I’ve now got two flutes (and several whistles, low and high) that occasionally need safe and ergonomic transport. The question is how do you all prefer to transport your gear? I’ve currently got each instrument in an individual roll or sleeve that I pack in an overnight bag - not very expedient or glamorous, but it works despite the bulk. The problem is that it’s like looking into a drawer of mismatched socks. I’d like to consolidate things into something with fewer components. I’m also not so sure of the wisdom of packing an ancient keyed flute in a roll that may not protect the keys
If you are in the US or another country where handguns are prevalent, a padded pistol case works surprisingly well as a flute case. I’ve gotten a few for less than $20 and they’re very rugged, with a good amount of internal padding for the flute. Never had an issue.
Only real problem is that some are fairly prominently branded as gun cases, which every so often causes a raised eyebrow. But then I start playing, and people wish they had a gun to make it stop.
Thanks for the suggestion. Firearms kit is not quite as prevalent in Canada, but a lot of stuff is available. I haven’t really priced it, but it seems that it is a bit more expensive here.
My real question is what preference is there from one method to another? I have no problem with roll bags for individual instruments, but I’m a little concerned when they all get packed up together. I also understand that each person’s preference is based on their own needs. I’m just looking for guidance.
My personal preference, which I think has been mirrored in most people I’ve seen with flutes at sessions, is that roll bags are fine for keyless flutes but solid cases are better for keyed. Doesn’t take much to bend a key enough to cause some problems, especially since many are silver.
I have kept some of my keyless flutes in a roll, and have never had any issues. In fact, I prefer a roll for delrin flutes since they’re less bulky and the delrin is very hardy. I tend towards a hardshell case for wooden flutes, but that is mostly personal preference. As long as you are careful and the roll has some amount of padding, it would take a significant accident for the flute to get enough pressure/force to damage it.
As it stands, I have a small 18L backpack from REI that I carry to sessions. In it, I have a flute in a hard case and several whistles in pouches. I’ve got an idiosyncratic organizing system for the pouches, 2 whistles in each in a way that I know exactly where any given key is. I once bought a big lot of whistles that came with a big roll, I think it was originally a roll for chisels or something. I didn’t find it as useful, but for someone who wanted to have every whistle laid out in front of them I could see the benefits. I have seen rolls with every single key of whistle laid out chromatically (I think @pancelticpiper has this setup, if I’m remembering past pictures he’s shared). I find very little use in sessions for the “weird keys,” so my pouch system works for the handful I tend to carry with me.
The hard case I use now was ordered direct from China, I think either via the Bezos-machine or AliExpress. The same exact case is sold by “McNeela” (for significantly more than I paid!), just with their own branding on it. It’s a good case, but IMO better suited to “Pratten-style” flutes with a single body piece than to “Rudall-style” one with a two-piece body. The Lehart I used to play went in the aforementioned pistol case and that worked great.
My two flutes are Rudall-ish style. (Though made about 200-plus years apart) I break the keyed instrument down to four pieces simply because it suits the dimensions of the repurposed felt bag I use. The keyless, which was made for me by Travis King, fits nicely in the roll case he provided.
I was amused by a comment from a flute customer from Texas. When I asked: “and do you need a case with that?”, he responded: “No, here in Texas we prefer to carry our flutes in gun cases, so as not to arouse suspicion”…
Roll and pocket cases work great for 1-2 flutes, or a small collection of small whistles, that sort of thing. If you’re carrying something indestructible like metal flutes or whistles, you can sometimes get away with a few soccer socks.
If you are carrying more, or have keys etc, get a Plano Protector 1404/140402 (two layer) or 14022 (one layer). Each layer fits maybe 3-4 larger flutes or slightly more smaller instruments (e.g. piccolos). I’m recommending those specific cases because they easily fit the longer sections of multi-part flutes. Sometimes instruments will also fit into smaller cases, but it depends and it’s hard to pin down the measurements well enough. The Plano cases are sturdy, inexpensive, and have egg-crate foam inside and you can just lay the flute parts diagonally between the lumps.
For longer one-part flutes, look at the tube cases for Native American flutes from Horizons Flute store. They’ll fit multiple keyless instruments, details depending on the case diameter and the flute diameter. And then put each instrument into a sock or fleece bag. Those cases are basically PVC tubes with pretty padded covers. So you could make one yourself if you have more time than money.
Shipping across international boundaries is a bit fraught right now. But you may be able to find something similar locally and also the international situation will hopefully loosen back up.
The pistol cases don’t stand out as much if you’re hanging out with folks who play other instruments. These days, it’s possible to get cases for orchestral instruments in pretty colors, snazzy shapes, with backpack straps, etc. But mostly people have old-school black ones, many of them rectangular black boxes with handles rather like the pistol cases.
Stickers help soften the pistol case look, too. I fly a lot, always take my flute, and although security may ask to look at it they have never once mentioned pistol or pistol case.
Yeah, I have stickers on a couple of mine. Also some decoration with sharpie markers. This stuff is also useful for making sure you pick up the right case when heading out of the house.
Yesss, I do carry my flute in a lunchbox, and I absolutely love it!
It’s sturdy, lightweight, inexpensive, and you can put stickers on it. I made the inside nice and cozy using dish sponges and microfiber cloths, found everything at my local grocery store. It actually started off as a joke but I’ve been using it for the past five years and I love it more and more
Best part? Whenever I go to a new session, people always ask about it, great conversation starter!
I ALWAYS use hard case for my flutes, even if they are keyless, because I put them into my backpack with other stuffs, and you never know when you put the backpack with other stuffs into the car how the forces can work on your flute into the soft case. This is particularly true if you go around with a band into a stuffed car, but also if you trip alone with your backpack on the passenger seat with your lunch inside. This is a personal thought, based on my personal experience, never seen a flute broken in that way but I surely do not want to see the first when I keep out my instruments on the gig venue (or back at home).
When the maker have not supplied an hard case with the flute (often for keyless flutes is an optional, rarely for keyed flutes, but It could happen), or if they supplied a case that was not small enough for me I’ve ordered cheap hard cases for classical flutes from AliExpress and manually modified the inside to fit the flute. Be aware of the measures, sometimes a C foot case can work, but often you have to buy a B foot case. Just remove all the inside padding and rework it buying also cheap adhesive sheets.
I am not a monster with manual works, but I’ve done a sufficient work to protect my flutes when I am around. They are not those beautiful custom made french cases, but they are cheap and do the work.
I made the inside nice and cozy using dish sponges and microfiber cloths, found everything at my local grocery store. It actually started off as a joke but I’ve been using it for the past five years and I love it more and more 