REVIEWED
Ahead Armor Drum Cases
AHEADArmor Drum Cases
These soft yet tough drum cases from Ahead are specially shaped to fit drums and their mounting hardware…whilst helping to cut down on bulky road cases.
Words: Tim Slater
As anyone that plays drums will tell you, lugging hefty drum cases can be enough of a pain but storing them is really when the fun starts. These new soft drum cases by Ahead seek to solve the dual problems of protecting drums and hardware from damage during transit but their soft construction also means that they are easier to stash neatly away during a gig, where spare space for a whole band’s worth of cases and bags is usually fairly restricted, to say the least. Ahead make a huge range of cases for most sizes of drums and our review focuses on a standard setup for a 22 x 18-inch bass drum, plus
AHEAD Armor Cases
Ogio Sled Case £160.00 with wheels 22” x 18”
Bass Drum 14” x 14”
Floor Tom 12” x 9”
Top Tom 10” x 8” Top Tom
14” x 6.5” Snare
All prices include VAT CONT
ACT
BR Distribution Ltd T:
01207 282806 W:
www.brdistribution.co.uk
£75.00 £44.00 £35.00 £33.00 £38.00
two rack toms, one floor tom, a snare and a handy heavy-duty hardware case whose built-in wheels will surely help to take some of the strain out of shifting industrial-sized heaps of heavy hardware.
Shape shifters The main innovative feature about the drum cases is their teardrop shape, which Ahead claims provides extra room for the shape and size of drum, plus it’s mounting hardware. Whilst this idea seems so simple, few if anyone has really addressed it in such a neat way. I remember from my retail days that we used to stock piles of drum cases, some allowing for suspension mounts, some just purely fitted to the drum itself and while I can appreciate that some drummers like to completely strip their kit before shipping it there are plenty who would rather pack the whole thing away snugly in one go. The Ahead cases cater for the latter and they do it very well. The inside of the cases is lined with hi-density shock absorbent padding finished off with a rather plush fleece lining, providing a tight enough fit so that the drums don’t move around once zipped securely inside their cases and also shielding the precious tubs from the inevitable knocks and scrapes that result from many busy hands rushing the gear in and out of a venue during setup and tear-down. The exterior is made from a good quality nylon material that Ahead claims is water proof – we didn’t test Ahead’s claims in this respect but we were prepared to take its word for it – and each drum case features a tough and well-padded carrying
28 3pickup
handle. In our road test the Ahead Armor drum cases held up very well, our test driver-cum-drummer entrusted his precious custom made DW kit to a week on the road with these cases and judging by the grateful look on his face afterwards he seemed very pleased with the Ahead cases performance.
Time for Sled… The Ahead Sled is manufactured by US gear bag company OGIO, which is already a very respected name in golf, motorcycling and other sporting pursuits. The Sled measures 38-inches long by 16-inches wide and 14-inches deep, which is still not the largest drum hardware roller bag we’ve seen but in terms of its portability and build-quality the Ahead Sled is still plenty big enough for the average five-piece rock drum kit hardware set. The molded bottom is designed to scrape in and out of the van without troubling the soft main casing and in integrated telescopic handle makes it much easier to lift and wheel the full case. The Ahead Sled’s extendable handle makes a huge difference by helping to reduce the need to bend over virtually double whilst trying to drag the fully loaded case along the floor. Simply stand it up on its wheels and the Sled glides along like a golf bag. Easy. PM
The plush, padded lining holds your drums securely in place
SHOULD I BUY ONE?
We reckon that these Ahead drum cases make a really sensible alternative to some of the older style soft drum bags and cases out there. The Ahead cases feel much stronger, lighter and fit better while the hardware sled makes lugging drum hardware almost something to look forward to, well not quite but you get our drift! Very good value for money for gigging drummers and their thankful roadies, we reckon.
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