Should I get a travel uke or not?

AQUATOPAZ said:
You're missing the very real possibility that your luggage will be lost, and there are limits to the value of any one item that the airline will pay.
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Very true, and I've heard horror stories about it, but in all my years of flying I've never lost my luggage and not have it eventually find me. So I live on the edge. If I was travelling with an expensive ukulele I might reconsider. I did lose my luggage on a trip to Disney World with the kids back in 1986, and it was sitting on my front doorstep when I got back to Iowa five days later. But that's the worst one. We had to buy a whole new wardrobe for everyone at Disney. We still look at the pictures every time we get together with family and we still laugh about it. I think it was the highlights of the trip. At least the most memorable event.
 
AustinHing said:
I’ve been telling myself to do as what you have done, which is working perfectly fine. But I can’t. I know I won’t be able to live with myself even if a hairline crack is made on my uke.

It was last year I went on a trip after I caught the uke bug. I didn’t bring an uke with me. Bad decision. It took a huge amount of internal conflicts and debates to not buy ukes on impulse while sightseeing. Any random uke I saw, I would want to buy it. I had no sense of judgement or reason. I had the itch bad.
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If you couldn't live with even a hairline crack in your uke, I think you need to re-think your plan of taking your Eddy Finn uke with you to Japan. Your uke could be damaged, especially if in a soft case. Airline carriers are fickle as to what people can carry on. And space under the seats isn't as large as it used to be. IF you take your uke with you, I'd suggest that you have it in a hard case or an extremely well padded (foam core) soft case. I'd also suggest that you, if you have a domestic connection, invest in priority boarding so you can be better assured of being able to board with and keep your, well protected, uke on board with you. Normally, even on domestic flights, people are allowed 2 carry on items, a purse like item and a larger item. When carrying ukes, I've has success using a backpack as my purse-like item - where I can have my passport, tickets and whatever else I need to have on the plane or wouldn't check & my uke as the actual carry on. The plus of the backpack is that it's virtually invisible, while on your back - just make sure it's a small to very medium size.
 
Pick up a cheap one through the app letgo. If you're basically just wanting something to play with in your room why not pick up a cheapy you don't care about? I got a $75 Kala for $20 so I won't cry if it's destroyed. Besides, I can always leave it behind if I want to buy a nice one and bring it home. For me though, I'm just taking it for practice in my room at night. I'll be running around all day
 
Rllink said:
Very true, and I've heard horror stories about it, but in all my years of flying I've never lost my luggage and not have it eventually find me. So I live on the edge. If I was travelling with an expensive ukulele I might reconsider. I did lose my luggage on a trip to Disney World with the kids back in 1986, and it was sitting on my front doorstep when I got back to Iowa five days later. But that's the worst one. We had to buy a whole new wardrobe for everyone at Disney. We still look at the pictures every time we get together with family and we still laugh about it. I think it was the highlights of the trip. At least the most memorable event.
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After having my luggage lost and being told it could be anywhere in the world from a domestic flight, and being told how complicated it can be to track down, I learned just how crazy the luggage system is if something goes wrong.
 
Graham Greenbag said:
I’ve also found it possible to get by without a Uke for a while, when in holiday make space for new and interesting things to enter your life.

I’m not going to be playing a Uke in the cabin so why not try and keep things simple, and free up resource to have more need things to hand instead, by finding a way to get the Uke safely transported in the hold.
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I like to unwind from the day with my uke, so I travel with it. I purchased a sopranissimo which fits comfortably in a weekend bag, and I pack light so that it goes with me. It is harder to play, but you develop a knack for it. And it sounds great, not like a cheapie, because it's an all solid pineapple.
 
I have an EF travel, but after reading through the post I won't argue your logic--stick with what you have on the uke decsion.

I'm with LPeacock on the hard case recommendation.

On sizes and carrying-on --- I use an EF Concert Hard Case in a mesh dive bag for over-the-shoulder carry-on. I've traveled on most major inter-continental airlines, and I carry both my hard case and an Eddie Bauer backpack (school sized for laptop and other travel gear). I've found that in all but the commuter/express planes (i.e. smaller than 737 / A320), I can put the hard case in the overhead and the backpack on top and it doesn't take up any more space than a typical roll-aboard.

I've never been questioned by airline personnel, but I've always been ready to declare one as my carry-on and the other as my 'personal item'.

Whatever you choose, enjoy your trip. I loved my time in Japan!
 
AustinHing said:
I’m planning a holiday trip to Tokyo, Japan in December and the temperature is around 50F (10 deg Celsius) during that period.

Plan to visit the Kiwaya museum and some uke shops as I heard that Japan is the second home to ukulele other than Hawaii. So, Yeah!

So of course I need to have my ukulele with me for daily practices. And here’s the problem, all my ukes are full solid wood. Granted that the uke is only played indoors in the hotel. The only outdoor exposure to between airport to the hotel and it’s in a gigbag.

So is there really a need to get a travel uke such as the flight travel uke, a solid top uke with everything else ABS plastic? I would most likely not use it after the trip and is such a waste of money. I’m thinking of bringing my Eddy Finn (solid Mahogany) soprano uke for the trip. Would it be dumb to do so?
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If you want to travel and not worry about it IMHO get the Outdoor Ukulele after many reviews. I almost bought one but for reasons of my own decided not to get a travel one all together; at least for now.
 
Thanks for all the responses! This is such a great community that’s so willing to share invaluable information.

I have measured my gig bag and the linear dimensions is well within the airline regulations. But the length is poking 2 inches more of the stated 22”. Heard that they are typically ok if fulfilling the linear dimensions requirement.

The gigbag does have padding all around but I would most probably wrap a thick jacket around the uke as well for extra protection. The thought of getting a cheap uke did cross my mind and I struggled for a while. I went around playing some cheap ukes and I realised I still want to play a relatively good uke even for that half hour play in the hotel room.

Getting a good quality (maybe expensive) travel uke is not likely to happen for me, for the sake of my married life. Haha.. by the way, I should be planning out the itinerary for the trip instead and not indulge in discussion of having an ukulele to fool around with.
 
AustinHing said:
Thanks for all the responses! This is such a great community that’s so willing to share invaluable information.

I have measured my gig bag and the linear dimensions is well within the airline regulations. But the length is poking 2 inches more of the stated 22”. Heard that they are typically ok if fulfilling the linear dimensions requirement.

The gigbag does have padding all around but I would most probably wrap a thick jacket around the uke as well for extra protection. The thought of getting a cheap uke did cross my mind and I struggled for a while. I went around playing some cheap ukes and I realised I still want to play a relatively good uke even for that half hour play in the hotel room.

Getting a good quality (maybe expensive) travel uke is not likely to happen for me, for the sake of my married life. Haha.. by the way, I should be planning out the itinerary for the trip instead and not indulge in discussion of having an ukulele to fool around with.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry so much about the gig bag's precise dimensions but more about whether it is protective enough.
 
I flew from Salt Lake City to LA for a uke festival last year. My uke was in a Gator gig bag. Gator bags are pretty beefy as gig bags go. I flew Delta and they exclude small musical instruments from the carry-on dimensions. I have a leg disability, so I pre-board. I had no problems.

This year I am flying SLC to Tampa for TBUG and a family visit. I’m bringing my Blackbird Clara (yes, it’s $$$$, but travel is why I bought it). I have a Gator bag for it, which I’d prefer over a hard case. But now I’m debating about a hard case for carry on/flight. I could always carry it on in a hard case & pack the Gator bag in my checked bag stuffed with clothes. Or maybe figure out how to make the hard case fit in a rucksack. The Gator bag is so much easier to deal with as a backpack. I have a few months to ponder this before my trip.
 
My current gigbag so far seems pretty sturdy, despite not looking like a typical gig bag. Maybe I should add extra own protection on my own, i.e bubble wrap the uke.

I thought of using a hardcase to be carry on but may too large to pass the carry on size requirement. I have not consider of checking in at the moment but like rafter, I have a few months to think about.
 
For what it’s worth...
My Soft -Side Concert Gig Bag is 2” longer than the overhead bin. Blasphemous!
Flight Attendants have been stern. But as I point out, the bag is “soft” and will collapse 4” shorter with little resistance. It provides ‘cush’ and protects my ukulele. That and a light jacket between it and the next piece of luggage.
 
Another Ukulele said:
For what it’s worth...
My Soft -Side Concert Gig Bag is 2” longer than the overhead bin. Blasphemous!
Flight Attendants have been stern. But as I point out, the bag is “soft” and will collapse 4” shorter with little resistance. It provides ‘cush’ and protects my ukulele. That and a light jacket between it and the next piece of luggage.
Click to expand...

Well you did passed the carry on baggage size upon boarding so I don’t get why the attendants still gave grief about it. It’s funny that they ham on this rather than some really really heavy baggage that’s put in the overhead bin. So what happened (during one of my flight experience) is that a passenger opened the bin and a heavy baggage immediately slid out and crashed into him. And that’s not even his baggage.
 
When I think of those behemoth (but regulation) carry-ons that roll down the isle, why would flight attendants worry about our ukuleles. But it’s those behemoths that worry me. The potential to squish my ukulele does exist. I watched a petite young woman almost injure herself and those around her when she tried to hoist one of those things into the overhead. Forget measurement requirements, how about a requirement that you must be able to lift your bag at least to shoulder level without risk of injury. If you can’t lift it, your can’t bring it on the plane. Now that would be something :D
 
I can imagine what Dwayne Johnson's carry-on would look like.
 
Maybe I could hire “The Rock” to guard my ukulele on the plane.
 
It’s funny how regulations work when actually think about it.

I have no doubt rock has a ukulele with him for carry on.
 
AustinHing said:
Well you did passed the carry on baggage size upon boarding so I don’t get why the attendants still gave grief about it. It’s funny that they ham on this rather than some really really heavy baggage that’s put in the overhead bin. So what happened (during one of my flight experience) is that a passenger opened the bin and a heavy baggage immediately slid out and crashed into him. And that’s not even his baggage.
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Why?
For the same reason flight attendants ask me to place my one carryon, a Concert ukulele, at my feet so other passengers can place BOTH of their Steamer Trunk size carry on in the overhead because BOTH are too large to be placed at their feet under the seat.
I bring ONE item as a carry on - no way.
��
 
Another Ukulele said:
Why?
For the same reason flight attendants ask me to place my one carryon, a Concert ukulele, at my feet so other passengers can place BOTH of their Steamer Trunk size carry on in the overhead because BOTH are too large to be placed at their feet under the seat.
I bring ONE item as a carry on - no way.
��
Click to expand...

That’s how they work, the heavier and bulky would always get priority to be properly stored. Protocols.

But in my limited experience of flying, there seems to have a covering plate at the front bottom part of each seat. I would stow my bag under the seat in front of me. The covering plate prevents my bag from getting kicks by the front passenger. So it’s not an issue for me except I have to be careful not to kick my uke by myself.
 
Tomorrow is my Japan and Taiwan trip! So excited as this is my first Japan trip!

I have been agonising over which uke to bring with me for this trip. In the end, I’d decided that the solid mahogany Eddy Finn soprano is the one to endure 41F during my Tokyo stay. Sad news is that I highly doubt I’m allowed to go near any ukulele shop, let alone the Kiwaya ukulele museum. Heard japan is the second home for ukulele besides Hawaii.
 
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