Big Gig bags - Leather or Cordura?

[Peach]

Those of you who've bought gig bags for large tubas, did you go for leather, for the slight added protection, or Cordura, to keep the weight (and cost) down?

I've previously owned both from Mr Cronkhite and having trouble deciding.

Thanks for any wisdom as ever...

[bort]

If you like cows, get the cordura.
If you like steaks, get the leather.

[roweenie]

Leather = heavy, routine maintenance required, more expensive

Cordura = lighter, no maintenance required, less expensive

Leather affords slightly better protection against dents, but not enough to justify the above statements.

[Peach]

Well, I DO like steak, but some compelling arguments for Cordura here....
Thanks!

[roweenie]

If (??) the cortex of a carrying bag offers any dent-protection at all, I'd think that thick woven cloth (Cordura nylon) compresses (i.e. absorbs force) slightly more than would the skin of an animal.

Quite possible. I was thinking along the lines of leather being "harder" (more "case-like") than cordura.

[Peach]

Well, leather is thicker than Cordura and certainly when new it is 'harder'. It also has a bit of natural bounce to it, or something.
... Does add noticeable weight though.

[bort]

#NotTwitter

[JCalkin]

This may be a weird consideration, but...

I went for the leather in part because I like the look better, but also for a friend I routinely travel to gigs with.

He is SEVERELY allergic to cat and dog hair/dander. The leather wipes off easily, while the cordura is more work to keep hair off of. We frequently travel to rehearsals and gigs in his car, so keeping the hair from our menagerie off my case (and away from him) was a consideration.

I already have to de-hair my clothes, so the ease of getting the hair off the bag is a time saver.

Plus, cordura doesn't have the leather smell.

[bort]

Good point about pet hair!

[MackBrass]

I have both leather and cordura cronkite bags, the leather bag came with another horn i purchased otherwise i wouldnt have bought it. The leather does add a little extra protection but the added weight is crazy. If you like walking around with 45 to 50 pounds strapped to your back then leather is ok. Personally the cronkite bags I have purchased are great but all have been cordura.

[MartyNeilan]

Leather can last nearly forever if properly cared for. My motorcycle boots are over 20 years old, and my old suede jacket that my wife sometimes wears is nearly 25 (I somehow outgrew it). I even treat my gloves at least annually.
Meltonian is very good, Pecard is even better.



(And Altieri is my favorite bag by far...)

[bigboymusic]

I bought a nice leather bag for my small horn because i wanted a cool looking bag...

My big horn I have a Cronkite cordura bag that is fantastic. Light and protects as well as a bag is going to.

And there are still some cool color choices...

[opus37]

I've only had a Cronkite cordura bag. It works for me and does not stick out in the crowd. I am very careful with my horn where I pick it up and how and where I put it down. Thus protection is adequate. I carry my tuba as a backpack. I have had other bags and they were difficult to carry a tuba comfortably. The Cronkite is very comfortable, making the horn easy to transport.

[cjk]

Leather can last nearly forever if properly cared for. My motorcycle boots are over 20 years old, and my old suede jacket that my wife sometimes wears is nearly 25 (I somehow outgrew it). I even treat my gloves at least annually.
Meltonian is very good, Pecard is even better.



(And Altieri is my favorite bag by far...)

And Altieri bags don't have pet hair issues either.

[Ferguson]

Glenn Cronkhite has discontinued his leather tuba cases. From Glenn:

To all customers

I have to make a decision here. We are so far behind in cutting leather bags I need to put a temporary moratorium on something.

The obvious choice is leather tuba bags. The cordura is the usual choice. Works fine for these monsters, is average 7 pounds
lighter weight, etc. For us,,,,,,,,,,,, the object is to be able to help more people get bags and in the time it takes to cut 1 tuba bag
in leather, we can do several of anything else. It may change down the line, but for now we will not be doing tuba bags in leather.
Sorry for the limitation, we have to face the reality of what's possible with our limited production. Thanks for your help, and sorry for the group email.
-Cronk

-F

[kingrob76]

Is Glenn still working under his moratorium?

[barry grrr-ero]

Yep. Leather is a bit stiffer and lends slightly greater protection. However, it's definitely heavier!

Barry Guerrero
____________________

rotary Neptune and leather Cronkhite bag that together weigh a full ton!

[Ferguson]

Is Glenn still working under his moratorium?

Yes, Cronkhite leather tuba cases are no longer available, only Cordura.

-F

[bort]

IMO, no loss there.

Having owned Cronkhite bags in both leather and cordura, plus a slew of other things (Miraphone, Alteiri, Gotz, some old one-off homemade 1970s leather thing...), the biggest difference is the padding that Cronkhite uses in the bags. I think leather vs. cordura is a VERY slight difference in protection, and only helps in terms of giving a slight bit of additional rigidity to the bag. My opinion is that leather vs. cordura makes a very small difference as compared to the significant difference between Cronkhite padding vs. other brands' padding (cough cough Alteiri). So if you're stuck with "only" cordura, it's still a win.

More opinions that nobody asked for...

I regularly used a Cronkhite cordura and a Miraphone (also cordura) bag in NYC and traveled through city streets, subways, turnstiles, taxis, etc... and never had a single problem. I can't imagine that a leather bag would have done anything more than I needed over the cordura version. I think I asked a lot of my gig bags in New York, and I never had a single issue with durability. So for people who are mostly moving their tubas from home to car, and from parking lot to rehearsal... I think leather is overkill, unless you just like the look of it (which is certainly understandable).

In the end, I'm glad I sold off my Cronkhite bags (both versions) -- they just didn't work for me. Uncomfortable to carry long distances, the snap-on pouch is kind of a mess, and for some reason being a side-loading bag just never worked for me.

I'm now on my second Götz bag (had one with my Rudy and bought one for my Willson last year). I think it's just great -- kind of a mix between the form/function of the Miraphone bag, and the style/looks of a Cronkhite bag. Top-loader, high quality, looks great!

[hup_d_dup]

Just as there are different types of leather, there are different types of Cordura. Cordura (not cordura - although the company presents the name as CORDURA®) is actually a brand name for several types of fabric, nylon-based. Many other companies make durable nylon fabrics under different brand names.

Hup