How do you take care of your violin in winter? Trunk or in the car?

Edited: November 12, 2025, 2:20 PM · I'm assuming you don't mean *leaving* it in the car, just transporting it! How long a commute?

I usually put my instrument on the floor of the backseat when I'm driving somewhere; occasionally tuck it into the passenger side. You don't want to blast heat at it but you do want to keep it comfortable. If your trunk doesn't get warm (or in summer if it gets super stuffy) then no, that's not a good option.

November 12, 2025, 3:04 PM · I’d recommend putting it in the place that will be safest for the violin in the event of a sudden stop or even an accident. There are disagreements about whether the back seat or footwell or the trunk is the safest spot if there’s an accident, and I’m not sure there’s one definitive answer, but I would prioritize keeping the case from sliding around. The case’s suspension system absorbs a lot, but there’s no reason to make it work hard if it can be easily avoided.

I think the trunk is generally fine if you’re heating the rest of the vehicle and the trunk isn’t open to the outside air (like an uncovered truck bed). If the temperature is especially low, you may want to rethink placement to help it.

Dryness is a greater concern, so keeping the violin from getting too dry and cracking will matter even more than its body temperature. If you find that the instrument is cold to the touch when you arrive at your destination, letting it acclimate to the warmer air by leaving the case open for a little while may be gentler on the violin and make it less temperamental (if you have the time).

November 12, 2025, 3:27 PM · I’d recommend never putting your instruments in the trunk of a car (no matter what season it is).

Edited: November 12, 2025, 5:01 PM · If it's temporary the case will preserve some of the heat of the house in the instrument, or you can wrap the case in a coat or sleeping bag, but dryness is the bigger problem, others say. Jacqueline du Pre put her early Strad cello on her balcony in the snow in Moscow in the winter. OTOH, Leon Goossens' oboe split in Iceland (the country, not the shop).