Which uke will travel better inside a suitcase?

v30

v30

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Going on a trip and pondering which uke will survive the luggage handlers better, a concert fluke or a kala travel tenor? The fluke seems pretty robust besides the soundboard but the kala is much thinner and I could put more padding around it inside the suitcase....
 
I usually travel with my Martin SO in a hard case, as carry on luggage.
 
v30 said:
Going on a trip and pondering which uke will survive the luggage handlers better, a concert fluke or a kala travel tenor? The fluke seems pretty robust besides the soundboard but the kala is much thinner and I could put more padding around it inside the suitcase....
Click to expand...

I would never put my uke inside a suitcase which then goes in the belly of a plane! Carry it on w/you, whichever you prefer or both! I travel every week & always have at least one uke w/me, sometimes a couple; even full size tenors. The belly of a plane is unpressurized, and not temperature regulated, so putting them in your luggage is just a bad plan all around.
 
I put my fluke in it's standard soft case in my suitcase on a recent business trip to Japan (checked in). Absolutely no problem. They are pretty robust.
 
Will it be in a hardshell uke case inside the suitcase? If so, then either should be fine as long as there is some padding around it. Personally I prefer to travel with my uke as carry-on. A tenor case will fit fine in overhead or under the seat if necessary although I've found the concert size to be perfect since it can fit straight into most overhead luggage compartments. My tenor comes up about 1" too long for overhead compartments and has to go in sideways. Still it's never been a problem.
 
Guy on Fleamarket trying to sell a cracked Koa topped fluke concert. These things may be tough, but they aren't indestructable.
 
Gmoney said:
I would never put my uke inside a suitcase which then goes in the belly of a plane! Carry it on w/you, whichever you prefer or both! I travel every week & always have at least one uke w/me, sometimes a couple; even full size tenors. The belly of a plane is unpressurized, and not temperature regulated, so putting them in your luggage is just a bad plan all around.
Click to expand...

Luggage comparments are pressurized and temperature regulated otherwise it would be really hard on Snoopy! It gets to be around -30F out there not to mention the change in air pressure. If they didn't pressurize and temp regulate you'd end up with frozen baggage and any sealed item containing air could leak or explode. It could get really really messy.
 
I bring my Kala travel tenor on the plane as carryon luggage in my backpack, and then I take it out of the backpack and put it in the overhead bin for the flight. I don't like checking luggage anyway, but even if I did, I'd be skittish about having an ukulele travel in the luggage compartment of a plane if it doesn't have to.
 
Not sure if they'll let me keep it under my seat.....and I'm afraid if I put it in the overhead (I only have soft cases), that some idiot will be slamming and punching his oversized carry on into the same overhead on top of it.
 
I have an Ohana Sopranino that I carry on planes. Tiny!
 
THIS is what happened to Honey's uke that was checked in a hardcase on a short flight

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjtG2Prt
From their post on the tragedy...
"We had been putting it in checked luggage on the MUF Tour flights... inside a hard case with lots of padding around it, but it must have suffered a huge knock to turn it into a banana..."
 
ukukimmy said:
THIS is what happened to Honey's uke that was checked in a hardcase on a short flight

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjtG2Prt
From their post on the tragedy...
"We had been putting it in checked luggage on the MUF Tour flights... inside a hard case with lots of padding around it, but it must have suffered a huge knock to turn it into a banana..."
Click to expand...

That's just too painful to look at.
 
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