A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Brass Instruments During Travel

As your musical instrument is a serious financial investment, you definitely need to ensure it doesn't lose its playability during travel. Having something broken or damaged is a terrible nightmare, but fortunately, most unpleasant situations are easier to avoid rather than face costly repair later. That’s why when you’re preparing for a journey or a tour, it’s crucial to consider proper packing. However, where should you start when it comes to secure packing?  In our guide, you will find practical tips on how to protect brass instruments during travel.

Preparing Your Instrument for Packing

First, you should always pack clean instruments, because it will provide excellent playability as soon as you unpack them after the arrival. Use a soft cloth to clean the surface of your brass instrument to remove any moisture that can damage its surface and mechanisms. Use a cleaning snake to remove particles from the tubing. Use a mouthpiece brush to clean the mouthpiece. Let parts of your brass instrument dry completely before packing to prevent moisture buildup. 

The next step is to disassemble your instrument. Ensure you remove the mouthpiece and store it in a separate case. For this purpose, you can use leather mouthpiece pouches equipped with a necessary number of slots, depending on how many tools you usually use during a performance.

Pouches allow you to protect the mouthpiece from contact with other metal surfaces of your instrument and keep it safe from dents and mechanical damage that impact the sound, since the mouthpiece is a tool that defines the sound. Additionally, they allow you for quick access to mouthpieces without wasting time on searching them throughout compartments. 

Regarding the trombone, you may also need to remove the slide and store it in a separate case for the slide, such as one included with a flannel trombone bag. When you pack your slide, be careful not to bend or drop it.

Choosing the Right Case

The key aspect of brass instrument protection is a reliable case, which fits the instrument’s dimensions and shape. When choosing the case, consider options crafted specifically for your instrument model. Typically, you can find the information about that in the product description section. 

On the market, there are many hard-shell cases and soft bags, offering various level of protection. The case you need should have the following characteristics: 

• Reliable exterior to protect the instrument and its parts from moisture, shocks, dents, and other impacts on the road.
• Padding with a dense foam to shield the instrument and its important mechanisms from the risk of damage and scratches.
• Secure closure, which will prevent your instrument from accidentally falling out from the bag.
• Adjustable backpack straps to switch between several carrying options when you are in the street, in the airport or railway station.
• Dimensions approved for carry-on luggage, which is crucial for musicians who are flying and search for the compact bag to keep it under their seat.
• Soft partition to separate several musical instruments, or the instrument and accessories, if you typically travel with several instruments.
• Pockets of various sizes: it’s far better to store all your cleaning kits, sheet music and other essentials in the same bag rather than carry a few different bags.
• Reinforced bottom, allowing you to place the bag on any surface without damaging the instruments.
• Reinforced side to ensure the bell stays reliably protected from sudden shocks.

If you’re traveling in countries with challenging weather, you should also take into account the protection against humidity and temperature changes. For this purpose, you may need bags with warming layering.  

Which Bag to Choose for Traveling with Your Brass Instrument

Now let’s explore which bag will serve it best during travel. 

• Leather Gig Bags: These combine reliable exterior, durability, and stylish design. Leather effectively resists humidity, wear, and tear. Coming in various textures, it also offers unique aesthetic characteristics. For instance, at KGUmusic website you can find vintage-vibe Crazy Horse, smooth Detroit, and vividly colored Flotar gig bags. Leather bags speak loudly about a unique style of their owner and immediately capture attention. 

  

• Textile Bags: These are lightweight alternatives, which are more comfortable for short trips or as an added layer within a hard case. 

  

• Flannel Bags: These options effectively shield brass instruments from scratches and dust. They fit both for travel and storage. What people like about flannel bags is their delicate contact with the instrument’s finish. They can be used as a separate case or together with a hard case as an additional layer. 

  

Single bags are perfect options for musicians who stick to one particular instrument. If you’re planning to regularly take several instruments on tour, it’s better to opt for double or triple gig bags, allowing to use either each compartment for a separate instrument or use only two of them while using the vacant space for other accessories.

Other Aspects You Should Consider to Protect Brass Instruments

During your travel or tour, you may also need to maintain your instrument in proper condition to ensure all mechanisms and elements work properly. For this purpose, don’t forget to pack a cleaning kit, including valve oil and slide grease, a cleaning snake to clean your instrument from the inside in hard-to-reach areas, and a soft cloth or a towel to remove fingerprints from the surface.

Conclusion 

We hope this guide will help you find your perfect option of comfortable and safe travel with your brass instrument. When not overlooking preparation and the right accessories, your trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet, or trombone will remain in excellent condition during travel. Using reliable bags and mouthpiece pouches, you will protect them from damage and maintain their initial attraction.  

Happy playing!

If you want to delve deeper into the cleaning process, check out our tips on cleaning brass instruments.