8 Best Compact Drum Sets: Portable Travel Kits

Ludwig Breakbeats: Overview

The Ludwig Breakbeats By Questlove 4-piece Shell Pack was designed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots and boasts a small footprint and a portable drum kit design. 

It features high-quality construction with hand-sanded 45-degree bearing edges on each shell. This is the ideal drum kit for smaller spaces, street shows, and compact gigs, as it offers a great affordable solution for various drumming styles. 

It sports 7-ply select hardwood shell construction to deliver that classic Ludwig tone, while the 45° bearing edges allow drumheads to rest flat, supplying optimal resonance. 

Upgraded tom brackets, bass drum spurs, and bass drum hoops promote reliable functionality, while the nylon travel bag set makes transport a breeze and doubles as a dampening set when needed. The pack includes a 7-inch x 10-inch mounted tom, 13-inch x 13-inch floor tom, 14-inch x 16-inch bass drum, and 5-inch x 14-inch snare drum.

Read my full review of the Ludwig Questlove Breakbeats.

Pearl Midtown: Overview

What’s more, it is affordably priced, so you can use it as your main kit or leave one at the club. Its crisp attack and quick decay work great for jazz/R&B combos, while its tight, punchy grooves add character to hip-hop and fusion music. 

Its 6-ply poplar shells are engineered for big sound, and its glitter wraps look great under stage lights. The included drum riser gives you bigger bass, letting you use standard kick pedals, while the OptiLoc suspension system allows your high tom to resonate freely.

Gig bags are not included—Ludwig wins on that front.

Yamaha Stage Custom Hip: Overview

Additionally, it features an all-birch construction from the Stage Custom family and features hip sizes (depth x diameter): 5 x 10″ tom, 8 x 13″ floor tom, 8 x 20″ kick drum, and 5 x 13″ snare drum. This makes it great for jazz, hip-hop, and light session work. 

Die-cast bass claw hooks with rubber inserts act as classy but quiet hardware, while Remo UT coated batter heads (toms: Ambassador, kick: Powerstroke P3) promise solid tone out of the box. In addition, the kit features Yamaha’s YESS mounting system which allows the high tom to vibrate freely in any position.

Plus, the kit also includes a snare strainer on the floor tom for adding an optional second, deeper snare. Kick pedal, cymbals, and stands sold separately.

Sonor AQ2 Safari Shell Pack: Overview

Sonor was the king of Jungle setups in the 1990s—think drum’n’bass and hip hop of that decade. The Sonor AQ2 Safari 4-piece shell pack is a portable and compact maple drum kit that is perfect for smaller ensembles, gigging, and soft stages. 

It features 7-ply maple shells with incredible-looking wraps, perfectly suited for funk, hip-hop, swing, and jazz styles. Within this kit you’ll get professional shells that are focused and musical; the kick drum is fast and full that sits in the pocket; the matching snare adds a defined backbeat while the toms are big and warm.

Gretsch Brooklyn Micro: Overview

The Gretsch Brooklyn Micro is a fast, portable and easy-to-travel size kit that honors Gretsch’s New York heritage and time-honored tone. 

It has classic open tone and deluxe Brooklyn series handcrafted construction, giving it the same attention to detail as full-size Brooklyn kits. 

This kit features 6-ply maple/poplar shell construction with 3mm, 302 double flanged hoops for maximum vibration. The included 4825 tom mount is secure and easy to set up. 

The Brooklyn Micro is made in Ridgeland, SC, USA with love and care. It exhibits amazing tone and response in a lightweight travel size design – perfect for on-the-go drumming.

Tama Cocktail Jam: Overview

The Tama Cocktail Jam drum kit is a dream for professional and recreational drummers alike. It’s a full 4-piece acoustic drum set that fits into just about any venue space and sets up and tears down in minutes. 

This compact drum kit includes 2 toms, 1 bass drum, and 1 snare plus kick drum pedal and all mounting hardware, making it easy to take anywhere. 

The included Sound Focus Pad helps tone down its boominess in small performance spaces while still maintaining a loud enough volume to play with a band or adapt for acoustic sessions. 

Standard shell sizes include 5″ x 10″ tom, 5.5″ x 14″ floor tom, 5″ x 12″ snare drum, and 6″ x 16″ bass drum; all of which can fit perfectly into the included bags for convenient carrying between venues and sessions.

Tama Club-Jam Flyer: Overview

The Tama Club-Jam Flyer drum kit is the perfect drum set for smaller stages and home practice. The shell pack consists of a 10-inch x 14-inch bass drum with riser, 6-inch x 8-inch rack tom, 9-inch x 10-inch floor tom, and 5-inch x 10-inch snare drum which provides a big sound in a conveniently compact format. 

Its 6-ply, 7mm poplar/mersawa shells speak with powerful authority and are inspired by classic jazz kits of the past. Natural finished wood bass hoops complete the look. A custom drum bag set is also available separately to make transporting easier than ever.

Read my full review of the Tama Club-Jam 4-piece.

DW Performance Series Low Pro: Overview

Handbuilt in the USA, this single-headed nesting maple shells require minimal space and can provide tremendous punch and quickness for hip-hop, EDM, funk, and even metal. 

Its stand-braced 20″ kick drum is stable yet stimulating while its 12″ snare (which includes a stand) can also be converted to a tom for added versatility. FinishPly wraps add to the tone and resonance rather than inhibit it, while fine-threaded True-Pitch tension rods enhance tuning accuracy. 

Finally, graduated flanged hoops are tailored to each shell diameter (3″ x 10″ tom, 3″ x 13″ floor tom, 3″ x 20″ bass drum, 3″ x 12″ snare/tom) allowing this kit to fit into any playing style.