Reunion Blues Continental Travel Case.

RafterGirl

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I started a previous thread about the Cross Rock ABS zipper case because I was looking for a step up in protection for my Blackbird Clara. I'm flying from Utah to Florida to attend TBUG & visit family. I will be carrying my uke on the plane. At first I was ok with using the Gator bag it came with. The bag is sturdy, well padded, and it has backpack straps. Backpack straps are a must for travel. But the more I thought about the threats of travel in the overhead on an airplane, the more I wanted something more protective.

The Cross Rock would have worked ok, because you can clip backpack straps on it. But, my Clara wouldn't fit. Not even close. The measurements posted on Amazon weren't accurate.

It came down to the Reunion Blues Continental and the Fusion Urban. The Fusion looked cool, but it's a concert/tenor case, so a bit longer & a lot more money. The RB Continental came today, and I'm giving it a thumbs up so far. It's very well made, and feels super protective, with very thick padding. Beefy zippers & zipper pulls. All hardware is metal, not plastic. Multiple pockets. Hideaway backpack straps. No funky smell.

In contrast to the Cross Rock, it does have extra space inside that fits the Clara. The extra space is a bit of a challenge, with the non-traditional shape of the Clara. Even with the neck block strap secured, the Clara slips around more than I'd like inside the case. I had an extra set of Pelican Case padding blocks in my office, so I created a customized set of pads to keep the Clara in place. I murdered an old pair of black panty hose to act as smooth covers for the pads. Voila. Problem solved.

I'm posting some pictures of the padding (foam, before & after the panty hose covers), and a picture next to the Gator bag. Overall length is the same, but the RB is wider & thicker. I feel good about traveling with my Clara in the overhead now.

Cost on Amazon $86. I will report back after the trip in November.
 

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It works well for the Tiny Tenor also, and requires the same sort of additional padding. Not crazy about the case that came with it. This is a lot better, and the price nowadays has come down to about half of what it was when they first came out! And I too "murdered" a pair of black tights to cover mine and fill in the space.. (I don't even know where they came from, as they were in a drawer of mine for many years, and I can't recall ever actually wearing them - in Florida? LOL)

Wait a minute, you paid $86? Mine was $59 when I got it on Amazon last year! :eek:

bratsche
 
No $59 deals these days, but still better than $199 for the Fusion. You may have been the one who posted about covering the foam with tights that gave me the idea. It works great to keep the foam intact and covered with a soft fabric.
 
I think they are like $64 at BH Photo, but you have to special order it. They say 1-2 weeks for availability. Looks like a super beefy case! Awesome. With sales tax, it may not be worth the trouble to save $10.

I’ve always been curious about those. My Clara came in a Mono m80 which I love but it is only one single sling type backpack strap.

I think those RB Continental is the weight of a gig bag plus the protection of a hard sided case. Really best of both worlds!
 
My Clara is in the concert size case.

I did a quick weight check. The RB is 4.3 lb. versus 3.6 lb. for my generic concert hard case and 5.5 lb. for my aNueNue concert case.

The front pocket of the RB could probably hold a folded light jacket. I’ll have my inflatable travel pillow & my Nook in it for my trip. A Snark tuner easily fits in the front part of the pocket. There’s a flat zippered pocket on the back of the case at the headstock. It’s very flat & so far I haven’t found a practical use for it. I thought a pack of strings would fit, but too tight to get the pack in without a struggle. Some people talked about putting an iPad in the zippered compartment that holds the backpack straps. The front pocket & the backpack strap compartment make this case bulky front to back, but those features make it useful for travel.
 
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Wow. The price has dropped substantially since i purchased two a few years ago. A quick check of the RB website shows a “suggested price” of $169. I searched high and low for the best price and I believe I paid $110ish, and, they are worth it!! Especially for the prices paid in the responses above!!
 
I’m home from TBUG, so here is my updated review. Two big thumbs up. It worked perfectly on the flight from SLC to Tampa and back. I flew Delta, and dealt with two different overhead compartment configurations. The RB case fit easily. I used the stowaway backpack straps in the airport & at the uke festival. I saw several people with the Fusion Urban bag at the festival. While it looked nice, it was definitely longer because it’s a concert/ tenor bag, and it would have been problematic in the overheads. The RB is bulkier than regular gig bags, but the padding & protection are very good. I like the stowaway shoulder straps. The front pocket could be roomier, but I was able to fit my wallet in it.
 
I’m home from TBUG, so here is my updated review. Two big thumbs up. It worked perfectly on the flight from SLC to Tampa and back. I flew Delta, and dealt with two different overhead compartment configurations. The RB case fit easily. I used the stowaway backpack straps in the airport & at the uke festival. I saw several people with the Fusion Urban bag at the festival. While it looked nice, it was definitely longer because it’s a concert/ tenor bag, and it would have been problematic in the overheads. The RB is bulkier than regular gig bags, but the padding & protection are very good. I like the stowaway shoulder straps. The front pocket could be roomier, but I was able to fit my wallet in it.

Did you encounter any questions from the airline or requests to gate check the bag, as I am guessing that its length exceeds the "maximum dimension" allowable for carry ons which I think is 20". Airlines have gotten a lot more persnickity about carry on items in the last few years.

Did you carry a purse or other "personal item" along with the uke?
 
Did you encounter any questions from the airline or requests to gate check the bag, as I am guessing that its length exceeds the "maximum dimension" allowable for carry ons which I think is 20". Airlines have gotten a lot more persnickity about carry on items in the last few years.

Did you carry a purse or other "personal item" along with the uke?
I carried the ukulele as my carry-on item, and a purse as my personal item. I got no negative questions about my ukulele at all. Actually a couple flight attendants were curious about ukuleles & thought it was cool. It fit perfectly in the overhead, and took up a lot less space than some people's "monstrous but legal sized" carry-ons. I've only flown with in on Delta, so I can't speak for other airlines.
 
I carried the ukulele as my carry-on item, and a purse as my personal item. I got no negative questions about my ukulele at all. Actually a couple flight attendants were curious about ukuleles & thought it was cool. It fit perfectly in the overhead, and took up a lot less space than some people's "monstrous but legal sized" carry-ons. I've only flown with in on Delta, so I can't speak for other airlines.

Great, thank you for the reply! I'm planning a trip and would really like to take my uke but have seen some wanky airline behavior re carry ons. I've seen folks stuff monster bags that clearly exceed size requirements into the overhead while also being on a flight where the airline required everyone seated in Section D to check their carry on bags "due to the flight being overbooked" (what could overbooking possibly have to do with the carry ons of ticketed passengers?).

Your success is encouraging. Thanks!
 
Great, thank you for the reply! I'm planning a trip and would really like to take my uke but have seen some wanky airline behavior re carry ons. I've seen folks stuff monster bags that clearly exceed size requirements into the overhead while also being on a flight where the airline required everyone seated in Section D to check their carry on bags "due to the flight being overbooked" (what could overbooking possibly have to do with the carry ons of ticketed passengers?).

Your success is encouraging. Thanks!

Google your airline's musical instrument policy.
 
Great, thank you for the reply! I'm planning a trip and would really like to take my uke but have seen some wanky airline behavior re carry ons. I've seen folks stuff monster bags that clearly exceed size requirements into the overhead while also being on a flight where the airline required everyone seated in Section D to check their carry on bags "due to the flight being overbooked" (what could overbooking possibly have to do with the carry ons of ticketed passengers?).

Your success is encouraging. Thanks!
Those monster bags were exactly the reason I wanted more protection than just the Gator bag that came with my Clara. Before each segment of my flights, they always announced that the plane was full & overhead space would be limited. They asked for volunteers to check their carry-on. There were always at least a half dozen people who volunteered. It’s a no cost way to check a second bag, especially if it’s on the larger size.

Google your airline's musical instrument policy.
Delta’s carry-on policy states that musical instruments are exempt within reason. I saw a young gal with what was probably a bass guitar on one of my flights. The flight attendants stowed it up front somewhere for her.
 
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