Opinions or carrying equipment

[Sal Bertucci]

Well one thing that I've noticed tends to happen after you've been doing this a while is that you accumulate a lot of stuff. I've been using an all purpose fencing bag to carry long stuff for the last 8 years or so, but it is finally dying a long and lasting death. I've noticed that many people who carry their armory with them tend to use golf bags/cases. (let's face it, they're a fairly convenient length.) Anyway, I was wondering if there was a prefference between the soft cover golf bags and the hard cases.

What are some of the things that people like/dislike about these two options? Are there other things that people use that make good carrying bags?

[Stacy Clifford]

Hard cases resist abuse pretty well and can travel on airplanes, but when you start trying to stuff multiple swords in there with crosses getting in each other's way (especially if any have side rings like my Lutel or the new NSA cut & thrust), in addition to fencing masks and other bulky items, then they are not very flexible and can become difficult to pack. Mine eventually warped out so much at the sides that it became difficult to close the latches.

Soft bags make it a bit easier to overstuff without fouling the zipper, but they'll sag in awkward directions when packed with an odd load and can be more awkward to load in the back of a car. They also scrape the concrete more when they sag on your way through the parking lot.

I prefer the soft bag now for everyday use going to class because mine tends to stay overstuffed, but I keep the old hard case for if I ever need to fly with my equipment.

[Christopher Reed]

I am fairly new to this but, a hockey bag would do well for you too. They are huge if you get one that is not meant to hold a child's set of pads, so unless you are planning on having a huge claymore in there it should suit you just fine. That and there are other pockets for First aid, water, and snacks. You also shouldn't get any peculiar looks from people because they most likely wont see the cross guard sticking out.

[Jaron Bernstein]

Well one thing that I've noticed tends to happen after you've been doing this a while is that you accumulate a lot of stuff. I've been using an all purpose fencing bag to carry long stuff for the last 8 years or so, but it is finally dying a long and lasting death. I've noticed that many people who carry their armory with them tend to use golf bags/cases. (let's face it, they're a fairly convenient length.) Anyway, I was wondering if there was a prefference between the soft cover golf bags and the hard cases.

What are some of the things that people like/dislike about these two options? Are there other things that people use that make good carrying bags?

We bought what looks like a custom made foot locker on wheels from these guys:

http://www.cabbagecases.com/

They made it to the exact dimensions we needed and it has hard sides. The catch is that it is pricey, but it will last for many years of hard use. Ours has been to Texas, 2 or 3 Renn festivals and gets used every week.

If you just have one or two things, then try a rifle case for the swords and a suitcase on wheels for the helmets/masks maybe.

[ElizabethPangerl]

A couple of years ago, we got a ski/snowboarding bag to carry the wasters to large group practices or events we drove to. It was clearanced at the local sporting goods store for about $30. This worked just fine to carry longsword wasters, helmets, and shoes for two people.

When we went to the '07 IG, we packed the bag into a cardboard box and shipped it to the hotel. This is not recommended because the shipping company temporarily misplaced the box on the return shipment.

More recently, we got a hardshell SKB double golf travel case (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007VNZEK). It looks like a coffin on wheels but fits a lot of equipment and has some inner padding, though it's still a good idea to wrap each item separately in bubble wrap when flying. Steve took the hardshell case to the recent event at IDS and will be taking it to the '09 IG.

[Benjamin Smith]

I use an old snowboarding bag.

[Will Adamson]

I use a hard golf case, but just like Stacy said, it gets complicated when you have to carry a lot of stuff and want to put things other than weapons in there. I had some pretty good success with carrying my stuff in a military duffel bag and letting the points stick out of the top. You can get a couple of masks in too.

Eventually you start making compromises on whether to cut down on pads in order to carry more weapons. I found it a great motivator in working towards only needing a mask.

[Jonathan Newhall]

I am fairly new to this but, a hockey bag would do well for you too. They are huge if you get one that is not meant to hold a child's set of pads, so unless you are planning on having a huge claymore in there it should suit you just fine. That and there are other pockets for First aid, water, and snacks. You also shouldn't get any peculiar looks from people because they most likely wont see the cross guard sticking out.

But the peculiar looks are the best part!

Yeah, really though, this sounds like a good way to go about it