What kind of Concertina case will be good for jostling in a bicycle basket?

[Victor F]

I am thinking about playing my concertina in the wild and how I get around is by bike. Would a hard case or soft case work better? I imagine a hard case would be good if I am ever caught in the rain. 

[chris rowe]

Get a Storm case, they are bullet proof

 

[Tiposx]

Agree, Pelican Storm, I think mine is model# 2075 to fit standard size with at least 7 fold bellows, but It isn't with me to check the number.

[chris rowe]

Yes iM2075

 

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

I do a great deal of long distance cycling on a huge heavy bike with box on the back! But I would not put my concertina in there as it is too precious to get shaken  about at any cost!😊

[Chris Ghent]

If you are going to be jolting it a lot, more depends on the packing around the concertina than the nature of the box.  Something larger with lots of looser packing will allow the instrument to slow down slower from any particular jolt.  Suspended by rubber in the middle of a larger box might work.
 

The Hardigg/Pelican iM2075 is waterproof and you could drive over it but if there is no room around the concertina for packing, forget it.  

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

I was considering this topic just now and thought about when I take my camera with me often on big bike journeys, and fact that to protect the mechanism, I have a shoulder bag over my shoulders because your body helps to protect against jolts very well.

It could be awkward of course for concertina but just an extra thought to consider.

[wunks]

1 hour ago, SIMON GABRIELOW said:

I was considering this topic just now and thought about when I take my camera with me often on big bike journeys, and fact that to protect the mechanism, I have a shoulder bag over my shoulders because your body helps to protect against jolts very well.

It could be awkward of course for concertina but just an extra thought to consider.

Along these lines I've found a large padded belly camera pack works best for toting essentials for back country skiing etc..  A single wide strap 'round the waist secures it.

[Jim Besser]

I have multiple Pelican cases, which is where my concertinas live at home (where plumbing leaks are a serious threat), but for outdoor gigs and situations where jostling is the biggest danger, I prefer very well padded soft camera cases.  And i do mean 'well padded," with layers of dense foam on all sides.  

[Victor F]

Thanks for the input! The Pelican cases look nice. Could someone share what it looks like when their concertina sits inside the box? 

[alex_holden]

1 hour ago, Victor F said:

Thanks for the input! The Pelican cases look nice. Could someone share what it looks like when their concertina sits inside the box? 

 

 

[chris rowe]

[Chris Ghent]

I’ll be more direct. The OP didn’t want ordinary solutions.  iM2075s are terrific cases but there is not enough room around the concertina for a 6 1/4” concertina to be adequately padded in an extreme situation, which I think cycling is. Installing the instrument point down, like Chris Rowe’s is better than flat down but still the distance from the concertina to the wall of the case is inadequate.  Think at least two inches of soft material, like open cell foam.  
 

If you imagine 10mm foam, the foam will crush under pressure to what, about 3mm?  Your concertina has 7 mm to slow down after a jolt. Mountain bike suspension is assessed as needing to handle up to 400lbs from a jolt.  So is 7mm enough distance and resistance to slow down your concertina that suddenly weighs say, half of that, 200 lbs? (For metric users, think about 90 kilos.)

A reasonable guide is a quality camera case.  This one makes sense to me. https://dq.com.au/product/custom-cnc-foam-insert-into-client-case-for-blackmagic-studio-camera-4k-pro-lens-power-and-sunshade-to-suit-pelican-1560-hard-case/

 

 

 

[Mike Franch]

I never took my concertina on long trips, just local trips around town. I use a camera bag, which I wear. I let my body absorb the jolts. And Baltimore streets are well supplied with jolts.

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

7 hours ago, Mike Franch said:

I never took my concertina on long trips, just local trips around town. I use a camera bag, which I wear. I let my body absorb the jolts. And Baltimore streets are well supplied with jolts.

Yes that's what I said.  Your own body is a good 'shock-absorber, when cycling along. I know from years of doing it myself...even though my own concertina stays at home. And any musical inspiration I then bring back with me in my memory and then may develop musical ideas once home🌝..

[Jesse Smith]

I'm not a big fan of carrying stuff on my body when bicycling, in general. Depending on what kind of carrying solution your bike is currently equipped with, there are existing products for carrying photography gear that would probably be sufficient for a concertina. These are usually foam inserts to go inside a front rack bag or rear pannier and provide protection from vibrations.

 

It helps a lot if your bike already is good at shock absorption. I don't necessarily mean suspension forks here, but a bike with a steel frame and wide (e.g., 38 mm) tires is going to dissipate a lot of road vibration compared to an aluminum bike with narrow (20 mm) tires. Using the widest tires you can fit on your bike is probably the top thing you can do in terms of reducing vibration to your cargo.

 

Oh, and if you crash the bike, there's pretty much nothing that can protect your concertina at that point, so try not to do that.

[Paul_Hardy]

I store and transport most of my concertinas in those nylon padded bags sold as cooler bags to keep a six-pack of beer cool - concertinas are about six-pack sized so fit nicely. They are waterproof and insulated. You want a good quality one, with tough outer nylon, and thick insulation padding designed to keep beer cool through hot days! Not the cheap flimsy ones - too thin. My best two concertinas are in ones by California Innovations which are 20 years old now and still functional. Thermos and Polar Gear do similar bags.  They have a shoulder strap, and I have cycled with one over my shoulder.

 

There are also similar padded nylon camera equipment bags which might be worth a look. Similar but often not as padded are ones sold as nylon lunch bags.

 

I stress that these padded nylon bags will protect a concertina against the sort of vibration and knocks that a human body can withstand, and are not proof against being dropped from a height or run over by a car - the previously mentioned pelican cases are better for that.

[Cathasach]

I carry my concertina in a padded wood box I got from Barleycorn when I bought it and have it hanging off the back with a pad also between the box and the bike. It still jostles some but the vibrations are taken care of enough that it's not a problem from what I can tell.