How Do You Haul Your Equipment to a Show?

[MNAirHead]

Originally Posted by Floyd Eye

Wasn't a mistake for us. It has been a huge advantage, particularly where set up time is concerned. Gear is plenty efficient and I have no need for smaller or lighter. Load in to sound check is about 1:15. Last song to pulling out of the lot is about 35 minutes. And no one has to drive anywhere but home afterwards. Truck and trailer get pulled into a large garage to await being unloaded at the next rehearsal.

Took a ton of time & planning on my part...

I can fit the entire thing (backdrop, PA, lights) in a mini van... stop/load in to ready is now 30 minutes.

Entire van sits in the garage overnight... matching/interlocking road cases get pulled to pallets the next morning (5 minute unload)

I know I'm not macho... I'd rather back up a minivan than a minivan+trailer.

----

I own a cube truck w/tommy lift... I'd never bring it to a gig.... screams out "gear inside"

[bassgod0dmw]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

We all carry our own gear.

Yep, us too.

[dnosewor]

I'm really glad that all the bars in my area have their own sound systems. I'd hate to have to be lugging all that gear around. All I carry is my bass and my sansamp bass driver di. I can carry all my gear in one hand.

[lowfreq33]

We have a 5x7 trailer that we take on the road. Fits PA and all gear plus luggage. If a place is too big for our PA they'll have their own.

In town everyone gets themselves to the gig.

[Kmonk]

Our sound guy has a large truck. He hauls all the PA gear and amps for us.

[modulusman]

bandleader has a 14 ft wells cargo trailer and a Ford Excursion to pull it.

[Wookieonbass]

Band leader has a large van he bought from a church group to haul the PA, amps, drums and the bass cab. I transport my own bass heads and basses in my car.

[Medford Bassman]

I own the trailer about $1500. Fits everything including keyboard from hell and its case(coffin)
Usually tow it with my truck or guitarist's

I keep it parked inside garage

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

We all carry our own gear.

So do we, 1 van, a truck an SUV and my Maxima.

We decided against a trailer, parking and storage would be more of pain than it would be worth.

Blue

[ShoeManiac]

Generally, for both local and road dates we're able to get all of the band and our gear in two personal vehicles. For us, that's a mid-sized sedan and a small SUV. Nothing crazy.

And the band lineup? 2 singers who play keys and guitar. They have their instruments, amps & wardrobe. And in the other vehicle is me and the drummer. We've got a 4 piece drum kit, trap case, a couple of basses and a small, yet efficient bass rig.

We may or may not bring a small PA. But normally we're using a club's house PA.

[LiquidMidnight]

Originally Posted by MikeBass

A buddy of mine has a trailer that his band hauls their gear in.
He has the UofM ( University of Michigan) logo on the rear door and under it, it says "School of mortuary science"

Brilliant!

Our BL has a trailer. All FOH and stage gear go inside. We take guitars and basses home with us. We're hired guns, so the BL takes care of the financial investment of the trailer and the truck to tow it.

When playing in my previous band, I really wanted a larger cab, like a Berg NV610. Unfortunately, I drove a sedan for a few years. I then went back to a hatchback (i.e., HHR) that could easily accomodate such a cab. But now, a cab that size would be overkill and would be awkward to load into the trailer with our setup. Dagnaybit!

[two fingers]

Trailblazer SS. 390 horsies and goes 124 mph loaded down. (Might go faster but that's all I could give it before I got scared.) All my gear and at least one other guy's will fit in it. Everything else is up to them.

[1954bassman]

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

Took a ton of time & planning on my part...

I can fit the entire thing (backdrop, PA, lights) in a mini van... stop/load in to ready is now 30 minutes.

Entire van sits in the garage overnight... matching/interlocking road cases get pulled to pallets the next morning (5 minute unload)

I would love to see photos of your rig. I thought about going the Minivan route, but they don't seem to be set up to haul a lot of cargo weight. I am very curious about the 5 minute "pallet" unload system you have.

[mellowinman]

Our guitar player has an old Chevy pickup with a topper. Most of the big stuff goes in there. Otherwise, my Mitsubishi Eclipse, and whatever the drummer is driving will get the rest. If, for some reason, he doesn't have the truck, (it breaks down sometimes,) we can use my wife's Chevy S-10, (no topper, so can't be used due to weather,) or if all else fails, we just rent the U-Haul van.

It is very rare that we rent the van, although I love it when we do, because loading is much easier.

[Johnny Crab]

The band I'm with went from huge PA, sound guys, light show to BOSE PAS(1 per player). They sold the big stuff & trailer. Larger shows only get booked if they have FOH and for that we carry regular backline amps.

We all carried our own gear for 5 years(uncluding BOSE PAS w/ 4 "bass" bins) and then hired a guy to carry the BOSE for what we pay him. I use a Chevy Tracker or my wife's conversion van. Both can carry either BOSE PAS + my stuff(pedalboard, basses, tackle box) or simply 3 basses and stuff.

I've heard of plenty of trailers disappearing so you either may want to rethnk that OR make <deleted expletive> sure that you have a foolproof/thief-proof security plan. I'd also leave the trailer unmarked or mark it with something no one would want......i.e. J & B Septic Tank Cleaning Service, Biohazard Transporters Inc., Hazardous Waste Handlers Inc., or something similar.

PS: After having a bass stolen from a vehicle in 1974, I NEVER EVER leave any gear in my vehicle when I get home. Our guitarist/keyboardist learned that the hard way last year when his rack & keyboards got lifted from his car in his driveway one night after a gig. He was lucky he brought his guitars and laptop in that night.

[MarkMgibson]

I have a 8' x 5' trailer that a friend did a lot of custom welding on. It's about 6 foot high, has steel panel sides and roof, padded custom shelving, and it's got good locks and a simple motion alarm system fitted. It cost a little over $1400 to build, is not too heavy, and fits a staggering amount of gear in it.

Also, several band members have tow bars fitted to their cars, so we don't have to worry about a single vehicle breaking down. I think that's the biggest advantage over a van. If you know how to weld, or have a friend who does, box trailers are a great option. You can buy them for next to nothing compared to a dedicated vehicle.

[edbass]

Originally Posted by Floyd Eye

Do you really think a thief is going to bring a gun, continue prying on a steel door while a dog is carrying on inside, while in a parking lot of a bar, in the hopes that A) he is faster than the dog and B) the band left something of value in the trailer?

Probably not at the venue, they would more likely just steal the whole rig and deal with the locks (and your beloved pet) at their convenience.

This scenario;
Stolen gear Rochester, NY

I don’t think the logo/no logo issue is addressed in the sad Rochester story, but no matter how you spin it putting a permanent band logo on your transport vehicle is just asking for it.
Luckily there is also no mention of a pet left “guarding” their gear either…

Nice logos look cool, but “plain vanilla” is safer and may even get you a break on insurance.

[Floyd Eye]

Originally Posted by edbass

Probably not at the venue, they would more likely just steal the whole rig and deal with the locks (and your beloved pet) at their convenience.

This scenario;
Stolen gear Rochester, NY

I don’t think the logo/no logo issue is addressed in the sad Rochester story, but no matter how you spin it putting a permanent band logo on your transport vehicle is just asking for it.
Luckily there is also no mention of a pet left “guarding” their gear either…

Nice logos look cool, but “plain vanilla” is safer and may even get you a break on insurance.

Trust me when I say that no one is going to steal the entire rig and trailer. It's not like I am an idiot and didn't consider all this before spending all that money on the graphics.

[svtcobraboy81]

15 pack van complete with band/crew closely followed by 20' (no logo/no wrap) trailer full of production and backline. Our one off dates are usually in the range of 8-10 hr treks and tour dates are 3-5 hour jumps. Ahhhh, livin the dream

[MNAirHead]

Originally Posted by 1954bassman

I would love to see photos of your rig. I thought about going the Minivan route, but they don't seem to be set up to haul a lot of cargo weight. I am very curious about the 5 minute "pallet" unload system you have.

I asked an old timer when I was going to buy a trailer

He told me to buy airline (not ata cases) rounded molded shells ---- they interlock.

His suggestion was to go with 10s or 12s as a powered main.... Interlocking subs

The comment was that folks don't start with cases and they're irregular sizes

He suggested I watch airline crews handle gear - find gear and sizes that will work together like a puzzle

Cords , mixers all go in the same size case

These all fit in the van--- create a single platform... Anvil cases on the sides flat platform on top to lay more cases

Yea - I had to rethink and redesign lighting backdrops stands etc

Sucked to pay for it ---- sucked to plan it all out -- sucked to tell gear hung players that they'd have to either put up of own and haul their own gear

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Pallet... We built pallets that fit exactly the road cases ... Have tie downs --- used pallet jacks are 50-60

Lift out - place on pallet

Nobody touches the road gear until next gig---