I live close to where I gig, so I purchased this case with the idea that I could walk or bike with it easily. But I wanted something that would protect my horn at the same time, it made me nervous to carry it around in a soft case. This case meets these requirements and then some. The construction feels solid and all the stitching is comparable to some of the higher quality backpacking gear. I play a 1945 Zephyr Tenor and it fits very snugly into the case, perfectly I would say. There is no loose movement of the horn once the case is closed. It is nice also to have a separate compartment for the neck and mouthpiece as a hard case might have. Though, any tenor with a beefy neck brace, as the Zephyr from that era does, the neck doesn't fit quite as well as it could. But this is only a minor issue, and the neck does not move around at all once the case is closed up. All in all, I feel like the horn is as secure and safe as it would be in any regular hard case. The wood frame gives it a solid feel but it is still pretty light weight. Also, the optional backpack straps work very well with this case. Good buy