5-9000 ft

[ubba]

Has anybody driven up a mountain on a regular basis and had any trouble with the skin popping? I'm moving to S. Ca and will be going up into the mountains on a regular schedule to play my drum. Idyllwild is a mountain town nearby my new residence and I have arranged to visit weekly, it is 5,300ft (1,600m) up. How high can I drive before it effects the drum and should I always loosen it? Any info will be appreciated, thanks.

[michi]

You don't need to do anything at all. Altitude does not affect your drum in any way (only temperature and humidity do). The only thing I can think of is that, at altitude, the air tends to be dry. If you are moving from a humid climate to high altitude, the skin might shrink a bit (but no more than it would when moving from a humid climate to a dry climate at low altitude). So, you might want to let out one or two diamonds. But there is definitely nothing drastic needed. Doing nothing is perfectly reasonable.

Cheers,

Michi.

PS: Cabin pressure in a plane at cruising altitude is the same as at 8000ft above sea level. (6000ft for short-haul flights.) The pressure in the cargo hold is the same as in the cabin, and it is cool and dry in there as well. I've had my drums in cargo holds dozens of times with no ill effect, and I never bother undoing any knots before I fly.