Wrapped drums and enclosed trailers

lefty2

Platinum Member
My band now has a trailer big enough to store my drums in between shows. I'm considering leaving my wrapped Ludwig's in the trailer. I'm a little concerned about the heat in the summertime in Kansas though. I've left my lacquer finished Yamahas in trailers before and had no trouble at all. Do any of you guys with wrapped drums leave your drums in trailers?
 
My first thought was don't do it. I've not had a problem doing that with lacquer.

I'm concerned about the wrap being a different material than the wood. It's on the outside so the wrap would get hot way before the wood does. I feel it would soften the wrap and not be good for the glue bond.
 
I read an article a long time ago regarding drums and what climates they can be stored in. The article stated that if it’s too hot or cold for you, then it’s probably too hot or cold for the drums. Made sense to me so I’ve always tried to abide by it. Personally I would not store them in the trailer you speak of, unless it was a cheap beater kit used for your live work.
 
Yeah you guys got me thinking maybe I should not do that. They're not beater drums. They're new Ludwig club dates that I bought in May of last year. I know , I'll tell my wife that I need to buy a new set of drums that are lacquer finished. That way I can leave them in the trailer LOL
 
Probably a good choice, skipping the trailer.
 
I've seen many kits in pawn shop windows with wrap damage (wrinkles, fading) that I can only imagine is from the heat and sun. It's always on the window side of the drums. Trailers get much hotter.

I bet if the new lacquered drums come with some sort of jewelry, your wife won't even notice! Mine wouldn't.
 
Wrap or not, I’d only do that with drums that I didn’t care about. Wood doesn’t do well in extreme temperatures.
 
I wouldn’t store my drums in a trailer, but not for the reasons mentioned here.

There have been a rash of trailer thefts up here in MN over the past year. Fully loaded band trailers have gotten stolen in broad daylight. (I think it’s been three that I can remember.) That’s the first thing I think of when it comes to band trailers. Fortunately I've never had that happen to me, but my heart breaks when I think of fellow drummers who had their ENTIRE kit stolen. Cymbals, hardware, EVERYTHING.

Regarding wrapped drums and the heat inside trailers, it would depend on a couple of different factors for me personally. If the drums were wrapped with the “Jammin Sam” method of tape, no way. (Saving my thoughts on that for another day.) If they were wrapped with the glue all the way around method, then I would be less concerned with it. Especially vintage drums. The glue they used back then was way more stable than the current stuff. The downside was that old glue was probably harmful to everyone and everything.
 
I've seen many kits in pawn shop windows with wrap damage (wrinkles, fading) that I can only imagine is from the heat and sun. It's always on the window side of the drums. Trailers get much hotter.

Been playing a wrapped, white sparkle DW kit that has lived its entire life in a trailer. Each drum is in a separate SKB hard case. The wrap has yellowed somewhat from 10 years or so of stage use, but the wrap and seams are 100% fine, and will clean up to new if someone puts the time in. We're in Michigan, where summers often get hot and humid, winters are cold, and the temperature and weather change frequently. That trailer gets very hot, and it gets very cold!

It's the sun, and/or the greenhouse effect inside a car, that will wrinkle the wrap. If it's in a case, and in a trailer with no windows, you're good.
 
I could be wrong, but I have heard that wraps that are only glued at at seam (e.g. many Pearl drums) may fare better in heat/cold than those that are wrapped all the way around (e.g. Ludwig, DW, etc.). The thought in behind this is that if there's some shrinking or expansion of the wood, the drum wrap that only has glue at the seam would be able "breathe" a little better than one that was glued all the way around, and it may be more likely to wrinkle or split. Once again, I could be very wrong.

In any case, I'm not leaving my drums in a trailer to bake for weeks on end. Sometimes you just can't help but have drums in a hot or cold trailer or car, and when you get down to it, they are just tools (to me anyways). I try to take care of my gear, and it tends to last for a very long time. If you can help it, definitely don't store them if possible.
 
It's the sun, and/or the greenhouse effect inside a car, that will wrinkle the wrap. If it's in a case, and in a trailer with no windows, you're good.

Could be, it's always a kit in a window with wrinkles. Usually been sitting there a while too. Regardless, the trailer theft issue would keep me from doing it, no matter the finish. The band I was in had their trailer stolen. It was after I left the band, and the trailer was empty, but it was still stolen.
 
Wrap or not, I’d only do that with drums that I didn’t care about. Wood doesn’t do well in extreme temperatures.
The drums I did that with are 1988 model Yamaha tour Customs black lacquer finish. I left them in the band trailer in the 90s temperature in Kansas is over a hundred in the summer sometimes below zero in the winter. I still have the drums they're in really good condition.
 
It's the sun, and/or the greenhouse effect inside a car, that will wrinkle the wrap. If it's in a case, and in a trailer with no windows, you're good.
That's what I'm wondering about. They will be in cases in a trailer with no windows. It does have a little bit of ventilation and insulation. I know that direct sunlight is a definite No-No in an enclosed area. Like in the backseat of a car.
 
I take painstaking measures to make sure my drums are always climate controlled. I never leave them in a hot or cold car for any length of time etc. More so than the wrap or lacquer finish (which can crack under extreme temperatures), the wood shell drums can warp, even with tension on both heads. As a general rule, not a good idea to store drums in a non-climate controlled environment. Also, the chrome (stands, pedals too) can rust. They get condensation on them, which of course turns to rust. How many used pedals have you seen with rusty springs or stands with rusty legs? Treat your instruments with care, and they will take care of you.
 
The problem is that not all glues, and wraps, are created equally. Generic wood glue will melt at 120 degrees, but Gorilla Glue melts around 200. Industrial glues and adhesives can get up to 300 degrees.

Who knows what temperature a wrap will get up to, except the manufacturer (and they may not even know)?

A friend kept his DW lacquer sparkle kit in a trailer for 12 years. I've kept both wrapped and lacquer drums, in soft bags, in the back of my SUV all summer. No issues, other than grime from stage use, which cleans up. Cased drums are fine, as long as your car isn't a sedan sitting in the desert.
 
I have some 1970's Pearl's that were wrapped that I stored in a garage attic in California. Similar summertime heat as a trailer. Over 3-4 years the wrap was essentially ruined and I needed to re- wrap them. Now the are stored inside the house.
 
I take painstaking measures to make sure my drums are always climate controlled. I never leave them in a hot or cold car for any length of time etc. More so than the wrap or lacquer finish (which can crack under extreme temperatures), the wood shell drums can warp, even with tension on both heads. As a general rule, not a good idea to store drums in a non-climate controlled environment. Also, the chrome (stands, pedals too) can rust. They get condensation on them, which of course turns to rust. How many used pedals have you seen with rusty springs or stands with rusty legs? Treat your instruments with care, and they will take care of you.
Well darn my drums are not even in a very controlled environment at home. The 88 model drums I have we're on the third floor of my house which was basically an attic with no heat or air. That was my drum room from 1984 until about 7 years ago. Now they're on the ground level but more or less in a little room that I built in my garage. I still have all the hardware and use it from my 88 model drum set that lived in my attic and was stored in a trailer during the 90s. It's all still in good shape. Having said that I do try to take care of my gear. But I don't baby it either.
 
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+1 on the concern for theft. Too many people I know have had their gear stolen out of or as part of a trailer theft. One of which happened in his own driveway.

I appreciate the not wanting to load and unload all the time. But if that trailer wasn't locked up and secured in a locked building w/ a security fence around it, I wouldn't do it.

edited to add: And obviously don't put your band name, gear stickers or anything on the trailer. Never give the thieves an idea of what might be inside. As a motorcyclist and former Harley-Davidson service manager, I shake my head at fellow riders who put H-D stickers or whatever brand they ride on their trailers. That makes it too easy for thieves to go "shopping."
 
I appreciate all the feedback. It's interesting to see different people's perspectives. I haven't had wrapped drums since the early 80s. And I really like my Ludwig Club dates and would hate to see the finished bubble or something like that. But at the same time I want to take them out and gig with them and leaving them in the trailer would be the easiest. Maybe to be on the safe side I should just continue to transport them myself in my car or load them in the trailer before we head to the gig. and then take them home at the end of the day
 
Lefty, one thing to consider is to load your gear onto a rolling cart that can be rolled in and out of the trailer easily. Two different drummers I know do this and when the band travels, they roll the cart out of the trailer and into their hotel room. All said and done, they're moving something similar in size to a hotel luggage cart. Only 1 other member in those 2 bands takes his gear out of the trailer when they get to the hotel. The rest seems to be ok taking their chances.

I'm considering a rear-loading handicap van so I can do this (roll the loaded cart) myself for my local gigs. Fortunately, my gigging kit isn't my reheasal kit so it could live on the roller cart. I hope this helps. Cheers!
 
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