A piping friend recommended the standard Protec viola case (available on Amazon.com among other places) as a good case for pipes. I ordered one and it arrived today. It requires a bit of minor surgery (you remove the cordura cover and pry out the the staples holding in the inner structure that supports the viola, remove a few other bits like the bow supports and then put the cordura cover back on), but then you have a sturdy, compact, light case that will hold a concert-pitch or C set. You may have to remove the bass drone slide and I suppose if you have a bass regulator you’d have to remove some things as well. But I haven’t figured out how to get the bellows in there without it potentially causing trouble (e.g., the obvious place to put it places it a bit too close for comfort to the regulator tuning pins). Is anyone else using one of these cases and if so, where do you put the bellows? I have a 3/4 set in C; the fit is cozy but everything does go in…I just don’t want to cause any damage.
I just did the same thing. I found that I could place the bellows next to and partially on top of the mainstock, safely away from the regulators. This is with my Hubbert set which has leather on the bellows which is quite soft and collapsable. It probably wouldn’t work with my Gallagher bellows which has fairly thick. stiff leather. The case is model # PS-2165. It retails for U.S.$169.00. I got mine from WWBW.com on sale for $108.00. no tax, free shipping in the U.S.
Thanks! I managed to make that work as well. Definitely a tight fit, but I love the case. If it were just a couple of inches longer I could have fit the whole set in without having to remove the bass drone slide and pushing the tenor drone slide all the way in, but I can live with that.
Looks good - what are the dimensions?
For the inside dimensions, you’re looking at about 10 inches by 28.5. You could get the length up to almost 30" if you want to get really aggressive about removing felt and foam, but then the inside of the case starts to look a bit crappy 
The bottom section is about 2.5 inches deep; the top arches and is about 2.4 inches at its highest.
One bit of advice: there’s a felt-covered bit of wood in the top that I thought I could remove without messing things up but that was a mistake because it’s glued into the felt. Leave that bit on unless you need the headroom at that end of the case.
Actually looking at Pro Tec’s website, I see they make a similar case for bass clarinets that looks even better for pipes…it’s 36" long (outside dimensions), a bit longer than the viola case:
http://www.protecmusic.com/items.asp?ProductID=274&InstrumentGroupID=8&CategoryID=2&InstrumentID=6
That one might be worth checking out…
If it’s built like the viola case, all the stuff in the inside (especially that pesky clarinet) can be removed, leaving a nice clean rectangular space for the pipes.
So it’s not a hard shell case.
It’s hard shell all right: a wooden case covered with foam and cordura nylon.
You can drive a car over a hard shell case- this would be short of that - between a hardshell and a cordura case. Hard shell cases would add some weight, too.
Here’s a case with some potential:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ADG-CAMOSIDE-POLYCARBONATE-TAKEDOWN-SHOTGUN-CASE_W0QQitemZ7198433010QQcategoryZ73940QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Note to self: Don’t leave pipes sitting in Jim’s driveway.
It is conveniently camoflaged for all you Stealth Pipers out there too.
Well, I did sit on the Pro Tec case as a test, and it stood up to that just fine…if I was dumb enough to leave the case anywhere where it was likely to be driven over I’d deserve to lose my pipes . I’ve never liked those big armored cases and wanted something small, light, and unobtrusive. The viola case fits the bill, and heck if people trust it to protect a $30,000 viola I think I’ll trust it to protect my pipes. If I ever take my pipes on an airplane (unlikely but you never know), I would be able to fit this case in the overhead bin or up front if necessary.
Different cases suit different usages. ‘Gig’ bags are often strengthened cordura and very light and handy. This case that you mention is a step up. Hard shell cases are handy, too, since travel and pubs, etc can be rough on pipes. If one is denied boarding with one’s case and it has to go baggage, one wants maximum protection.
This case talk reminds me of the string players joke which goes like this…
Q: How do you keep a Strad violin from getting stolen?
A: Put it in a viola case.
Camo, is good.. 
but my hard-shelled case does get some what cold. I’m using a fender styled guitar case..have been for years, it is definately heavier but kind of awkward to carry.
Nevertheless, I do have to remove the Bass drones slide, and I’ve cut out a small niche in the foam case to accomodate the bellows comfortably.
But I think, I’ll be changing cases very seriously considering those cases posted…especially glancing at the prices.
Has anyone had trouble carrying this Protec viola case onto a plane for travel.? Do the airlines usually let you? Or do they make you (gulp) check it in? And do you have to beg and plead?
I have been using the ProTec viola case for a couple of years now. I have never been asked to check it, and it fits very easily in the overhead bin. No problems at all. It is a great case for uilleann pipes. Hope that helps.
Yep… same here.
PD.