Cases - Hiscox or Golden Gate?

[WillHelton]

I'm looking to get a second travel case (for booking into the hold for flights) for my Kentucky F-style mando and would appreciate feedback on these two:

Hiscox:

https://www.hobgoblin.com/local/sale...mandolin-case/

Golden Gate:

https://www.hobgoblin.com/local/sale...in-case-black/

I have a friend who owns a white version of the Golden Gate and he is very happy with it, so I tend to lean in this direction.

Alternatively, can someone perhaps suggest a case similar to the Golden Gate that offers great protection, won't break the bank (less than £175) and is available in the UK?

Many thanks,

Will

[Shelagh Moore]

I've had both of these and prefer the Hiscox (I have two of those now) which I think offers better impact and shock protection. They are, however, a bit bulkier and heavier.

[Beanzy]

I use the GoldenGate one for my Kentucky and the Hiscox for my Davidson.
I have carried the Davidson in the GoldenGate, but I feel safer with it in the Hiscox.
For anything that cost under a grand I’d be perfectly ok with it in the GG. Otherwise the Hiscox is like a bit of insurance & peace of mind for me.

[almeriastrings]

Someone else here who has both.... pros and cons as mentioned above. The GG is surprisingly strong in terms of the shell, but very sparse in terms of padding and storage space. The Hiscox is a lot bulkier, but has excellent padding and quite a lot of storage space. They are both good cases....

[Jill McAuley]

I've had one of the Golden Gates and I wouldn't be putting my mandolin in the hold of a plane in one of them. Grand case for knocking around town, going out busking or to sessions with, but for flying I'd choose the Hiscox of the two you listed.

[Johnny60]

Got both. My Northfield lives in the Hiscox, and my wife's Kentucky lives in a Golden Gate (actually, it's a Superior, but it looks absolutely identical to the Golden Gate in the link).

Horses for courses. The Hiscox is big, very protective but is heavier and bulkier. Tons of room for gadgets, string, etc. AND the mandolin fits in it with a Tone Gard attached, which is why I got it in the first place. The Superior (Golden Gate?) case is significantly smaller, lighter and more streamlined. However, storage isn't great (eg spare set of strings lives under the headstock) and it will not fit either of our mandolins with Tone Gard attached.

Not sure if that helps or not!?

[Andy B]

I would not check a mandolin in the baggage hold of a plane in any case no matter how sturdy. I've watched baggage handlers throw luggage on the conveyors leading to the hold and I don't think there is a case made that can stand up to much of that. Carry it on and put it in the overhead. You'll still need a sturdy case for when someone tries to jam a suitcase in on top of your mando, but a sturdy case can handle that.

[almeriastrings]

Look upon this... and tremble..... THIS is what an airline can do when things go HORRIBLY wrong...

[Johnny60]

Oh my God - was that yours?

[Ray(T)]

It would certainly take some effort to do that!

As for Hiscox/Golden Gate, I have neither but, for starters, I'd look at which on my mandolin fitted more snugly in but, as others have said, I wouldn't be happy entrusing even one of my Calton clad mandolins to the baggage handlers.

A few years ago, I ran into Tim O'Brien at a departure gate. He had his Nugget in a Travelite - and he carried it on.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From RayT above - "He had his Nugget in a Travelite - and he carried it on.". Exactly what i'd try to do - however,''Travelite'' cases are totally unavailable in the UK. I own one of these cases,a 'Gator' moulded ABS case available from Gear4music in Yorkshire UK. The case is fine & has as much room as you need inside for 'strings'n things' - but i wouldn't have it put in the baggage hold of an aircraft. I wouldn't have my mandolin placed in the baggage hold in any make of case - except maybe one of the old 'Mark Leaf' cases. The pic. of the Hiscox case shows what can happen if aircraft baggage handlers aren'tr careful,
Ivan

[almeriastrings]

Oh my God - was that yours?

No - fortunately! A friend of mine...

[WillHelton]

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I reckon I'll go with the Hiscox. I need to make sure that the case can accommodate my ToneGard and has room for any essentials I might need to put in (some loose sheet music, picks, strings, a small tuner, etc.)

I've spoken with the airline and they say I can take the mando on board as hand luggage "if space is available and at the captain's discretion". Hmmm. Let's hope there won't be a problem.

Feel a bit sick about the guitar pic above. I hope your friend got full compensation for that. I know the baggage handlers are under pressure to move things along as quickly as possible, but I can't believe treating obviously fragile things as, well, fragile puts a major kink in things.

Will

[Ray(T)]

Baggage handling at most large airports is automated but you still have the (in)human input where they throw the bags onto the aircraft loading conveyor and off again at the destination. I was once travelling with a group of cyclists and watched as they unloaded a pile of around ten bikes by dragging them out individually - from the bottom of the pile. I think it's foolhardy to accredit these people with any sort of brain. An old friend of mine; now a well known UK luthier, once had a job as a baggage handler and he reckoned that all they were interested in was playing cards between aircraft arrivals.

[J.Albert]

If it's goin' into the hold, I'd be worried unless it was in a Price, a Calton, or (best of all) a Mark Leaf case.

Nothing less...

[Ivan Kelsall]

Will - Before you even get to the aircraft,you'll have to run the gauntlet of the check-in clerks !. If they say that you have to check the instrument into the hold,you either do it,or you're in for a long argument !!. Assuming that you're allowed to take the case on board,be warned that the Hiscox cases are fairly bulky - i used to have one & got rid of it for that reason. Fine if you travel by car,but as i don't drive,travelling with one on UK public transport was 'tricky'. Also,as a one time aircraft interior designer & manufacturing engineer,some of the overhead 'baggage bins' can be quite small - obviously it depends on the size of the aircraft. The large,Trans-Atlantic aircraft usually have luggage lockers placed along the aisles,for children's buggies etc. I place my ''much larger than a mandolin'' banjo in one of those on my flight out to the US back in 1992.

Unfortunately,travelling with a musical instrument is still not an easy thing to do because of the lack of any well thought out international regulations. ''The International Federation Of Musicians'' has been trying to get some ''real,common sense'' regulations in place for a long time,but as is usual,things move slowly. https://www.fim-musicians.org/?s=air...+an+instrument

I would suggest that the smaller,the mandolin case,the more chance you'll have of taking it on board. Something perceived to be the size of a small suitcase might not be accepable,
Ivan

[mandroid]

In the UK?, how about Pegasus? They are made, there, in Scotland..


My Last Air Flight, a short hop, my mandolin was packed in its case*, surrounded by clothes ,

In a duffle bag , that was attached to a backpack frame , so I could wear the pack,
as I made my multi-mode connections..

* it was the 1922 OHC that came with my A4 I added some packing material inside the case..

NB: you can double pack the case you select, in a larger box surrounded by bubble-wrap/foam popcorn, etc




....

[Chuck Leyda]

Love my Hiscox case. Great value I think. No way I would check it on a flight. Best bet is double boxing as Mandroid suggested or getting a high quality gigbag (I like reunion blues) and carrying it with you.

[almeriastrings]

Pegasus? Excellent, excellent cases. I have one for my Ellis - but well outside the OP's stated budget.

[Andy B]

Don't ask, just carry it on board as if it's the most normal thing in the world, because it is. I have carried my mandolin on and put it in the overhead bin on many Southwest flights in recent years and never had a problem. One flight attendant even asked someone with a suitcase to put it in a different bin because there was "an instrument in this one." Last year, flying from Nashville, i boarded right behind Del McCoury, who carried his guitar on and put it in the overhead--no problem.

[almeriastrings]

Don't ask, just carry it on board as if it's the most normal thing in the world, because it is. I have carried my mandolin on and put it in the overhead bin on many Southwest flights in recent years and never had a problem. One flight attendant even asked someone with a suitcase to put it in a different bin because there was "an instrument in this one." Last year, flying from Nashville, i boarded right behind Del McCoury, who carried his guitar on and put it in the overhead--no problem.

You haven't ever flown with Ryanair, have you?

Massive difference with what you can get away with on many US airlines vs. what the "budget" carriers in Europe will allow.

That guitar (the macerated one) occurred with Ryanair.... that airline is so bad it is notorious.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Taking an instrument on board an aircrfat can still be a very hit or miss situation. You may be lucky,you may not be - don't take it for granted that you'll get away with it.

I've mentioned on here several times,that this is an on-going problem that ''The International Federation of Musicians'' is trying to sort out. It still seems to be the case that despite several rulings in the USA regarding this,that the word really hasn't spread around too much yet !. My advice,especially for a mandolin,would be to use a case as small as possible (not a gig bag),in the hope that it would seem to be hand luggage. I wouldn't use a gig-bag just in case somebody were to slam their laptop on top of it.

I flew out to the US back in 1992 with my banjo on board in one of the on board luggage lockers (not the over head ones). I flew back with my even larger Mark Leaf banjo case, actually in an overhead locker - however,i wouldn't take it for granted that i'd be allowed to do the same today.


As for Ryanair,possibly the world's worst airline - no fault of the people who work for the airline,just the insidious guy that owns it - neither they,or the other 2 airlines that regularly fly from Manchester UK to Dublin,would allow my mandolin on board !. Ryanair did however offer me a return ticket for my mandolin for £72 UK,
Ivan

[AMandolin]

I keep reading this and looking at the pictures. Why put something of value, and something you play everyday in a case that might not keep it safe for travel. https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...bruary-15-2016

[Ray(T)]

Taking an instrument on board an aircrfat can still be a very hit or miss situation. You may be lucky,you may not be - don't take it for granted that you'll get away with it.

I've mentioned on here several times,that this is an on-going problem that ''The International Federation of Musicians'' is trying to sort out. It still seems to be the case that despite several rulings in the USA regarding this,that the word really hasn't spread around too much yet !. My advice,especially for a mandolin,would be to use a case as small as possible (not a gig bag),in the hope that it would seem to be hand luggage. I wouldn't use a gig-bag just in case somebody were to slam their laptop on top of it.

I flew out to the US back in 1992 with my banjo on board in one of the on board luggage lockers (not the over head ones). I flew back with my even larger Mark Leaf banjo case, actually in an overhead locker - however,i wouldn't take it for granted that i'd be allowed to do the same today.


As for Ryanair,possibly the world's worst airline - no fault of the people who work for the airline,just the insidious guy that owns it - neither they,or the other 2 airlines that regularly fly from Manchester UK to Dublin,would allow my mandolin on board !. Ryanair did however offer me a return ticket for my mandolin for £72 UK,
Ivan

I flew back to the UK from Amsterdam, en route from Boston, with KLM last year and the size and number of things people carried on board was unbelievable. Not all carriers seem to be a strict as "Scrote"-air.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Ray - I agree. I've seen folk take rucksacks the size of a small princiality on board an aircraft - but !. If size was the ONLY criteria,we maybe wouldn't have a problem,but it's not. I don't know why,but musical instruments seem to come under scrutiny more than other types of luggage - hence the problem. Some aircraft have huge overhead lockers,others have relatively small ones. On the large,Transatlantic aircraft,you can easily fit a banjo,mandolin or guitar case inside the lockers - i've done it with my huge Mark Leaf banjo case flying back from the US in 1992. Maybe if the check-in clerks knew what size the baggage bins were on specific aircraft,they'd be better able to judge was will fit & what won't. As it is,they can request that a musical instrument must be checked in as baggage hold luggage.

After landing in the US in '92,i flew from Chicago down to Nashville on a small 50 seater aircraft. There was no way that a banjo or guitar would fit in the baggage bins. A mandolin maybe. However,there was plenty of room to stow my banjo on the floor between the seats. It was the same flying from Nashville to New York to catch my flight home - on the flight home,that's when a steward told me to put my huge Mark Leaf banjo case in the overhead baggage bin - it fit with room for 2 more !,
Ivan