Padded Alto Sax Backpack, Alto Sax Case Bag with Hidden Padded Shoulder Straps, Alto Saxophone Bag with Pockets for Mouthpiece, Sheet Music, Alto Saxophone Case Sax Gig Backpack

I received a bag from the same company in June. Given that it's under a new Amazon listing, I thought maybe they'd done something to change or improve it somehow. Spoiler alert: they haven't. It's still a bog standard soft storage case. I'm not entirely disappointed in it, because I don't play out and I just need something to keep dust and cat hair off my ever-growing collection of EWIs, melodicas, tin whistles, harmonicas, and other wind/reed/electronic breath instruments. It's fine for that purpose, which is why I'm giving it four stars.However, if I was a gigging musician with an expensive sax, this is probably the absolute last thing I'd go for, and I'd have scored it much lower if I was evaluating it by that standard. There's no support or rigid protection to speak of -- no metal frame, not even an EVA "shell." So if you've got something that's worth more money and needs that added protection, I'd go for a hard-sided case before I'd buy this.

UPDATE:Just as I was getting used to this bag, it broke. One of the incredibly cheap plastic buckles for the two straps broke. Now, it's useless as a backpack -- although I can do the sling-over-one-shoulder carry, if I'm so inclined. Mostly, I'm angry that a perfectly good bag is ruined because some product manager specified the cheapest possible plastic buckles. What a waste. My original review appears below as originally posted.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =This is a decent, fairly compact backpack-style bag for an alto saxophone. (Note: this will NOT fit a tenor saxophone.)The bag opens up to reveal a central compartment suitable for an alto sax body tube. The body slides into a pocket at the "bottom" of the compartment that holds the sax. It's protected by thick fabric with a soft, padded feel and a securely-stitched, elastic band sewn into the top. The central compartment provides ample room for the sax body.Outside the central compartment, on the outside of the bag, there are two external compartments on one side: a slightly smaller one on the top with some additional interior storage compartments inside, and a larger one beneath.I believe the smaller of the two external storage areas is where you are intended to store the other parts of the horn: the neck and mouthpiece assembly. There's also room for a neck strap, cork grease, reeds, and the other odds and ends saxophonists carry. The larger of the two external storage compartments is well suited to notebooks, folders, sheet music, music books, etc.There's plenty of room, really. And it's sturdily built. I like the "feet" on the bottom for helping the sax to stand up -- except that it won't stand on its own. Maybe later it will, once it's broken in. For now, you'd have to lean the bag against a wall or something to help it stand.Personally, I don't like separating the neck and mouthpiece from the horn body in separate compartments. There's enough room in the interior compartment for a fitted storage space to have been fashioned for them. I also know saxophonists who travel with their sax neck and mouthpiece stowed in a fabric bag which they then slip inside the sax bell for safekeeping. Just a thought.Overall, aside from the above stated preference, there's only one real drawback: while this has plenty of storage and provides a convenient way to carry the horn around, it doesn't provide much impact protection for the sax. The interior is padded, but there's very little rigid structure in place to protect the horn if it should fall or take a hit from something. This is not a problem unique to this bag: it's an issue for any soft-sided bag.If you need a bag for transportation from home to an outside location, such as a music lesson, this bag is perfect for you. Just make sure you keep the horn with you and don't surrender it to anyone for baggage handling who might treat it roughly. This is not the best solution, however, for long-term storage in your closet where other items will bump into it. And it's definitely not how you would travel with your sax via plane, bus, or longer road trip. It's a good bag; it's just not the right solution for everyone.And that's my $.02.