There’s a company called Bam cases in France that sells an extremely light, nearly indestructible viola case that I think would make a great piping travel box:
The “Hightech” viola case exterior is 31" 1/2 x 13" x 7" 1/2 and the interior is essentially the same minus about 1/4 inch since all the interior pads are completely removeable. This would make it the same size as my current Gallagher piping box.
They don’t have the viola case on the site yet, but it is the same design as the “Hightech” violin case, only bigger. According to the site, they use a 3 ply ABS plastic/foam/thermoplastic interior structure for the case. I’ve never seen anything like them before.
Unfortunately, they aren’t cheap, selling for over $500, so I don’t have one yet, but if you’re looking to protect a $8000 set, maybe its not a bad investment, considering that an elephant could probably step on it with no damage.
You’re right to point out that this shotgun case might be too shallow. I bought one of these shotgun cases, the same exact model, after reading a previous C&F thread on pipe cases, and I just sold it, at a $20 loss, on ebay. It turned out that the 4" interior dimension made it impossible for me to close the case without pressing against the drone switch and/or regulator keys, even with the foam padding removed. I just couldn’t risk those parts’ being damaged in transit due to a narrow case. Not to mention the bellows…unless you have bellows with no padding, no intake valve surround, no…well not much of anything, to be honest, there’s no way you’ll get them in this case. If you have a practice set, the gun case might work. If you have a smaller main stock, it might work. If you have a completely flat bellows, it might work. For my new 3/4 B set, this particular case did not work at all. I’m still searching for the perfect case. Someone suggested to me that I go to a pawn shop or music shop and buy a used oblong violin/viola case and rip out all the insides. I know of at least one professional piper who travels this way. Anyone have experience with these oblong cases?
Pelican 1700 Travel Vault II. It’s about $170ish (depends on where you get it). You can fit one or two full sets in there depending on how creative you are. Or a full set plus extra chanters/junk.
It measures 37"L x 17&3/4"w x 6"D. It’s the ultimate in a travel-case and would likely survive even the worst handling/dropping/running over with a car. It’s also atmospherically sealed with a release valve. It’s great for any kind of distance traveling, but I wouldn’t reccomend it as a session/local case as it’s not super-light (though it does have built in wheels/handle).
A Bassoon case, stripped out of its blocked holers and re-lined works very, very well.
On Froment bellows, the middle section (that connect to the bag) screws on/off the the bellows for transport. Michael Dow’s bellows do the same. Alan Ginsberg used plastic tubing years ago - easy to cut to the pipe’s choice and ideal for transport. I’m sure that other makers do too; sounds like all do not.
Cases years ago were tall, deep, and heavy; most were custom made for the set by the pipemaker. Bellows, too, usually had a fixed middle section. Being more compact makes for an easier carry. Getting the Froment-size case on airplanes has almost never been an issue.
Going down to the standard carryon limit size of 22" x 9" x 12" has merits, although would balk at having to disassemble/assemble pipes every time they go in and out of the case.
The foam on the eBAY shotgun case is heavier density and more ‘solid’ than in the Froment case. The heavier foam can be cut out, though, for virtually any set. I have one here and I still recommend it for anyone that thinks it will meet their needs. Just take it on a case-by-case basis.