When an instrument repair person wants to open a glued joint on a wooden instrument, s/he uses heat to break the bond. HEAT IS THE ENEMY! Abrupt cooling will craze the varnish -- it doesn't destroy the instrument like heat, but it does lower the value and harm the beauty. Moisture damages the instrument, too.

All of our cases and case covers are designed to protect your instrument from the damaging effects of heat, cold and moisture.  Our cases were engineered for this purpose from the beginning and not retrofitted to attempt and accomplish this.  Many case makers claim to provide insulating cases.  Before you buy an inferior product, ask to see their research and scientific study.  Here's ours;

Temperature Change Moderation Using Various Instrument Cases And Case Covers

The tests performed on August 15 and 17, 1997 show that a Colorado Case Company mandolin case (hereafter called the "CO mandolin case") and guitar case cover ("CO case cover") were better temperature insulators than a Climate Case case cover (Climate Case") and a standard black "Gibson" banjo case ("black case").  In the bright sun of the 15 August test, the Colorado Case Company products maintained a lower, internal temperature than did the Climate Case and the black case.  In particular, the CO mandolin case reached a maximum temperature f degrees lower than the Climate Case, fully 16 degrees lower than the black case and 20 degrees lower than the ambient temperature in 2 hours exposure.

On 17 August, clouds obscured the sun after an hour or so of testing.  The inside of the climate Case increased to 97 degrees in the sun and decreased rapidly to 93 degrees when the clouds moved in and the ambient temperature dropped.  CO case cover increased to 97 degrees and decreased to 94 degrees.  The CO mandolin case increased to 97 degrees and remained there after the clouds moved in.  The results of the second day of tests suggests that the Climate Case conducted heat in and out of the cover more readily than did the CO mandolin case.  The difference between change in maximum and final temperature between the Climate Case and CO case covers were too small to be conclusive.

It can be concluded that an insulated case or case cover can be very important insurance against instrument damage due to high temperatures or rapid temperature changes.  I recommend the use of the lightest color, highest insulation (highest "R" value) case or case cover for the protection of your valuable instrument, particularly if the instrument will be exposed to direct sun or the very high temperatures reached in automobiles.

Ronald R. Hewitt Cohen, Ph.D.

Professor, Environment Science & Engineering

Colorado School of Mines

Golden, Colorado

This study shows what is gained by adding double insulation to your case or case cover. You can effectively double the R value of the insulation.  Over time all cases will reach equilibrium with the environment and as such, insulated cases and case covers are intended for short term use.

Case Covers Vs. Soft Cases Results:

In this study we compared single insulation soft cases to single insulation case covers.  The case cover over a standard hard case does offer slightly more insulation protection.  However, the differences are negligible and both choices protect better than the black case alone.

Soft Cases Vs. Rigid Cases Results:

In this study we looked at the differences between our standard rigid cases and our standard soft case.  The rigid case did offer slightly more protection, though both offered substantial protection from the environmental heat.