I think the smell of cigarette smoke adds a certain layer of authenticity to vintage drums. It gives them that "Been there done that" aura that comes from the smoky bars of the 50s and 60s. (Remember when people used to smoke?);)

Haha! Good thinking atomicorganic! I just don't want to have to scrub the tar and nicotine off them. And yes, I remember when you could smoke in bars. Personally, I am glad it was banned. No offense to you smokers.

I'd think hard cases would do a much better job than soft ones. Soft bags will absorb smoke and that smell can linger for a lifetime. Hard cases will accumulate it on the surface, where it can (hopefully) be scrubbed off.

I personally can't stand the smell of smoke, so I might be inclined to put some sort of disposable "smoke barrier" around the drums -- like maybe wrapping the cases in heavy duty trash bags or something. When you get the drums back, just peel off the bags and throw 'em away.

That's a good idea skydog. I wrap stuff in plastic bags even if they are in my garage to keep the dust out. I figured the fibers of the hard cases could absorb the smell. Nylon soft sided....maybe. At least they would be water proof.

I see your point. I was thinking about plastic hard-shell cases like the ones made by SKB or XL Specialty. For some reason, I didn't consider vulcanized fiber cases.

SKB = very pricey. Have you heard of Nomad? They look like hard plastic. I got a quote for $195 shipped for 5 cases.

Nope, my mistake. Here is the description from the Nomad website:

[LIST]Construction using durable, light-weight fiber board[/LIST]

[LIST]Reinforcement with heavy-duty metal hardware[/LIST]

[LIST]Contoured handles for a comfortable grip[/LIST]

[LIST]Double-reinforced handle mounting[/LIST]

[LIST]One-piece, wear-proof, nylon strap design encompassing each case[/LIST]

[LIST]Straps secured using a non-slip, toothless buckle[/LIST]

[LIST]A multi-fit design to accept almost any depth of drum[/LIST]

Wrapping in a plastic barrier is very tempting, however moisture control will be an issue. Should you decide to go this route, make certain you use something like those Gel=Pack silica packets to control this unwanted factor. Moisture trapped in the cases will ruin the drums, especially if stored in a basement, is not a good thing. This will keep the moisture level correct inside the bags. These handy little guys both absorb and expire moisture for accurate control.

Hey, VERY good point! Moisture retention is a killer on stuff like that. Thanks jonnistix!