Gosh, that’s good news. Thanks for the feedback.
I’ve been using a pro-tec viola case for my B set as well, its a perfect for for everything and easily transportable. I ended up removing all of the internal viola padding of course, which was easy to do. That and it doesn’t look like you’re hauling around an arsenal, which I suppose might raise an eyebrow in the airport when in line to board a plane.
OK, newbie question time 
I took the general advice here and did some research on ProTec viola cases. I got one for $118 with free shipping from Cases & More (they beat WW&BW’s $120), and it just arrived. Hey, it’s really nice!
So nice, in fact that DOH, I’m scared to start removing things (although the “shoulders” part was just velcroed in so that wasn’t too bad)!
Meanwhile, since I only have a practice set I may not even have to decide at this point; depending on how I store the chanter I may not even have to remove at least one of the clever little storage boxes.
So for now, the big question is… is it OK to smush the bellows a bit when I close the lid? Is that what y’all do?
Told you it was a newbie question!
you want to make it harder to get on the plane with it??!
I work at a high school so I know the Band director. when I needed a case for my half set I went and asked her if she could scrounge up an instrument case that a student might be willing to sell if they were no longer using it. She showed me a closet full (teenagers) and said take what ever you like. I settled on an alto sax hard case by Bundy. It was nothing but a box cutter away from from having the insides remodeled to fit the pipes. I went to the fabric store and bought some foam, plush cloth and a hot glue gun all for $25, 1 1/2 hours later my pipes have thier new home. 
Hey all;
I got lucky a while ago and picked up one of the Pro-Tec Bass Clarinet cases. My D half set fits in there nice and pattotie (what?); all I have to do is push the bass drone in a bit. The chanter sits nicely in the ‘spare bits’ box now that I’ve done a little surgery on it and there’s enough room for the bellows - smaller Joe Kennedy ones - to fit in the main section as well. If I had a digital camera I’d show you, but I don’t so…
It’s a good case, lots of room for all the extras (outer pocket is great for whistles and flutes and marsupials and such.) They’re a bit pricey these cases but I’m glad I have mine, I’d been using a soft-shelled case before that that was just a tinch too short even after taking the bass drone apart so that a little bit of wood stuck outside the bag. Glad that’s gone.
I’d say this case is a ‘semi-hard’ case; it’s certainly strong enough to support me and my weight but I don’t think it would stand up to much real abuse, which is why I was relieved when it fit into aircraft overhead compartments, so no worries about goons under aircraft lobbing boxes marked ‘fragile’ about.
Okay, short story time. A decade ago I was an archaeology student, returning from a field season in Romania. I was put in charge of the materials -all artifacts and equipment- and told in no uncertain terms that damage to them would be visited upon my body. The resistivitor, for example, was worth about $100,000 and borrowed from another university.
All our bags, boxes, etc were clearly labelled ‘fragile scientific equipment’ and we had informed the airlines before we got on the planes that this stuff was not to be screwed with. I spoke with the stewardesses and all four airport staff (Budapest, Amsterdam, Chicago, Winnipeg) and was promised up and down that nothing bad would happen.
So standing at the Chicago airport, having literally seconds before spoken with one of the baggage handlers about how these things must be delicately dealt with, I watch as the same guy jumps up on the growing stack of luggage coming up from the plane, picks up one of our bags with bright yellow stickers and tape and hurls it about ten feet so that it ends up falling a good ten feet straight down. I shout ‘no’ and unthinkingly jump forward.
Hands very quickly moved to gun holsters and I angrily explained to the cop/guard person in front of me that dudester had just tossed about $100,000 worth of equipment and that I would really, really like to do something about that. They eventually let me into the little area that they’d cordoned off and I was allowed to move our material off to one side.
The baggage handlers treated me like someone’s leperous cousin who just showed up at the party, and a couple of things were damaged, but aside from a massive tension headache from the aftereffects of lunging toward Men with Guns, things went more or less okay. Leaving the Chicago airport was the best thing I’ve ever done in Chicago, which isn’t saying much as the only other thing I’ve ever done in Chicago is land there. The other airports were fine, they even helped and occasionally offered little doily thingies to pat down our sweating brows.
So. There’s my story. That’s why I think that while it’s important to have a good case, even a bombproof one, it’s better by far to not let anyone else deal with your instrument, especially something as intrinsically delicate as a set of UPs.
I do, however, like the Pro-Tec case for carrying my set around. I just try to remember that no case is going to protect the set as well as my watchful eye, vengeful heart and nefarious plans for bad-doers, tea strainers and underground anti-piping leagues the world over.
Yours Giddily,
Mark