5 Best Compact and Portable Drum Kits for 2024

What is a compact & portable drum kit?

A compact, portable drum kit refers to a drum set with simplified components and smaller dimensions, designed to be more compact and simpler in structure compared to traditional drum kits. Typically, it consists of 1-3 drums, paired with a cymbal, with an overall size ranging from 1 to 3 feet. Due to its compact and portable design, it occupies much less space. Some compact drum kits can cleverly fold, while others are extremely mini. In contrast, traditional drum kits typically consist of multiple drum components, such as kick drum, snare drum, multiple tom-tom drums, as well as hi-hat cymbals, crash cymbals, and more. The overall size of traditional drum kits ranges from 4 to 8 feet.

We understand that traditional drum kits are often too large, making it difficult for many people to install and use them in their apartments or rooms, and impossible to travel with. To address this, we've gathered data from across the web to find the best compact and portable drum kits of 2024, providing some guidance on the matter.

Image from Tama

Specifications:

-Color: Aqua Blue/Charcoal Mist/Candy Apple Mist/Galaxy Silver

-Set: 18x7 Bass Drum 

         12x5 Snare Drum 

         8mm, 9ply All Poplar

         Poplar hybrid shel

-Weight: 21.3 pounds

-Prices：$379 

  

Advantages: Excellent sound quality, lightweight, easy to carry.

 

Disadvantages: Only includes one snare drum and one bass drum, lacks accessory options, overall expensive price, drum pad quality is not ideal.

 

Overview: The Tama Club-JAM Mini Kit is a compact and portable drum set launched by Tama in 2019, designed for those who require a smaller, more portable option. It's perfect for situations where space is limited or for on-the-go performances, requiring only two accompanying drum bags for transportation, available for purchase on the official website. Despite its small size, it delivers volume and sound quality that surpasses expectations, suitable for both beginners and professionals. However, its limited accessory options may result in additional expenses for add-ons in the future.

Specifications:

-Color: Aqua Blue Glitter/Bronze Metallic/Burnt Orange Sparkle/Charcoal Metall/Jet Black/Pure White/Red Wine

-Set: 18x12 bass drum

         13x5 snare

         10x7 rack tom

         14x10 floor tom

         16" crash/ride cymbal, 14" hi-hats,

         Accompanying pedal stand accessories

         Hardwood Drum Shells and Triple Flanged Steel Hoops-6-ply

-Weight: 71.2 pounds

-Prices: $559

 

Advantages:  Despite being a compact drum kit, it includes all the necessary accessories, eliminating the hassle of purchasing additional parts. It's suitable for practicing and performing various music styles.

 

Disadvantages:  The quality of the drumheads and some accessories (hi-hat, cymbals) is average, with users reporting issues of loosening and damage, often requiring frequent replacement.

 

Overview: The Pearl Roadshow Drum RS584C is currently one of the best-selling compact drum kits online, as sales figures often reflect product popularity. It comes with a comprehensive configuration, making it very convenient to use for practicing and performing diverse music styles. This makes it the perfect option for beginners and novices. However, some hardware quality issues have been criticized, making it less ideal for professional drummers. Nonetheless, for beginners and novices, it is more than adequate.

 

 

3.Pearl Compact Traveler Drum Kit (PCTK-1810)

Image from Pearl

Specifications:

-Color: Black

-Set: 14 Bass Drumhead

        10 Snare(with throw-off)

        10 Tom

        The structure of the entire suitcase kit.

        Bass Wood

-Weight: 20 pounds

-Prices: $380

 

Advantages: Specifically designed for travel or portable use, the drum kit is compact and lightweight while maintaining excellent sound quality.

Disadvantages: The drum's sound is too small, making it unsuitable for performance settings. Its lightweight nature also results in poor overall stability.
 

Overview: The Pearl Compact Traveler Drum Kit is a compact and foldable drum set designed by Pearl for travelers. It is easy to set up and offers significant advantages in terms of size, weight, and portability while still delivering good sound quality. It's ideal for practicing and performing while on the go. However, its excessively lightweight construction results in a sound that may not meet the requirements of some performance settings, and its stability is compromised.

  

 

4.Toca Percussion Kickboxx Suitcase Drum Set

Imagr from Toca

Specifications:

-Color:Black

-Set:14 Bass Drumhead

        10 Snare(with throw-off)

        10 Tom

        The structure of the entire suitcase kit.

        Bass Wood

-Weight：20 pounds

-Prices: $499

 

Advantages: Integrating the drum kit into a suitcase provides better protection and easier portability.

Disadvantages: The sound quality of the toms and snare is mediocre, and the fixed structure makes it difficult to add additional accessories.

 

Overview: The Toca Percussion Kickboxx Suitcase Drum Set is an innovative percussion instrument design that cleverly incorporates the structure and appearance of a suitcase to house the drum kit. This design enhances its durability and portability compared to typical compact drum kits. However, the fixed structure makes it challenging to add additional accessories, and the sound quality of the toms and snare drum may not be exceptional. Nevertheless, if you appreciate its unique appearance and easy storage and setup, it could be the perfect compact drum kit for you.

 

5.Aeroband Pockedrum 2 Plus

Specifications:

-Color:Natural Woody Color
-Set:2 X PocketDrum Sticks
        2 X Foot Pedal
        1 X Adapter
       the accompanying audio cables
-Weight:0.35 pounds

-Prices: $159

 

Advantages: Extremely simple and miniaturized, this device only requires two drumsticks, an adapter, and a foot pedal. Weighing just 0.35 pounds, it's compact and portable. Installation takes only a few seconds, allowing you to take it anywhere you want. It's the perfect travel drum kit.

 

This is revolutionary technology that lets you fine-tune the sound using the adapter. You have a variety of tones to choose from, including acoustic, jazz, electronic, and more. Effortlessly switch between acoustic and electronic drum sets. It also connects to MIDI, giving you more freedom to create and enjoy your own music

PocketDrum comes with a companion app where you can learn the fundamentals correctly and choose your favorite tracks for practice.
 

It can connect to speakers, headphones, and other devices via the adapter, enabling silent drumming. Its compact portability not only allows you to play in limited spaces, but also enables silent drumming when connected to headphones, making it the perfect drum kit for apartments.

Disadvantages: At first, locating the position of the virtual drum surface can be a bit challenging.

   

Overview: PocketDrum is one of the best compact and portable drum kits of 2024. It features groundbreaking new technology that allows you to play virtual drums in the air. It consists of just two drumsticks, two foot pedals, and an adapter, making it much simpler and more compact compared to traditional drum kits or electronic drum sets. Weighing only 0.35 pounds, it's the lightest electronic drum set on the market, making it incredibly portable. You can take it with you on travels or anywhere you want to go. However, for many people, initially finding the correct drum surface can be somewhat challenging, but there are instruction manuals and video tutorials available to help with this.