x2 what OH Piper said about moisture.

I have a set of Dunbar poly pipes, and I love them. My "pipe case" is either a Pelican case, or whatever backpack they need to fit in for whatever trip I'm on. I'd never abuse a set of wood pipes the way I do these.

If you're planning to beat on them the way I do, consider avoiding plating...as in, nickel is a plating, and will abrade off if the pipes are bouncing around in a pack, and then it will look like hell. Stick with aluminum or stainless, or poly mounts. I'd avoid silver on a set of "pack pipes" for similar reasons to avoiding plating...it's soft, and it'll get damaged.

The great thing about a set of poly pipes mounted in metal is, they sound excellent...and many will claim an audible difference between wood and poly, but if there's something to hear, it's subtle...and they will look like ABW pipes from any distance greater than a few feet.

I'm sure the brand you're looking at will be just as good as my Dunbars.

Also keep in mind, while the dominant sound of the drones depends on the bore, the overtones--what really makes a set of pipes sound beautiful--are very dependent on how you've chosen to reed the drones.

-Sean