Every gigging guitarist who lugs their own gear (so, 95 percent of us) knows firsthand how instrument cases take a beating. No matter how carefully they’re handled, the reality is that after a couple years of load-in/load-out, things get whooped. Gator Cases’ MiniVault is designed to ease your role as roadie while also easing your mind – and letting you retire those precious original cases to the safety of a closet.

With a shell made of roto-molded polyethylene and recessed butterfly-style twist latches (one on top, two on each side), the MiniVault immediately looks and feels sturdy. It stands 50.5″ tall and measures 12″ wide by 16.5″ front to back at the base, 18″ at its widest, and 12″ at the top. Two luggage wheels on its bottom rear edge team with a top handle for tilt-and-roll transport. For lifting, there’s a flat/recessed handle on the front/lid. Tabs with holes at the top allow for padlocking, and there’s “tag” space to write vital contact info.

Empty, the U.S.-made MiniVault weighs 21 pounds. Housing two electrics with typical body dimensions (up to 3″ thick, 13.5″ across the lower bout) and neck lengths, its shell is 1/4″ thick, and a layer of 1″ foam lines its interior walls. An additional inch of foam protects the bodies at the bottom, and a 11/4″-thick piece keeps them separated. The necks are supported by a chunk that spans the interior with notches cut for snugging – one is 1.5″ wide, the other 1″. Foam in the lid further secures the necks and bodies, and Gator adds a degree of weather resistance with a molded lip along the perimeter of the opening that fits into a a gasket-lined recess on the lid.

Beyond its work as bodyguard, the MiniVault also serves as a rack, its huge opening allowing for quick and easy swaps. And, magnets in the lid cling to pieces of metal on the back to keep the lid from becoming yet another piece of stage clutter.

This article originally appeared in VG’s November 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.