"I think Carlton cases are a total rip-off"

Sorry... that should read "Calton"... not Carlton...

And well, sure... if I had some multi-thousand buck guitar that I was on the road with 300+ days a year, I supposed I could justify 5-8 hundred bucks for a case for it... But I don't... and I can't... And I don't suspect that any of us here are... So it is my opinion (And only that) that the Calton cases are, for 98% of players, way more case than is necessary...

"Fort EPP cases now also include a metal pale"
PLATE... dang... the top and bottom pieces of the 'body' of the case is now EPP material cast around a thin metal sheet... it provides way more protection against puncture' and also the curve of the metal plate serves to 'arch' and 'crush' to the sides of the case, protecting the instrument....

To refer more directly to the original post... someone suggested 'webbing'... make your own... with a little black-nylon webbing, 2 plastic 'buckles', 2 strips of velcro (to make it adjustable) and 15 min at the sewing machine I was able to knock together a VERY passable rig to hold my tubular alluminum speaker stands together, and provide myself with an over-one-shoulder sling for carrying them... materials cost may have been 10 bucks... and I bought enough for 2...

I have also added "D" ring attacments to standard wood-covered-in-black-pastic 'hardshell' cases to great sucess... it's all in the washers and such, to ensure that screws/bolts never pull out when bearing the full weight of the case and the instrument...

Or unless yer parked a mile away, you could just make 2 trips...

:-)

"I could make a rucsack type harness"
Elderly Music sells 'em... But I can't seem to lay hands on a catalogue right now...