Case Cover Or Super Protective Case?

[thekidjohn]

Hi all,

I'm relatively new to mando but have been a big fan of Calton cases for my guitars for travel/gigging over the years. I am going to be in Costa Rica this Winter and I'm bringing my mando. I'll be moving around from place to place and there will be times when my stuff will be in a hot car for a few hours, etc. I'm looking for advice- should I invest in a padded case cover for my Collings mando hard case or should I be looking at getting a white or light colored Calton/Hoffee instead? Light colored cases seem like they may handle some time in hot sun without baking the mando. I'm definitely not made of money but I'm willing to spend it when it's the right move. I think the stock Collings case (can't recall who it's made by) is pretty decent and a padded case cover (Colorado Case?) may be enough but any thoughts would be sincerely appreciated.

[Tom Sanderson]

I use both

[William Smith]

I use both

I use a paganoni F-5 case and a small dog cover for my mandolin and its old 30's hide glue I do believe and have never had problems but then again I've never taken my mandolin to a super humid/hot jungle. Do you have a cheaper mandolin to take? I think I would depending what your Collings is? Your mando might blow apart.

[almeriastrings]

Even a white case will not help a huge amount in a hot car for an extended period. They are excellent for reflecting direct, radiant heat for a certain period (they still get hot eventually), but they have limited value against ambient heat, as in a car. I would also (having worked in CR myself) not even think about leaving a valuable instrument (or anything else valuable for that matter) in a car at all. In addition to heat, as already mentioned, the humidity at times can be incredible. It is not a good environment for a fine mandolin. It is a place where a Carbon Fiber mandolin would be perfect (provided you can protect it from the ever present risk of theft). Personally, I'd be looking for a low cost, but decent sounding "beater" for that trip!

[Tim2723]

Once again, Ovation comes to the rescue. Leave your fine instrument safely at home and take a bullet proof MM-68 wherever you go.

[Jim]

+1 for a plastic or plywood mandolin. I have been very happy to have a low quality but well setup mandolin with me in all sorts of climates and situations where I would be quite worried about something of Collings price & quality.

[f5loar]

Hoffee offers a thermal-lite lining when building cases to order. Add the protective outer cover and that's about the best you can do plus it's light in weight and tough on the protection. Not cheap. The whole package is around $1000.

[almeriastrings]

I would not put a $1,000 mandolin in a car there.....let alone a multi-K$ mandolin plus a $1,000 case.

Lovely country. Nice people. The theft rate there though is unbelievable, especially from vehicles and on public transport.

I'd get a nice used Kentucky KM-something-or-other, a decent case, and good travel insurance.

[thekidjohn]

Thanks for the thoughts, I do appreciate them. I've been to the places where I will be and theft is not as big an issue (fortunately). Any car time will be when I'm between places for a couple of hours. Mine is an MT...as nice a mando as I need. I think the biggest issue may be going from my home in the Adirondacks of Northern NY to a climate that can be almost 100 degrees warmer and more humid than both me and the mando are used to. That alone is giving me reason to think about buying something else for the trip. I suppose it'd be good for camping trips and for my kids to noodle on, too.

[mandroid]

Fiberglass cases have gasket edges to keep the Rain Out..

Mine, Eastman, is for my Mix A5 of carbon fiber .

cannot say about the tropics.. seems It would be OK there ,
But, the CF Mandolins go for $3K not one.

I'd probably wear it all the time. case has back pack straps..

[55bar]

Buy a "beater" it's a no brainer! I have a Hoffee and a case cover for my mando but still wouldn't take it away with me in extreme heat. I take my Crafter and just write songs rather than perfect other things like perfect technique etc

[almeriastrings]

In mando damaging terms, the worst thing is CR is the humidity. It can be really, really extreme. You can also get huge swings in humidity if you go from A/C vehicle or hotel room, say, outside and back again. The humidity at times can be so bad it can damage camera lenses and electronics easily. Fungus grows in places you'd never thing fungus could grow.. I was down there filming for the Discovery Channel, and we had two cameras fail in a month due to humidity getting into the lenses. I can only imagine what it would do to a good mandolin. Some locations are not too bad, but up in the rain forest zones....even with Peli cases and loads of desiccant gel and hair dryers, the humidity still got everywhere.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I'd stick with the Collings case & buy a nicely reflective 'silvered' mandolin case cover for when you're carring it around. As Almeira says,such cases / covers merely 'reflect' the heat & they will become very warm eventually. As for keeping the mandolin in the car for a few hours,one easy way to insulate the case from external heat,is to wrap the whole thing up in a thick duvet cover.If you've ever wondered why the Arabs, in their sometimes furnace like climate, wear lots of layers of robes,it's because the layers of air between them insulate them from the heat. You can do the same with instrument cases,lots of layers of air filled insulating material & a cheapo duvet will do the job - i know because i've done exactly that with my banjo case in the past. A black case in the boot ('trunk' to you folks) of a dark blue car can get very,very hot, & as i sometimes wanted to walk around without carrying 20 Lbs of banjo,in the boot it went nicely wrapped up & it barely got warm,
Ivan

[Clef]

If I was in your shoes, I would pick up a beater mandolin and get Rob's free mandolin setup guide. That way you can jam all you want and not worry if you trash the beater mandolin.

If you are determined to bring your good mandolin, get a Hoffee case with the thermal liner. It's expensive, but you get what you pay for in terms of quality and protection with the Hoffee Case. I have the Hoffee case with the liner option and I've been very happy.