If your profession is dependent on expensive or fragile equipment, it is very important to protect your equipment while in transit. Whether you are a traveling musician on tour, a photographer traveling to shoots, or a sound engineer, the equipment you carry with you is being subjected to risks that may compromise its safety and cause irreparable damage if not appropriately protected. Standard bags or cases also often do not provide the level of safety and protection you risk. That is where custom flight cases come into play.
Custom flight cases, commonly referred to as ATA road cases and instrument flight cases, are designed explicitly for professionals in need of extra protection for their equipment. This blog post will detail five signs that you should invest in a custom flight case for your professional equipment or instruments.
1. You Travel Regularly With Your Equipment
If you travel regularly with your equipment, whether you are carrying musical instruments, camera gear, or technical equipment, you certainly understand the risks of traveling with gear. Traveling by air, road, or just moving your equipment from car to car can create a hazard for your precious gear. Generic cases or soft bags often do not provide the sturdiness or the protection needed for international travel or for checking equipment on airlines.
Why Custom Flight Cases Help
Custom flight cases are built to withstand the rigors of travel. Whether you are flying across the country or getting bounced around on the road, custom ATA road cases will provide the best protection from shock, temperature, and water. Custom flight cases made from lightweight plywood, aluminum, and thick foam help to keep your gear safe and sound.
If you are a traveling musician, you can even ensure that custom flight cases built to ATA specs are protecting your gear as you place them in the hands of airline employees. Custom cases help protect either the musicians or sound engineers gear on the road from extreme conditions. You can be confident your equipment is handled properly and is protected no matter the situation.
2. Your Equipment is Valuable or Delicate
If you own expensive equipment, such as unique instruments, custom-made audio gear, or professional cameras, preserving your equipment is a factor. Rarely does anyone think about these types of valuables being damaged or, in the worst case, becoming lost. It’s stressful enough thinking about potential damage to your gear while traveling, but the trips and the artifacts not making it home can ruin the memory of your travels.
Why a Flight Case Made Just for You
Custom-made flight cases are made to take care of delicate and/or expensive equipment. A hard exterior and a soft foam interior are designed to secure your equipment from bouncing, bumping, or being otherwise items may come into contact with your equipment. A custom flight case ensures that delicate pieces of equipment like microphones, circuit boards, or strings remain unscathed.
For example, if the instrument being transported were a guitar, then the custom foam would be cut out to conform to the shape of the instrument, providing protection. A custom camera case or lens case would keep the camera or lens documented, mitigating effects associated with a bump, scratch, or breakage.
When you purchase a custom case on the road, you are safeguarding your investment to be in working order for many years, both aesthetically and practically, when it reaches your destination.
3. Your Equipment Needs Specialized Handling or Storage
Some equipment types require specialized handling or storage to maintain their integrity in transit. Instruments with fragile components, high-tech audio equipment, and specialty photography equipment will often have unique shapes, parts that extend outside their standard dimensions or electronic components that are susceptible to the bumps and bruises of travel. Standard cases just cannot offer the protection from these variants that require a unique approach.
Why a Custom Case is Important
Custom cases can be made that serve the specific needs of your equipment. The case can be fitted with custom foam inserts that can be fitted precisely to the contour of your gear so that it is a snug fit that prevents shifting in transit.
Additionally, custom cases can have other characteristics suitable to your needs, such as padded dividers, removable trays, lockable latches, or built-in wheels for easier handling. If your equipment also requires specialty protection from environmental conditions like moisture or temperature, custom cases could provide your equipment the protection these environmental factors require.
Whether your gear simply needs protection for delicate components, such as buttons or knobs, or you need to protect sensitive electronics, custom flight cases are built to provide more products that can safely and securely transport your equipment.
4. You Have Multiple Pieces of Equipment to Transport
If you use a number of equipment, as a musician would have several instruments, a filmmaker may have a number of cameras, lenses and lighting equipment, or a sound engineer may have several microphones, audio mixers and cables, you will understand how challenging getting all your equipment to and from a gig safely and efficiently can be. The increased number of bags and or cases you carry increases the likelihood of losing, misplacing or damaging equipment during the transportation process.
How a Custom Flight Case Helps
A custom flight case is an easy solution when transporting multiple pieces of equipment in one easy and organized unit. Instead of more than one bag or case for the instruments, equipment and accessories, you could have a custom flight case built to house all your equipment.
For example, a musician might need to transport several guitars, amplifiers, microphones and other accessories safely, using custom foam to fit all your equipment in one case. A photographer can use a custom-built bag for his cameras, lenses, and tripod to use on a shoot.
Having all your equipment safely organized and consolidated in one case (or multiple cases) makes the entire transportation process faster, easier, more efficient and diminishes the potential of losing or damaging any piece of equipment.
5. You're worried about lost productivity and repair expenses
Repairing or replacing broken equipment can be costly. A cracked lens, broken microphone, or a damaged instrument can result in costs being incurred very quickly. Additionally, any downtime from damaged equipment can cost you work time, performative time, or even productivity.
Why a Custom Flight Case Helps
Investing in a custom flight case is an economical way to diminish the risk of damaging your gear while in transit. Custom cases are constructed to be shockproof to accommodate liquid and dampness, protect against impacts, scratches, and drops that would normally lead to costly repairs and replacements. Custom cases use absorbent foam inserts or other padding options to diminish movement in the case. Diminishing all movement in the case ensures your gear is not moved inside due to vibrations, shifts, and bumps, no matter how the case is handled.
Custom road case purchases reduce the likelihood of damages and repairs, inevitably saving you time and money, as well as your gear being down when you need it.
Conclusion: Why You Should Buy a Custom Flight Case
If you care about protecting your valuable professional gear, investing in a custom flight case is a no-brainer. Custom flight cases provide the ideal protection for your equipment, so it remains safe, organized, and able to withstand the bumps and bruises of travel. If you are a musician, photographer, sound engineer, or other professional who relies on high-quality gear, a custom ATA road case will save you money on repairs, improve your downtime, and a lot less worry about damage from transport.
With a custom flight case, you will have peace of mind knowing your equipment is safe no matter where the journey takes you. If you see any of the signs mentioned in this post, then perhaps it’s time for you to invest in a custom flight case.
Action to Take
Are you prepared to shield and secure your costly and valuable pro musical instruments or equipment with a custom flight case? We are here to help! Contact us now to develop the ultimate custom case to your specifications to protect your gear, wherever you travel.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Prices vary with size, materials and features. More complex designs or special protections typically will cost more. Contact a manufacturer for your exact price quote.
Yes, custom flight cases can be designed for any equipment, from musical instruments and photography equipment to industrial equipment.
Yes, many custom cases can be built to be waterproof, or at least water resistant, depending on the materials and design requirements.