[pickloser]

I had a 2006 Eastman 915 that fit well in a Travelite case. The case was an older Travelite, early 2008 or older. I liked the case, and the mandolin, very much. I'm wondering if the new Travelites are different, or if there's just a lot of variability.

[Ivan Kelsall]

AlanN might chip in here to tell us how old his 'old' Travelite is. I've had my 'new' one for 18 months,but my first Mandolin ever,came in one, & it was identical to my current one - that was 5 1/2 years back. So,i'm assuming that AlanN's is older than that,if the headstock area is somewhat narrower.
I'd also imagine that the Travelites being 'mass produced', are made pretty much to the same pattern the same every time, especially if there's much automation in the making.
Our 'Cafe colleague,Blueron,now has his Travelite case & is well pleased with it - i'm relieved to hear.
To address the one problem that i have with mine & i know that AlanN has with his,is that the darned lid wants to close all the time. It won't tilt back far enough to remain open,& it calls for a bit of Mando-juggling when putting the instrument back in. I cut off the lid restraining strap,hoping that the lid would tilt back further,but to no avail. Still,it's a very minor if niggling problem, with an otherwise excellent case,
Ivan

[AlanN]

My 2 Travelites are at least 5 years old, probably older. And they exhibit the problems:

- Too narrow headstock well,
- Deflated front neck cradle.

And the not-wanting-to-stay-propped-open lid is an annoyance, which I mitigate by folding the handle underneath the case.

[J.Albert]

"I am currently using a Gator ABS mandolin hardshell case for my Eastman 315, and the body cavity of the case is a tad bigger than the mandolin itself. Here's a shot of the mandolin in the case:
The gap is more obvious in the shot below. The widest point of the gap measures approx 11/16"
On the other hand, the length of the case is perfect for the Eastman and the headstock rests where it's supposed to be:
This prompts me to look for some other case that will provide for a tighter fit than the Gator ABS. I know Gator also makes a 'travelite' type case called the GL. Has anyone tried that with a Eastman?"

I believe that both the "hard" and "lighter" versions of the Gator case have the exact same _interiors_, and that only the outer shells are different. (Although I've never had one of the soft versions to confirm this -- but the interiors look to be the same.

Having said that, there is "space on either side in that case no matter what manufacturer's mandolin you put into it.

On mine, the neck (at the peghead) drops into the cutout for it, and when you close the case, the "channel" shaped into the top comes down "around" the neck, and keeps the instrument from moving around too much. It _does_ move around a little. A pressure pad on the top would help here, but of course there isn't one. You can take a polishing cloth, fold it up, and lay it over the top of the fingerboard "just south" of the nut, to take up the slack.

I also have a Travelite case and -- aside with the "collapsing neck cushions" mentioned elsewhere in this thread -- it holds the instrument snugly inside.

I like them both.

What I'd _really_ like is one of the Hiscox cases. The Ameritage cases look great as well, but they are HEAVY....

- John