Best top-loading gig bag?

[bort]

I generally prefer top-loading gig bags to side-loading ones. Cronkhite bags are probably the best side-loading bags. What are the best top-loading ones?

I used to have one of the new Miraphone bags, and liked it a lot. But my Rudy doesn't fit well in one. Also, the pouch on the front always felt kind of cheap and seemed like it wouldn't wear well.

I've had a few Alteiri bags before, I don't really like the style.

I have a Götz bag in my possession right now, and while it looks great and is well-made, the padding is really thin compared to other bags, and I don't have much confidence that it would offer enough protection. If it were better padded, it might be really nice, but it seems to offer far less protection than the Cronkhite bags.

Any options I'm missing for a top-quality, top-loading gig bag?

[sousaphone68]

I have a Gard top loader for my Besson it is my first top loader nice construction very rigid will stand upright even when empty. A Wooden disk with a padded cone to protect the bell is incorporated into the lid of the bag.
I find the backpack straps comfortable.
Their published sizes are very tight despite buying one that met the specs for my tuba 15" bell and 35" high I was not able to use the supplied mid suspension foam cushions that came with it.
It does not have a very usable accessories pocket.
I have it two months now and it is holding up well.

[jamsav]

Really liked my Gard bag- problem is figuring out there sizing.
Currently using an Altieri- not a fan

[Toobist]

I remember having an incredible gig bag that fit my Nirschl 4/4 perfectly. It was from Orfeo Music (sp?) in Texas. There was no branding but it was really well constructed with padding plus light-weight sheets of plastic all around the body of the instrument. Anyone know who made those gig bags?

[bort]

Thanks for the input, guys!

After some thought and a few test runs, I've decided to keep the Götz bag. No, the padding isn't as thick as I would like, but it's also not as thin as I originally thought. After trying it out, I'm happy with it, and have enough confidence that it will work out well for me. (And if not, I'll just buy something else!) Plus, it's a VERY sharp looking bag.

Over and out!

[cambrook]

I just got a new Rudy 4/4 F tuba, and the bag that came with that is a Supersac (Gotz) and it's excellent. It has much better protection than the older model Gotz bags and the fit is wonderful. If I had your RM 4/4C and wanted a new top-loader I'd get a new Gotz.

[Toobist]

I owned a Dolly" bag with plastic sheet in-between the outer cordura nylon and the inner padding.

The sheet plastic, in my estimation, added considerable weight to that bag. The straps eventually gave out.

Is that what it was? A Dolly bag? I didn't find it very heavy compared to Reunion Blues and the like. What do you use?

[bort]

I just got a new Rudy 4/4 F tuba, and the bag that came with that is a Supersac (Gotz) and it's excellent. It has much better protection than the older model Gotz bags and the fit is wonderful. If I had your RM 4/4C and wanted a new top-loader I'd get a new Gotz.

That's good to know! I'm glad I decided to keep mine. I think my expectation was for a Cronkhite-style padding, which this does not have. However, once I looked at it for what it IS (not what I THOUGHT it would be), I found that it is quite protective, and fit my needs well. Although mine was originally made for a Miraphone 188, the Rudy 4/4 is a perfect fit.

A few really nice things about it:
-- The leather is very high quality, the trim and handles are really nice.
-- The pocket is on the back, where I think it belongs (Sorry pick-pockets!)
-- The front is extremely "clean," especially after I "de-badged" it (i.e., removed the leather patch with the company I bought it from's logo).
-- No one else is going to have one like mine.

Here are a few photos if anyone is interested to see them.

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[Sandlapper]

I really like my Miraphone bag. I have a Cronkite bag for my 2341, but this bag is just as nice IMHO and was a bit cheaper. I do believe that these are available in several different sizes as mine fits a 186 like a glove. Check the Miraphone web site for a list of sized and bag model numbers.

[bort]

I had a Miraphone bag for my old 188, and it was really nice. The bell cover is nicely designed, the carbon fiber disk is a great idea, and the padding is very thick. Never liked the pocket on the front of it very much. It was okay, but didn't like the feel of it (going from memory here, I don't have it anymore). If my Rudy would have fit in the bag I already owned, I probably would have kept it.

I've had 2 Cronkhite bags before. The one I had for my Cerveny F tuba was too small to have the detachable pouch on the front, so it was included as a zipper pouch on the back, like the Gotz has. I greatly preferred the rear pouch to the front pouch.