I agree Bob. I do not understand why people feel the need to be deliberately offenive when you ask a perfectly sensible question.

We have an autoharp with a solid case. The case will protect it when it is in the car but is heavy and bulky. One constant problem with a hard case is that it still takes up the same amount of space after the instrument has been removed and is being played.
The case dimensions are 5 by 15 by 26 inches, the size of a small suitcase. It weighs just short of 8lb. The autoharp weighs a couple of ounces more than the case, so the combined weight is approximately 1 stone and 2 pounds plus the weight of any music/song books which might be slipped in with the instrument. All this is carried by a single suitcase type handle.

When we are at a festival we are accompanied by our children who need hands held when crossing roads, we have bags containing colouring books, waterproof coats, crisps and drinks, sandwiches and the like. I also have a 5 string banjo which in its case weighs about the same as the autoharp plus hard case. The banjo isn't a big problem because it hangs on my shoulder so I don't need an extra hand for carrying it.

What we need is a soft padded "gig bag" which will get the autoharp from car/caravan safely to the pub. Shoulder straps would free up hands and also mean that elbows have not been wrecked by carrying more than a stone weight. The soft case would then stow away under a table or stuff into a corner without taking up the space of a small table. These are all factors which will make the difference between the autoharp being taken out and played or it being too difficult to take it anywhere. Isn't that why they invented gig bags?

If nobody in the UK will sell us a purpose built padded soft case we have 2 options. Make one - but that's a hassle, or buy from America - but the shipping is as much as the price of the bag. That is why we would like to know if anybody DOES sell one over here.

Quack!
Geoff the Duck.