5 Excellent Clarinet Cases to Protect Your Instrument on the Road

Whether you’re a beginner and have a starter clarinet or if you’re almost on your way to being a professional musician, having a proper instrument protector can help you keep your clarinet safe. Having your fragile clarinet securely hidden in the best clarinet case not only helps with keeping dust at bay but can also be a consideration to help transport your case to and from lessons and performances—without worrying that it will get banged up by everyday movement.

In this review, we will go through the various features of the best clarinet cases out there and why you should consider each one before you choose a certain case. You’ll need to be aware of the weight of the case, the type, what kind of exterior material it’s made out of, the number of its pockets, and the warranty information attached to the product. All these features can truly make a difference with the type of case you choose.

After hundreds of hours sifting through the best of what the internet offers, we’ve created a summary of the best clarinet cases that money can buy—even if you’re on a budget! We hope that our article—from the comparison table, which displays the best cases side-by-side, the in-detail review of each product with its pros and cons, and our buying guide—can help you make the best, most well-informed decision you can make when it comes to investing in a sturdy case for your clarinet.

Top 5 Clarinet Cases Review 2024

Why should you invest in the best clarinet case

Especially since you‘ve not only invested a lot of money on your clarinet and lessons, you’ve also been investing your time into learning how to play clarinet.

Investing in the best clarinet case—or at least one that hits all the desired features but stays in your price range is something that you should try and aim for.

If you’re going to be buying a clarinet case, you might as well invest in the best!

However, if you’re an adult or buying this for a bigger and stronger clarinet player, you’ll want to invest in a much heavier, harder shell case, like the Protec Bass Clarinet Pro Pac or the Protec PB307D.

The sound of money

Especially since you most likely have already been investing some money with your clarinet itself and lessons or traveling to and from performances, you’ll want to see if you can get the best bang for your buck with the price of the case.

With the clarinet cases on this guide, you’re going to be spending anywhere from $60 (like the budget option, Kaces KBOCLP) upward to almost $200 or more.

Choose the best clarinet case by the following features

Before you pick based on your price, you’ll definitely want to consider these features:

Brands

You might have spent a fortune on the brand because of its quality when it came to investing in your actual clarinet. This makes sense—especially if you are a high-quality performer and play at a high level. You are investing in your music, and that’s okay.

However, you don’t necessarily have to invest the extra money into the brand name if you’re looking for high-quality—you can get just as good quality with an unknown brand that gets the job done and protects your clarinet as you’re traveling from home to your lessons or performance and back again.

You might feel like (especially as a parent) that you would most likely want to invest in a familiar name rather than take your chances, but if you read enough reviews, do your research, and trust in the features of the product, you don’t necessarily have to invest in a popular brand name.

Soft or hard cases?

If you have a clarinet for beginners, or you’re a more advanced player, investing in a specific case can make all the difference in your experience playing, traveling, and knowing that you have your instrument protected.

Something that you should definitely consider is if you’re buying a clarinet case for your child—and what age they are as well as how big they are.

A harder case, like with the Protec BLT307SX (rated as our Best Hard-Shell case), can be great if you need it to be protected every time you travel.

However, if you need a lighter case, you’ll want to consider a softer case, like the Paititi Clarinet Case which can help make it much easier to carry to and from lessons.

Although they don’t offer as much protection as the harder cases do, they still can get the job done, are generally much more affordable, and still are high quality enough to keep your clarinet protected.

Padding

The padding on the inside of the clarinet case can keep your instrument in place, comfortable, and protected. Most of the cases on this guide come with some sort of padding that not only helps secure the instrument but also keeps it insulated from exterior forces.

Pockets

The pockets—whether internal or external — (most of the cases featured here have an exterior pocket) are important for holding the accessories that you may need while playing or learning to play the clarinet.

The pocket can also come with an organizer for various accessories.

Fit

What’s the point of investing in a clarinet case if you can’t even fit your clarinet in it?

Before you invest or buy a clarinet case, you’ll want to make sure that your clarinet fits into the case itself.

Double or single?

If you are buying a clarinet case for just one person, then it may seem like such a strange concept to buy a double case.

However, if you or your child is serious about the clarinet, you might want to consider getting a double case that can fit both the player’s performing clarinet and for the practice clarinet.

Especially if the clarinet player is going to be performing, they’re going to want to always bring a spare clarinet with them.

This might be a great idea if you’re pretty sure that you or your child is going to be sticking with the clarinet for a little while. If your child is just beginning, you might not want to invest in the double case.

Durability

The durability of the clarinet case is one of the most important features to look out for.

You can invest in a clarinet case with either a hard or a soft outer case—which can make a huge difference when it comes to durability.

Warranty

The warranty of the case also makes a huge difference—some of the clarinets on this guide will be only guaranteed for one year, but can be guaranteed up to six years, as well.

What you should have in your clarinet case

Before you invest in a clarinet case, you’ll want to definitely see if your clarinet comes not only with accessories included but the space inside to hold or organize them all.

FAQ

Once you’ve decided on a clarinet case, you might still have some questions that need to be answered for you to feel sure in your case choice. Here are the most frequently-asked questions, answered:

Our Verdict

If you’ve decided to skip over our entire guide to check out our final verdict, here it is:

The Protec PB307D is our Editor’s Choice. Weighing only 3.8 lbs, the  Protec PB307D has four different pockets that are well protected with its 1680 ballistic nylon exterior. With other features including a shoulder strap, soft molded interior, padded dual-corded handle, velvoa lining, shock-absorbing frame, weather-resistant, quick-lock, and molded rubber feet, this is a great buy!

The Protec Bass Clarinet Pro Pac is our Best for Bass Clarinet. Although it weighs more than double or triple the weight of other cases on this guide, it has a heavy exterior for the bass clarinet. With four pockets, padded hook-and-loop closure on handles, a padded shoulder strap, weather-resistant feature, and a QuickLock™, this is a great buy if you’re looking for a sturdy case.

The Kaces KBOCLPP is our Budget Pick. Although it’s rated at an affordable price, it is lightweight—only weighing 2.2 lbs. It is also backed by the longest warranty on the guide—6 years! It also features EPS foam, a wrapped webbing handle, removable backpack straps, and luggage grade zippers.

We hope this guide has helped you pick out the best clarinet case for you or your loved musician.