Polyfoam Hybrid Cases

Last week I talked about gig bags.  This week, I'll show you a couple of polyfoam hybrid cases.  When it comes to cases, I don't really need a road dog.  I just need something that will keep a guitar in the closet and get it across town (or maybe across the country) without too much trouble.  I prefer smaller and lighter.  So, if I'm not using a gig bag, a polyfoam case will generally do.

Now, before I show you mine, I'll briefly describe some differences for you.  A gig bag, is a bag,  It might have some good padding, but it won't generally stand up on it's on (even on its side), and it would never be mistaken for a case.  Some of them are even kind of floppy.  After all, they're generally just foam padding inside a tough exterior.  A case is generally molded or wooden.  It's got some padding of some sort inside it to keep the instrument off the hard exterior.  If you need a road dog, a case is usually the way to go.  The polyfoam hybrid cases are a good in-between.  They look like a case.  They act like a case.  But they're just the polyfoam that is often found inside a hard case, but without the case.  Instead, it's put inside a tough canvas-ish cover.  The exterior is pretty similar to what you would find on a backpack.  Not the lightweight nylor backpacks, but rather one of those kind of old-school canvas packs.  So it has the rigidity and stiff protection that a gig bag lacks, but, although it's rigid, it doesn't have the super tough exterior of a case.  But that also means it's not nearly as heavy as a case.  It's a nice in-between.  I've got several of these cases.  They work really well for acoustic guitars.  Price-wise, I've found that they run around $100.  That's about the price of a low-end hard case, but half the price of most premium gig bags.

No Idea What Brand Case.  This is the first polyfoam case I got, and the one that made me a fan of them.  It has gotten extensive use and held up well.  I think I got it from Musicians Friend about 15 years ago.  I had just gotten a Boulder Creek Solitaire dreadnaught sized acoustic, and needed a case for it.  When I bought the case, it was one of those times where I really liked the guitar, but I had to find a way to afford it.  In other words, we were pretty dang broke.  That meant that, since it didn't come with a case, I had to find something super-economical to put it in.  I spotted this on the website, and I think it was only like $50.  Even back then, that put it a LOT cheaper than a case, and I didn't really want to even consider a gig bag for an acoustic.  I have no idea what brand it is because it has no label anywhere on or in it.  I assume it is probably Musician Friend's house brand, but I don't really know.  Detachable backpack straps (not really sure why).  Two pockets on the front of the case and the one big pocket in the neck area like all acoustic cases have.  Super lightweight.  The handle situation used to really worry me.  You can see that it's just two straps that are run around the guitar and sewn on.  In my mind, that kind of handle is super sketchy, but it works.  Like I said, this case has been through it.  I used to use it for my weekly gig at church which meant that, not only was it getting banged around twice a day on Sundays, on those days that I also had to work, it went with me to the office.  Super inexpensive, but this is the one that sold me on this type of hybrid cases.
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Gator Polyfoam Case.  I've got 2 of these in the closet.  One has a dobro in it.  The one in the pic has a Les Paul in it.  Like the no name brand that sold me on this type of case, I would trust these cases just about anywhere.  Both of the cases have two pockets on the outside and the standard case pocket inside.  They have detachable straps to make it a backpack.  (Sidenote:  I have no idea why a case like this has backpack straps of any sort.  It's too rigid to be carried comfortably.  From that perspective, it's closer to a case than a gig bag.  No one is ever going to strap this case to their back.)  Standard type of handle on this type of case.  It's a strappy thing that's got some reinforcing on it.  Under the handle is a velcro strap where you can shift the zippers to be sure that they don't get knocked around.  Or, as I have been know to do, it's a handy little way to avoid picking up a case and having the top fly open and your guitar fall out on its face.  This is a solid polyfoam case that should do well so long as you're not beating it to death or giving it to an airline to throw in their cargo hold.  I think I paid $70 for both of the ones I have.
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Travelite Polyfoam Case.  I just realized I didn't get a pic of this one, and it's far enough back in the closet I'm not digging cases back out again, so it's going to have to be pictureless.  It's a beast of a case.  Out of all the polyfoam cases I've got, this one is easily the most well made.  It has my flamenco guitar in it.  The flamenco guitar originally was in the case the dobro is in.  When I got the dobro, I bought this case, and moved the flamenco over.  So the guitars that go inside are the same size, but the difference in the case size is noticeable.  This one is bigger all the way around.  On the exterior, it has that same weird strap-handle system as the no-name case above.   Like the Gator cases, it has a little cover for the zipper or to keep the case from falling open if you pick it up thinking it's close.  This one is different, though, because it's an actual latch and not just a strip of velcro.  It also has the same detachable backpack straps on it.  Inside, it has that usual neck pocket, but this one you could park a Buick in.  This is a behemoth of a case.  It's huge!  A classical/flamenco sized guitar is a small guitar in the overall scheme of acoustics, but this case is big enough it borders on being awkward.  I would hate to see a dreadnought sized case like this one.  That said, I absolutely love this case!  I would trust this case in most any situation short of putting the guitar on a plane.
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Ibanez Polyfoam Case.  I got this case with the Nita Strauss Jiva that I bought the end of last summer.  As far as this type of case goes, it's a great case.  It's got two pockets on the front.  The strappy handle has a nice cover to make it a little more ergonomic.  A BIG interior pocket.  It's got feet on the long end so it stands there nicely.  Speaking of standing, it's a rectangle so it'll stand up pretty much any direction you set it.  Overall, it's a great case.   My only complaint with it is that, because it's a rectangle, storing it in the closet can be a bit awkward.  It's a little too tall to fit under the shelf in the closet, and, because it's a rectangle, you can't really lean it over slightly to make it fit.  So it just stands up out away from the other cases.  But it's a good case.  I had almost bought a Gator case that generally followed this design, and always wondered what it would've been like.  Now I know.