Wooden rack sleeves from Elumen8, including 8U and 10U sizes, giving amplifiers, processors and install gear a straightforward 19 inch housing. A sleeve is the middle ground between bare equipment and a full flight case: proper rack mounting and everyday protection without the weight and cost of a braced, castored touring build.

The construction details do the work here. Each sleeve carries 19 inch rack strips front and rear with removable lids at both ends, so cabling stays accessible and heavy units can be supported at the back as well as the front. A textured lacquered paint finish covers the wooden shell, flat rubber feet protect whatever it sits on, milled inserts in the top locate another sleeve for secure stacking, and a metal dish takes a tour label. Rack screws are included. The 10U sleeve gives 425 mm of usable depth between the front and rear strips and weighs 15.5 kg empty.

Choose on two measurements. U height should cover the gear going in now plus a slot or two spare for growth and airflow, and internal depth must clear the deepest unit with connectors fitted and cables dressed, which on amplifiers can add well over 100 mm to the bare chassis figure. Sleeves suit racks that live in a van, a venue or an install cupboard; equipment that gets thrown up ramps and truck-packed night after night is better served by the wheeled rack flightcases in the Flight Cases category.