Has anyone ever built their own case to hold all the stuff? A custom job with all the pockets, compartments, and crannies that you desire? I am specifically interested in the use of a folding mat and it's funtionality in a briefcase design.

Check "The Workshop"

I just finished a case, I don't have an interior built for it yet though.

My only problem is I made it too skinny and short (about an inch all around) so now I'm left with a 40 inch tall coffin shaped foot locker in my living room. (heck I'm considering making another one and turning it into a set of speaker cabnets to bring with if I have to provide my own sound for a show)

And if you ask why it is too short, for the most part I was building a decent cabnet/locker for my bed of swords so the legs don't get snapped off riding around in my truck, and my prievious prop box (actually a cardboard box holding the swords) blew out on me and all the stuff shot out of the bottom)

If all else fails, I'll probibly make a bracket so that the bed just rides on top of it and bolts down that way.

Grumble grumble....