Carrying Cases/Ideas/Solutions?

[johnnysasaki]

So I have a question that I've been trying to solve without much luck/any truly satisfactory solution to:

What is a good way to carry your keyboard around if you need to travel?

For me, this question came up when I realized that I will need my board with me at work and at home, so I'd need to bring it with me in my messenger bag pretty much everyday (I actually use the laptop compartment for it since my laptop died and I don't plan on getting another).

The concern is that the keys might get mashed on, depending on the contents of my bag and just from the movement of walking around. What are some ways of protecting a board in these conditions? Needs to be light and slim if it's going into a bag, and rigid if it's going to do anything. Cheap would also be nice... I've got a Filco 87 but I think it's relevant for other sizes too.

Things I have thought of:

• cardboard mailer box (I have seen ones from ULine and FedEx that are approx. 14.5" x 7" x 2" but these are flimsy and expensive or require a bulk order)
• acrylic roof + rubber band (ghetto'ly holds the roof on the board but the roofs are hard to find and EliteKB doesn't have any stock at the moment...)
• DIY plastic box (hard to get the right tools to bend or cut acrylic or polycarbonate)
• DIY wooden box (most tempting option at the moment but maybe very time consuming for a great result, and it might be heavy)

Anyone else have any ideas and/or know any manufacturers of boxes/cases for keyboards?

[bakageta]

Have you considered modifying something like an aluminum poker chip case? Something like this might work, if you gut the chip rows:

http://www.amazon.com/Vinci-Aluminum-750-Chip-Case/dp/B002PAB13S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290053690&sr=8-1

I'd say either the 300 or the 500 chip, need to do a good estimate of the size though since dimensions aren't listed.

(edit) Quick size inspection says the 500 chip, assuming the cards they use are typical 2.5"x3.5" decks... You're looking at something like 17.5" x 6" interior, which should be almost perfect. Should be a fairly simple thing to repurpose, I think I might pick one up and give it a go.

(edit 2) Nope, looks like the 500 chips are generally like 24" wide... A 400 piece set would be ideal, like this seems good, though I personally don't like the black side. This is another alternative, if you don't like the aluminum look. Shop around, I'm sure you'll come up with something.

[johnnysasaki]

I have indeed looked into that and can even offer the idea that some jewelry display travel boxes on ebay are near-perfect dimensions and build specs (light, rigid) to work, potentially. See these listings for example:

• http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170535544853
• http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350413608645
• http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230548955701
• http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200541294131

The problem is that it is hard to know whether some of the near-fits will actually fit, and you would want to avoid the ones that have a bit too much extra space too. I have messaged some of the ebay listers and some confirm that the padded inserts for the jewelry box can be taken out easily without damaging the box. All that'd be left would be to confirm the internal dimensions without the inserts I guess.

Still, I feel like something simpler and better fitting may still be out there. I'm trying to think of items that would have boxes for it readily available (like the poker set idea) that would be close in size to compact and full sized boards...

[bakageta]

Well, after looking over the various poker sets, I really think the Filco Tenkeyless will fit in a 300 chip set. I'm going to order this one, and see how it turns out. If it's just not quite right, I can always pick up some chips and give it out as a Christmas gift. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[WhiteRice]

This should fit your filco perfectly. You would have to line it with some foam though.

http://www.amazon.com/MECHANICS-STEEL-TOOL-BOX-RED/dp/B001CWDJ2G

[bakageta]

I don't think I could bring myself to carry that anywhere... Good size though.

[WhiteRice]

http://compare.ebay.com/like/400157060886?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=170201646117&crlp=1_263602_304662&UA=%3F*S%3F&GUID=b84f186512b0a0aa14e23bf2ffb9dae5&itemid=400157060886&ff4=263602_304662

[bakageta]

I think that'd be a bit too thin... Sounds like it's 1.5" thick total, and with the wall and padding I imagine it'd be putting pretty constant pressure on the keys. Much nicer look though.

[Rajagra]

Ideally, I would want something that doesn't make contact with the key caps at all. You could either make a frame that sat around the keys (balsa wood maybe?) or take a sheet of the more solid foam and cut out holes for each block of keys. That way any shock to the carrying case would be transferred straight to the keyboard case rather than the keys.

Ultimately this would lead to a slimmer case, as you wouldn't need thick, squishy padding.

[jmichael]

What about gun/pistol cases?

[CodeChef]

http://starcraftmecca.net/shop/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=57

?

[johnnysasaki]

http://compare.ebay.com/like/400157060886?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=170201646117&crlp=1_263602_304662&UA=%3F*S%3F&GUID=b84f186512b0a0aa14e23bf2ffb9dae5&itemid=400157060886&ff4=263602_304662

That, good sir, is an excellent find! However, considering the thickness of the wood, it'd be too small for a 14" keyboard. So damned close though.

[johnnysasaki]

What about gun/pistol cases?

I tried that first (since I have a case for my Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa 5.1 airsoft gun—gun nut alert) but nothing of the right size came up. Either it's a pistol box that's too small or a rifle box that's way, way too big (like +28"). The only possible compromise I found was a 14" AEG bag but that was too small after considering the inside dimensions and the extra space taken up by the pouches. That, and it was a molle bag so it was soft.