Guitar/Mandolin Festival Ready Case

[OlDanTucker]

It's festival season again. I was wondering how you multi instrumentalist's deal with schlepping instruments around the festival grounds. Specifically guitar and mandolin. Currently I have a guitar gig bag, that I sling over one shoulder, and a mandolin case with a shoulder strap that I sling over the other. It's not real stable or comfortable. I have tried various other methods including various carts, bags and fox, chicken and grain solutions stashing various instruments in friends campsites.

But I see those mandolin/fiddle cases and wonder if there is something like that for mandolin and guitar? Or could I stitch two gig bags together somehow? Or is there another solution I haven't thought of.

[UsuallyPickin]

I have a mandolin fiddle case and a dual fiddle case. I have even heard of a dual mandolin case. A guitar mandolin case is one I have never seen. I think backpack straps on a polyfoam guitar case like a Gator would carry better and protect better than a gigbag. Those light polyfoam cases are available for mandolin as well. These cases have good storage inside and an outside pocket also. Using two would leave you with a hand free for a libation. Safe Festivals ... R/

[Beanzy]

I've a friend who stiched a zipper in a U shape around the front of the guitar gig bag and rear edge of the mandolin case. When zipped together the mandolin case straps are kept inside the U shape so it looks like one big bulging bag.

[JeffD]

There are some who use carts to carry their instruments from jam to jam. I don't know. What I have seem most often among multi-instrumentalist trying to "carry the choice with them" is one of the shoulder on the back, and one in the hand.

I have thought hard about a double case, mandolin and fiddle. But I can find some really nice double cases, I can't find anything under 12 lbs. empty.

[foldedpath]

For schlepping around the festival grounds with mandolin and guitar, I'd be using a gig bag for the guitar with comfortable backpack straps for my back. And then hand-carry the mandolin case. Trying to combine the two would be too cumbersome, even if you found a case that worked for both.

[dhbailey]

[snip]I have thought hard about a double case, mandolin and fiddle. But I can find some really nice double cases, I can't find anything under 12 lbs. empty.

I bought a mandolin/fiddle double case several years ago and I use it sometimes when I have other things to carry with me as well, but it is heavy and so as often as I can, I use lightweight-but-protective individual cases for each and deal with the hassle of having more things to carry than I have hands to hold.

[dschonbrun]

travelite's are wonderful for this.

[Tom Sanderson]

There are some who use carts to carry their instruments from jam to jam. I don't know. What I have seem most often among multi-instrumentalist trying to "carry the choice with them" is one of the shoulder on the back, and one in the hand.

I have thought hard about a double case, mandolin and fiddle. But I can find some really nice double cases, I can't find anything under 12 lbs. empty.

The Bobelock 1022 mandolin/violin case is about ten pounds. I have one. I really like it.

[dschonbrun]

I use a northfield airloom with a case cover, and sewed a set of backpack straps onto the cover. Works great.

[Paul Kotapish]

I'm not sure whether it was custom-built for him or if he just modified a couple of standard bags, but my old pal Joe Vinikow had a clever solution of matching guitar-and-mandolin gig bags that piggybacked together so that the mandolin bag attached to the back of the guitar bag and the whole thing could be worn as a backpack.

Worked great at camps and festivals where there was a lot of walking between workshops, sessions, etc.

For myself, I find that one on the back and the lighter one in my hand works OK. I have an old molded plastic hardshell case that fits most of my guitars, and it's nearly as light as a gig bag, so I usually use that and carry the mandolin in a Travelite on my back. If airplane flights are involved, all bets are off, though, and it's back to the Caltons.