How you store/carry your gear to gigs?

stickyfiddle

As titled. I have a bazillion cables, a few stands (mics, guitars), plus other random stuff (mics, DIs, IEMs, spares, outfits, snacks, etc) 

How are people lugging all this shite? I'm in an apartment building so I have to do about 200m, 2 separate lifts and 3 sets of double doors to get from my home to my car. I have a good folding trolley already but want to pack the rest efficiently to minimise trips downstairs! 

I need various kit bags from Gator & Hercules, and obviously Pelican cases exist. What's good? What are the pitfalls? 

Stratavarious

Cable bag…. 

I have one of these…  the dividers make cable management much much better.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loudmouth-Organizer-Professional-Equipment-Accessories/dp/B07WW4HTL

You may want to get a roll around tool box though for your situation for power cables and all the random stuff.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/STANLEY-STST1-80151-Essential-Rolling-Workshop/dp/B06XCBPFRN/ref=asc_df_B06XCBPFRN?mcid=13dd693b5eab3701a2be335014f1cc60&th=1&psc=1&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697251922476&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4098835705731458935&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9191165&hvtargid=pla-303798481808&psc=1&hvocijid=4098835705731458935-B06XCBPFRN-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1


I put small stuff in clip top food containers to keep them organised… fuses and repair stuff, strings, plectra, tuners and capo, etc.

I also have a dedicated mic bag.. holds 6 vox mics and amp mics and a couple of SDCs as well as the iPads for controlling the mix.

https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/6-Microphone-Bag-with-Accessory-Pockets-by-Gear4music/WNS?_gl=1*16oa3r2*_up*MQ..*_ga*OTM3NzgxNDY5LjE3NjE2Mzg4MDE.*_ga_0WF1R5QW3K*czE3NjE2Mzg4MDAkbzEkZzAkdDE3NjE2Mzg4MDAkajYwJGwwJGgxMTE4OTcyOTY3

Moltisanti

Get a ground floor storage unit

stickyfiddle

@Stratavarious ta - that's exactly the sort of thing I need I reckon. 

@Moltisanti that would be lovely except way less useful because my car isn't on the ground floor so I'm taking lifts & double doors either way...

Jonathangus

All the XLR cables are in a rucksac (although a cable bag would be tidier).  All the power cables go in one of these - then I use the step as an amp stand.

Or you could get the singers to bring anything that isn't guitar-related.  

Musicwolf

I have a couple of large plastic storage boxes (I use Really Useful Boxes) for leads and gubbins.  Leads are coiled (over / under) and put into large Ziploc bags, one lead per bag.   I don't zip the bags up, that just traps air and takes up space, but having the leads in bags stops them getting tangled.  At the end of the evening, if you are left with an empty bag, then you're missing a lead.

Once you've set up, have a look at how much stuff is left over.  The simplest way to reduce the number of trips is to take less.  For the type of gigs that I'm playing (pubs and the odd small club) I would take a spare guitar in case of string breakage, and one spare lead of each type (XLR, Jack, Power), but I'm not carrying a spare amp.  It's very tempting to throw in two spare leads etc, but it all adds up.

The biggest risk for me is that I forget something, so I try to keep live and home gear separate.  After a gig I check the leads and re-pack the boxes because the other band members, whilst trying to be helpful, don't coil leads correctly.  Then it stays boxed up ready for next time. 

Moltisanti

Load in/out is by far the worst part about doing live shows, we've done a few with hired in sound and it's so much easier. Problem is it costs a fortune 

Open_G

I use a dewalt tstak toolbox. It’s a model with a couple of drawers and a top larger section. I don’t need any more storage but if I did, it works well to be able to stack further toolboxes on top and also comes with a trolley. 

I suspect it will see me through to the day I retire from playing live. 

Roland

I use three stackable plastic boxes: 1. XLRs, 2. Power cables and extensions, 3. Lights and their cables. These sit on a metal trolley. With ratchet straps I can hold guitar and pedalboard on top. PA speakers, mixer, canvas stand bag are handled separately.

For events where PA and lights are provided the trolley takes guitar, toolbox, pedalboard, amp and speaker all in one go.

Pitfalls: the trolley can handle single steps, but not staircases. It also wears. I’ve fitted stronger 10cm wheels than came supplied. Plastic cases can crack. Ours were bought years ago, and are substantially stronger than modern ones. Doors used to be a problem, but I now carry wooden wedges

Musicwolf

Roland said:

Doors used to be a problem, but I now carry wooden wedges

After 40 years of gigging, why haven't I thought of that?  Genius. 

ElectricXII

I have a sturdy folding trolley, a flightcase for my pedalboard, and another flightcase for cables, mics, accesories, etc. Dual Mono bag for guitars. The mic stands go in a bag. It's still three trips to the car at a gig though.

roberty

Thomann dual gig bag - life changing

Good quality too

https://www.thomann.co.uk/thomann_doppel_gigbag_egitarre.htm

Danny1969

I work in a few different bands. The best way is to have a van, everything stays in the van (unless you want to take a guitar home) and no one really brings anything to gigs .. just the van. Of course somebody can nick the whole van .. and that did happen once!
In other bands everybody brings a bit of  gear, one guys brings a bin and a desk, another guy brings 2 tops, another guy brings a bin and all the required cables. 

A lot of the time I'm just bring an amp, a pedal board and a guitar,  with my little foldable sacktruck I can wheel that with one hand while drinking a beer if I want to 

Neilybob

Cables and bits - Waitrose bag for life
Guitars - hard cases 
Amp - amp cover 
Pedalboard - Mooer pedalboard wheelie case 

I can manage the above in two trips 

Supportact

I have all my equipment either in fight cases or covers/bags (for speakers etc). I separate the other stuff (leads, connectors,  power supplies etc) into stuff I need when I'm just bringing my guitar/amp/pedals (which goes into a solid plastic case) or stuff I need for the full PA (which goes in a big holdall). I have a checklist for both scenarios and things get checked off when they get loaded in to the car. 

maltingsaudio

Everything in wheeled flightcases, with a couple of Peli’s to cover small gigs or venues with stairs!

Danny1969

This is the bands gear that doesn't travel home with the members  



It looks bad but because almost none of it is a one man lift, no one really carries anything heavy. 

stickyfiddle

@Danny1969 Nah that looks really well organised - that's the dream!

We'll be requiring venues to provide PA for the stuff we're doing so that cuts it in half. So far we just have to worry about instruments, amps and IEM rig

Danny1969

stickyfiddle said:

@Danny1969 Nah that looks really well organised - that's the dream!

We'll be requiring venues to provide PA for the stuff we're doing so that cuts it in half. So far we just have to worry about instruments, amps and IEM rig

One thing that can save a lot of time is a little splitter rig containing splitters and a cheap digital desk. 

The idea is everyone plugs into the splitter rack . The splitter has 2 outputs per channel. One set of outputs goes to your digital desk ... those ones never get moved. The other set goes to a loom which is left in the back of the rack. You get to the gig, pull the loom out the back and give that to the engineer along with a channel sheet. He plugs that loom into his stage box and doesn't get involved in your IEM mixes. Those are set and saved by you buy each band member can tweak with their mix with phone / iPad etc. 

This system allowed us to be up and running with great IEM mixes within an hour of load in  ... and it wasn't that expensive ..  I bought two 8 channel splitters from studio spares for £200, and a used UI24 on here for £450. the rack was £38 and the loom £25 I think  .. in all. 



Of course you can use it for FOH mixing as well via an iPad. We got to the one well known Liverpool venue and they had a bad leak. The FOH position was waterlogged and their X32 was covered in water. The engineer wanted to cancel. Fuck that, we had hotels booked, show was sold out and we were on great money if it went ahead. So we plumbed in as normal and I gave him my iPad and he mixed the show from the back of the room. Had I not had that splitter rack it would have been game over. 

relic245

I use one of these 

https://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/Trojan-Pro-Cable-Gig-Bag-40/6TA6

stickyfiddle

Danny1969 said:

stickyfiddle said:

@Danny1969 Nah that looks really well organised - that's the dream!

We'll be requiring venues to provide PA for the stuff we're doing so that cuts it in half. So far we just have to worry about instruments, amps and IEM rig

One thing that can save a lot of time is a little splitter rig containing splitters and a cheap digital desk. 

The idea is everyone plugs into the splitter rack . The splitter has 2 outputs per channel. One set of outputs goes to your digital desk ... those ones never get moved. The other set goes to a loom which is left in the back of the rack. You get to the gig, pull the loom out the back and give that to the engineer along with a channel sheet. He plugs that loom into his stage box and doesn't get involved in your IEM mixes. Those are set and saved by you buy each band member can tweak with their mix with phone / iPad etc. 

This system allowed us to be up and running with great IEM mixes within an hour of load in  ... and it wasn't that expensive ..  I bought two 8 channel splitters from studio spares for £200, and a used UI24 on here for £450. the rack was £38 and the loom £25 I think  .. in all. 



Of course you can use it for FOH mixing as well via an iPad. We got to the one well known Liverpool venue and they had a bad leak. The FOH position was waterlogged and their X32 was covered in water. The engineer wanted to cancel. Fuck that, we had hotels booked, show was sold out and we were on great money if it went ahead. So we plumbed in as normal and I gave him my iPad and he mixed the show from the back of the room. Had I not had that splitter rack it would have been game over. 

Yep this is exactly what our keyboardist has. His is a 32-channel Presonus and it makes life incredibly easy. 

Early days still in terms of getting everything really slick but it’s conceptually brilliant and means our baseline monitor mix is always great because it’s exactly the same as last time, every time