Although it is hard to beat the protection and convenience of cases that are specifically designed for drums, it is not always financially feasible.  That is the dilemma of many a drummer today.  They finally get the means to purchase that new kit but neglect to include a good set of cases as part of the over all INVESTMENT.  I emphasize investment because it only makes sense to protect so great a purchase.  If you buy a kit that costs $800 to $2000 then perhaps a $600 to $800 set of top of the line cases could seem kind of steep.  On a $5000 top of the line kit, $600 to $800 might not seem too bad for a good set of cases. 

After researching the problem of finding an inexpensive way to protect your drums, we have come up with the following ideas.

For Kick drums it is hard to get around the need for an actual case that is designed to hold a kick drum.  A drum bag is not a bad idea if (a) You are loading in and loading out the drums yourself or have a very trustworthy tech. (b) You use a high end padded bag such as a Humes & Berg tuxedo.  Otherwise you should stick with a good hard case such as Protector, Hard Case, or SKB for transporting your kick drum.

Cymbal protection is along the same lines.  It is hard to get around the need for a case that is specifically designed for that job.  I have used a cymbal bag on many a gig just because it is faster and more convenient.  The same rules apply here… use a high quality bag such as the kind made by the actual cymbal companies.  Hard cymbal cases can not be beat for the protection they offer.  If your gear is being transported along with the rest of the band’s gear in a truck or trailer then you really don’t want to be cheap here.  A good hard cymbal case can be purchased new less than $100.  What is that compared to the price of what is in the case?  I have built my own cymbal cases and I use one of those now but the cost to build it was as much or more than if I had just purchased a new pro model PROTECHTOR XL Specialty 22 inch hard case for around $70.

Toms and Snares can be cased in cases or trunks that are not necessarily designed for drums.  The thing to pay attention to is weight distribution.  You do not want too much weight per case if you often load in & out alone.  This is where individual tom cases can be at an advantage.  I have a Pork Pie kit and those don’t come cheap.  I use aluminum covered Equipment trunks that I purchased at Academy Sports of all places.  (See pictures ) These trunks are perfect for my toms and snare drums.  They fit inside one another for easy storage and they have been able to take the abuse over the last couple of years.  Three cases fit my 10 – 12 – 14 – 16 toms and 3 snare drums, plus a few extras such as my Roc-N-Soc throne top.  These cases were very inexpensive-- $50 for the larger 18” model and $40 for the smaller 16” model.  I have 2 of each.  That is just under $200 with tax. 

Hardware – We all know how hard this can be with the weight so going with wheels is a must.  I used 2 heavy duty plastic foot lockers at $16 each to tote my hardware for a couple of years.  (See pictures ) I would place the bases of the stands in one case and the uppers in the other.  These cases can be purchased at Academy Sports or Wal-Mart.  When I went to a rack mount I needed something a little longer to accommodate the rack.  I found that a medium quality golf bag transport case was perfect for the job at around $60.  You guessed it; Academy Sports.  It has high quality latches and built in wheels and handles for easy transport of my entire pearl rack system with booms and all. 

Fiber Cases – If you are really on a budget then the fiber cases might be the way to go.  You can case a 6 pc kit 10-12-14-16-22 for around $350 for Humes and Berg vulcanized fiber cases.  A fiber case can be treated for water / weather proofing with spray on or brush on polyurethane coating.

A few more suggestions -

• TuffBox case company makes some really nice hard cases for drums and other musical equipment.  They sell their cases through an E-Bay store... click here.
• If you want to venture into building cases check out case parts on E-Bay.
• This might seem strange but I have seen drums carried in large ice chests before.