Hello Bose Staff; when the PAS speakers were announced many years ago, I was one of the first members of the forum and a proud PAS owner. Bose offered custom B1 bags as a “Thank You” to those who purchased the PAS. It would be nice after about 12 years later and a new speaker line up, custom bags were offered for the first group of musicians/DJs who purchase the F1 Model 812 and F1-sub combo. Will any consideration be given as they stated back in 2004 as a “Thank You” to their loyal customer base. This would be a nice gesture that Bose takes care of their customers. I see other reputable manufacturers making the same offer so it’s not uncommon. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask considering these speakers are not cheap and should come with some type of protection (padded bags) at no cost to the customer. As a marketing campaign, this can also boost your sales with the initial launch, so this offering can be perceived as a win for Bose and the customer.
edit title: Previously "Consideration of Free Bags for F1 Series Speakers"
Changed to reflect the content of the discussion
Good idea DJ Ron. Unfortunately we have no plans for a promotion like this at launch. There is currently tons of demand for the F1 product - we are producing them as quick as we can!
Hi Kyle, great to see your familiar avatar!
Good that you are a part of Bose Professional.
DJ Ron, I’m betting SKB, among other third parties, will be your friend.
I remember back in 2004, the many complaints about the free bags.
So it’s conceivable to me that Bose might skip them this time out, I would.
I harken back to the good (bad) old days when we just threw our huge 15/horn cabinets in the van willy-nilly.
They got beat to splintereens, and we liked them that way!
But these new little cabs should fit in cars and mini-vans just fine.
I am looking forward to hearing the F1.
I don’t miss the 1980s carrying around 100lb subs and the coffin that weight more than that with a 19" mixer and two technics turntables, those days are gone forever.
Slip covers would work for me, I am very careful and don’t let anyone else handle my gear so my stuff always look just like I just bought it.
Next week this time I may have my F1 setup, I will post pics, I am sure there will be a thread for posting pics of your F1 setup.
I am a full time musician and DJ. When I do my solo acoustic show I’ve used the L1 for years and love it. For DJing I started with 802’s and 502’s. Then I switched to 802’s with BM4’s. I have played two weddings with the new F1’s with bass bins and all I can say is Bose has hit it out of the park with these speakers! When I used the 502 bass bins, it had a punch but you payed the price with the weight. When I switched to MB4’s the weight was lighter but you lost the punch. For 10 years I’ve used four 802’s and four MB4’s. Using one F1 and subwoofer on each side produced a FAR better sound and I’m thrilled with them! I see in the Q&A on the F1 website that although bags don’t come with the speakers they are available. For the life of me I cannot find them anyplace on the Bose site or elsewhere. That being said, I need bags/covers yesterday. If the bags aren’t coming out for a few months, I fear that by that time, the damage will be done. Can you please advise on where they can be purchased or when? My 802’s look brand new after 10 years of use because of the built in covers (that would have been great on the F1’s) and I need the F1’s to stay pristine as well.
I read somewhere on a bose site that the soft cases will be released sometime in October.
I’ve heard that as well but for those of us who’ve already bought & received the speakers, by the time the bags are available, my speakers will be dented and/or scratched unless I leave them in their boxes which I’m trying to avoid.
Just ordered my f1’s and I’m kind of bummed that they do not includes covers or bags 
Let me know if anyone comes across a good alternative until bose comes out with the official bags
I found a good craftsman in my country, who can sew, soft carrying cases for this F1 loudspeaker series and without problems, and less price, than in regular shop.
I think, You should be asked, or look for, and maybe in Your country is such a master, who can produce the soft carrying cases for F1 .
Hello all.
We understand how worrisome it can be using the product unprotected out in the field. We are working hard to make the F1 Travel Bags available as soon as possible.
Our current estimate on availability is the October timeframe. We will keep the forum updated if anything changes on this. For now we recommend using the shipping cartons to transport. There are some other suggestions on this thread that may work as well. We apologize for the delay in getting these accessories out there.
Thanks Kyle!
For anyone looking for alternate options for protective covers, I vaguely remember a discussion some years ago in these forums regarding custom bags but not being able to find it I did a bit of online searching…
For those of you in the USA, Under Cover in NYC has some very interesting manufacturing options and different protection ranges.
Their FS/W sound transparent weather resistant covers are interesting; these are not transport protection but rather rain protection during an outdoor gig.
In any case (no pun intended!), I have not done business with this company. I’m posting this since some of you are looking for a more immediate solution and this could assist you in your search.
I would suspect that the upcoming Bose bags will be more affordable than most custom made bags… Also note that there will be some lead time to get bags made. You may be able to find a canvas / tent / awning manufacturer close to you that could build custom bags for you.
Here is a thought for a temporary solution until the Bose covers become available: use moving blankets (moving pads) and gaff tape (or duct tape) to temporarily cover you F1 systems while transporting them.
You can buy or rent moving blankets locally. Shop around for the best deal. I own 4 quilted moving blankets that I bought new for $10 each.
Does anyone know if the covers will be like the covers for the B1 or B2 (from the L1 family) or heavier duty? I’ve contacted a company that makes custom covers (and they’re very nice) and with the high end, non tear fabric as well as ridged insert (to protect the grills and knobs on the back) the cost is $145 for an F1 cover and $165 for a F1 sub cover. It’s high but I know it will also be high end protection short of a road case. If the Bose bags for the F1 are simply going to be heavy duty dust covers, I’m going to order these. It’s a total cost of $620 but I think well worth the cost to protect a $4800 investment. What are your thoughts?
I talked to TUKI and they said they are interested in building covers for these.
Anyone have any good measurements I can send them?
Or Gary can you share who you talked to?
Hi Gary,
We hope to post some information about the bags next week. We will share some images as well with you. Until that time, I can comment on this. The covers are of a heavier duty, textured material. The zippers are of a larger, heavy-duty style.
We’ll have better images and descriptions shortly.
quote:Originally posted by GarySjones:
Does anyone know if the covers will be like the covers for the B1 or B2 (from the L1 family) or heavier duty? I’ve contacted a company that makes custom covers (and they’re very nice) and with the high end, non tear fabric as well as ridged insert (to protect the grills and knobs on the back) the cost is $145 for an F1 cover and $165 for a F1 sub cover. It’s high but I know it will also be high end protection short of a road case. If the Bose bags for the F1 are simply going to be heavy duty dust covers, I’m going to order these. It’s a total cost of $620 but I think well worth the cost to protect a $4800 investment. What are your thoughts?
We are still targeting for F1 Travel Bags to be available in mid-October (exact details hopefully next week). Until that time, if you want to pursue outside vendors, understanding that they too will have lead-time, you could reference mechanical drawings (2D/3D CAD files) we publish on our pro.Bose.com site here:
http://worldwide.bose.com/pro/…ortable_pa/page.html
quote:Originally posted by NAW-T-BOY:
I talked to TUKI and they said they are interested in building covers for these.
Anyone have any good measurements I can send them?
Or Gary can you share who you talked to?
The company that I spoke with is called “Under Cover NYC” Although they are located in Massachusetts. One concern I have other than the material (which looks heavy duty) is if there will be any rigid inserts in the bag to offer better protection to the grills and the rear of the speaker / mixer area. The quotes I received from Under Cover included a rigid material in those areas. They didn’t have a physical speaker to take measurements from but said the technical drawings on the Bose site would suffice. They also recommended I confirm the measurements by measuring my own speakers. They told me that they have made 1000’s of speaker covers over the years and are confident they would fit perfectly assuming the measurements were accurate. I’m willing to continue using there F1 boxes until I see a Bose bag as well as their price.
Gary
www.undercovernyc.com
Thanks Kyle…will the official bags have pockets for cords?