I have seen many people do not put thermal racket cases over their rackets as they just stuff them into their bags. I don't mind doing that, but since I have to carry my bag through Canada's harsh winter temperatures, I might have to put thermal cases over each racket. Is this really necessary? Can I just stuff all of my rackets into one compartment of my bag and not put any thermal cases on each one? Or do I have to put thermal cases over each racket to prevent the cold temperature (ranges from 0°C to about -20°C to -30°C (thats 32°F to about -4°F to -22°F)) from damaging my rackets/strings? Any suggestions?
I think you'll be fine if you're driving to your badminton gym and only making a short trek in the cold. A good experiment would be to get two of the same rackets, put one in the thermal case and one directly in your bag, do your walk, and feel the temperature of each once you get inside the gym. My guess is that there will be little difference for a short walk from the parking lot to the gym.
Amusing that first two answers are from California. My gut tells me that the strings suffer from the changes in temperature and the accompanying changes in humidity that we Canucks get from heating already-dry winter air. But as stated above, going from car to gym is not so bad. Just don't leave your bag in the car overnight like a lot of Canucks do with their hockey gear. (mmmmm, frozen sweat!)
To be honest, it really won't make much difference either way. The time spent in the cold is short and I really don't know how well the "thermal" bags work anyway.
Thermal bags are thick unlike cloth bags. thick bags don't allow temperature to change inside. or allow any gas to get in or out of the bag.
The thermal cases you're all referring to, is it just the regular case that comes with the racket? If it is, it doesn't make too much difference. In the winter, I usually let my racket sit for 5-10 mins in the gym before I actually start playing with them. I've snapped way too many strings when the racket/strings have not "warmed up" yet. You can tell the difference as strings will sound and feel different upon contact with the shuttle.
