It makes me happy to read this.
I do have a question. Should I invest in a case or would the gigbag suffice? Our winter here has been the mildest winter I have ever experienced BUT our luck finally ran out a day or two ago and the windchills dropped to -41C below. My daughter's acoustic guitar is in a gigbag, my acoustic is in a hardshell case and I just use the sponges in both of them. The hygrometer now says 32% RH. Is there anything I need to keep the moisture up for protection? Would a hard case be more appropriate to keep things properly humidified? I used to use those Herco Guardfather humidifiers in my cases. Do people still use those things?
The D'Addario Humidipaks are what I use and highly recommend. You don't ever add water, they don't leak, and never smell. The chemicals in them keep the inside of the case at a constant 45% humidity, which is what the PRS factory is set to (I asked). I find that they last 4-6 months in nicer weather, and 3-4 months in winter, but of course a lot depends on the relative humidity in your home (I have a whole house humidifier that only keeps my house at about 30-35% RH in winter).
PRS' acoustics department recommends them, but someone here turned me on to them several years ago. They work. They're great. I use the set of three in my acoustic guitar case, and I put a single one in an open area like the headstock pocket in each of my electrics.
I don't know about the permeability of a nylon gig bag. It may or may not do the job a hard case does in terms of maintaining the humidity level inside the case. I do know that hard cases work well for that.
The refills are available from Boveda, who makes them, as well as from D'Addario. I get the Boveda stuff because I can order it in 10 or 12 packs (I forget which).
I love gig bags for traveling around, but a hard case does a couple of things a gig bag can't do. Besides offering great protection, a hard case buffers the temperature and humidity changes that take place over time - these changes occur naturally over a 24 hour period even in nice weather, and they're the biggest contributor to needing seasonal setups. The wooden cases are hygroscopic, and also absorb and release moisture, and Bob Taylor says there's some benefit there, too.
So I keep my guitars in hard cases when I'm not using them. If I'm headed out to other studios for projects, or flying with a guitar (a PRS needs to be with me on the plane), I'll use a gig bag.