Dust Covers for gear

The only things I put covers over are mics when I have leave them out on stands overnight or for a few days during recording periods...and my 2" tape deck, mainly because it sits horizontally, so the dust will fall into the spaces on the top deck-plate.

Otherwise, I find that not covering the gear makes me more interested in using it. I tried draping plastic over the drum kit and other things back in the day, and I just found that the covers were off more than on, so I stopped covering things a long time ago.
Not covering also gives me a reason to regularly dust-vac everything, rather than just throwing covers over it and assuming it stays clean.
Also...when you use a cover, the dust still accumulates, so when you remove the cover, you end up just shaking the dust loose. :D

Now, if you are talking more long-term protection, then just get some painter plastic drop cloth at Home Depot, cut it up as needed and cover all your gear. You could probably cover everything for less than $20.
 
I had a cover made for a Tascam M-520 I used to own by these guys:

LeCover | AMP Covers | Custom Apparel | Officail Site

Was very pleased with it.

I don’t generally cover my stuff but think constantly about the dust getting there. I probably obsess about it because I’ve deep cleaned so much stuff and don’t ever want my stuff getting that way. But the reality is the stuff still works even when it’s totally furry.

Miro has some good points about how you end up spreading the dust around anyway when you take the cover off. Regular vacuuming is the key. You can get a lot done in a short time with a good quality 2” paint brush and a vacuum. But I plan on getting a custom cover made for my Tascam prototype console anyway. And the drums? No point. The floor is always covered with a dusting of sawdust anyway.

Never used an anti-static matt. Can’t think of a reason to do that unless I am working on internal components prone to damage from ESD. Static discharge on the surface/exterior/chassis of a piece of gear *should* be abated by the chassis ground.
 
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