Humes and Berg Tuxedo soft cases are excellent. For that COB snare I would use one of those in conjunction with an unlined Enduro hard case. Theres a lot of protection. Its well worth the expense of the case. Music Go Round carries a line of soft padded bags that are functional and provide a minimum of protection, with a relatively low cost. Then of course there is ebay. Soft cases, hard plastic cases, Humes and Berg, Impact (which i would skip), SKB, Protector, and Anvil/Calzone/various stencil brands of ATA touring cases. Theres an ebay store called The Case Store, which sells hard ATA type drum cases for about the same cost as H&B enduros. Bear in mind these arent the classic ANVIL case of fame, they arent as good, but they serve well. Im not endorsing here, just making it easier to locate in a search. I did purchase one of their cases, and for the most part was satisfied. The way they mounted the casters sucked major butt. I ripped two off the mounting plate first time I used the case. That was quickly remedied by mounting them myself. Good luck.

You can't go wrong with the Protection Racket bags. The thickest most durable bags I've seen. Made to last and reasonably priced.

Keep an eye on local craigslist.org

I also recommend Protection Racket bags. They are VERY high-quality bags -extra-tough zippers and stitching. I just wish there were some long over-the-shoulder straps for them so that I could carry the floor tom and the bass drum easier. I'd put the cymbal bag on like a backpack (I have the Sabian one), the bass drum over my right shoulder, the floor tom over my left shoulder, the tom tom in my left hand and the snare drum in my right hand.....nah...actually I'd use my cart...so nevermind! ;) But yeah, I'm really happy about the quality of these bags...plus, I got a set of them on sale -because they are usually at the high end of the pricing scale for bags....and I'm a frugal shopper....I had to settle for a slightly larger bass drum bag for my little 18 X 12 Ludwig bass drum. The bag, itself is for an 18 X 14 bass drum...but I found that the "extra" 2 inches of space was nice because the old t-rod handles on the bass drum added a little to the overall depth of the drum, anyway...so...there ya go! singer

EDIT: HOWEVER!!!!!....

...IF you are going to be going on the road and your drums are going to be loaded in with a bunch of other euipment, etc., then you will most definitely want to invest in AT LEAST some fibre cases. Bags, no matter how nice they are, are not recommended for "the road". Yes, some kind of molded hard plastic case would be ideal ....and they can be expensive up front, but, if your drums are worth playing for a long time and keeping them in shape, then you must invest in something more sturdy. I, myself, got a set of the old Humes and Berg Fibre Cases back in 1974 and I still use them to this day...to carry the same Rogers "Big R" toms I bought that same year! The leather straps have worn through on a couple of them and they are definitely faded and spotted...but the drums are in almost flawless condition!

Thanks to all who chimed in,I`m not planning on travel,just local gigging and I think I`m going to trade my Gretsch kit,one of the new kits for the fibre cases I have a set of Rogers XP-8`s coming on Monday,I had played them for years and fell in love with the sound and some of the hardware ideas they came up with.Just getting back into the field after 14 years of being married and out of the music business.I`m playing for fun this time around and enjoy it much more than the 4 to 6 night per week,48 week per year and keeping a full time job on top of that.Thanks again.

Gary Van Fleet

What sizes of cases are we talking about here? And what Gretsch drums are you going to trade?

There is some reasonably priced hard drum cases in common sizes right now on eBay. An option if hard cases are not available where you live at a reasonable price.

Is selling the Gretsch drum kit maybe a better way to go? Yes Sir

I would hope that it gives you more options, solves your problem and puts some extra cash in your drum fund.

From my experience I would not recommend fibre cases. They absorb moisture which causes them to warp and mildew. In a flood, forget about it.

Don't leave any case on a cement floor. It ruins everything as moisture draws up from the cement and reacts with the case material.

If the kit has to go into the basement (not the best because of the moisture), make sure they are on something; shelves or milk crates. I like to keep a dehumidifier running in my basement when I am not down there.

In my experience, I like the Humes & Berg Tuxedo bags and the Beato bags. These are not for shipping but for local transportation. They will not save you from damage if you drop the drum off of a truck. They are however, quite light and if you move your own stuff, that is highly desireable.

Neither of these cost an arm and a leg, but perhaps an arm or a leg.

Regards,

Gary

Ploughman:The sizes are a 14x22 inch kick,8x12,and 9x13 rack toms and a 16x16 floor toe,standard Dyansonic snare.The gretsch kit I`m looking to trade is the Blackhawk kit made in Taiwan entry level kit.same sizes except kick is 18 deep by 22.They don`t sound all that bad but hardware is not up to set up and teardown on a regular basis.I`m planning on the Rogers being delivered on Monday and I`m going to the local drum shop to close up a deal then. The Taiwan firewood is all gone,I got a good set of heads for all the new Rogers kit and half a dozen pairs of sticks,I`m planning on ordering hard shell cases for my XP`s to keep them from getting trashed took me too long to find a good conditioned set.The guy I bought them from is holding the two oversized Toms and a stand from the same kit until Uncles Sam greases my palm.Once again thanks to all who offered an opinion.Gary