Lugging your gear in and out of venues.

[fret]

So I have 4 bits of gear I lug to a gig: axefx, a guitar, a bad of cables/capo/bits and pieces, and a foot controller. The way that works in practice is that the bag goes over the shoulder, and the guitar and axefx (in 2U rack case) go in each hand... leaving the foot controller with no appendage to carry it. I end up kinda balancing it between one arm and my body. But it's not ideal.

Do you all just do two trips or have some neat way of making it all work in one trip?

Some of you would have powered wedges, which makes it a 2 trip affair anyway. But those of us going direct in and relying on whatever PA wedges are available would face this sort of issue right?

 

[barhrecords]

This + bungee cords

Purchase Folding Hand Carts, Collapsible Aluminum Hand Trucks, Luggage Push Cart, Trunk Carts, Portable Folding Hand Truck At Globalindustrial.Com.

 

[pauliusmm]

I have a custom guitar gigbag made by local guy that has a big pocket to fit MFC 101. Then i have axe in 2u with wheels in one hand and FBT verve 8ma in the other hand or on the shoulder(found a nice bag at home for FBT). That is quite a heavy load, but i can make it in one trip.

 

[DNW]

My gear involves several trips, and usually the violinist helps seeing as she has bugger all of her own to carry in. Rack is big and heavy, so that's a two handed back-breaking trip on its own. The 2x12 is another trip. The controller case is also pretty heavy, but can be easily enough (for me anyway) carried in one hand with a guitar case in the other. But then there's a 2nd guitar case to carry in anyway. If I'm bringing the Atomic wedge for the violin, that's another trip too.

The rack is all wired up to a patch panel, and the other cables I need (guitar cables, speaker cables, MIDI, etc.) all live in the case for the MFX and exp pedals. Not that I use slides and such in the band, but they live in there too anyway. Spare strings, peg winders, side cutters etc, live in my main guitar case.

This + bungee cords

Purchase Folding Hand Carts, Collapsible Aluminum Hand Trucks, Luggage Push Cart, Trunk Carts, Portable Folding Hand Truck At Globalindustrial.Com.

I was actually looking at that same one on a local site. Is it sturdy enough? I never ended up buying it coz it just looked a bit flimsy.

 

[Rex]

Scott Peterson uses this to make it in one trip. Looks pretty slick.

 

[henryrobinett]

I just use a dollye, not unlike the one you said Scott uses. I have two guitars (depending on the gig) I carry over my shoulder, a four space rack with Axe II and Randall power amp, two 12" cabs and a pedaltrain 2 case. My extra cables are stuffed between the pedaltrain case and my Gibson case. It normally takes two trips because I also take a stand for the Axe, a guitar stand and a music stand. Sometimes books of music for the guys. Otherwise I stuff the music in my guitar case. Sometimes also a stool to sit on.

 

[GiRa]

My one-trip-to-bring-them-all trick is: double gig bag (two guitars, one bag) on my back, backpack on my front (I wear it reverse), rack in the right hand, foot controller flight case in the left hand.

 

[yek]

Scott Peterson uses this to make it in one trip. Looks pretty slick.

I have that one too, but the two plastic screws (which make the cart longer/shorter) broke off, and the tires ran flat soon....

 

[Rex]

I have that one too, but the two plastic screws (which make the cart longer/shorter) broke off, and the tires ran flat soon....

Ouch! Scott swears by his. Maybe you got a lemon. Or not. How did the screws break? And no way to reinflate the tires?

 

[David Whittingham]

This + bungee cords

Purchase Folding Hand Carts, Collapsible Aluminum Hand Trucks, Luggage Push Cart, Trunk Carts, Portable Folding Hand Truck At Globalindustrial.Com.

+1, this is exactly what I do. On the trolley, I carry:

• SKB rack case, containing Axe-FX II and VG-99
• Guitar case that has floor pedals/cables in it
• QSC K10
• Amp stand (for rack)
• Music stand
• Bag with cables and other misc. items

 

[jon]

I'm a lazy arse here too So I try to make everything in one trip as well!

I use a magna cart - those things are cheap, small, foldable, and don't have inflatable tires to go flat on you. They're not as strong as the others, but I'm not carrying 300 lbs of gear anymore....my axe rack is just about 50 lbs, and the cart takes it wonderfully. Loaded up a 120 lb load on it the other day, and it took it well too.

My tricks are:
1. Less packing/unpacking, so now, everything is cabled up already...just 2-3 cables to plug in, and I'm done
2. Use of attachment devices - bungees, large carabiners, straps etc
3. Placement - this is an important one! Take some time to arrange your stuff in a clever way so that everything fits well, snug, and won't fall off. Do all your re-arranging at home, well BEFORE the gig, so that you know what goes where, and what works and what doesn't.

 

[barhrecords]

My gear involves several trips, and usually the violinist helps seeing as she has bugger all of her own to carry in. Rack is big and heavy, so that's a two handed back-breaking trip on its own. The 2x12 is another trip. The controller case is also pretty heavy, but can be easily enough (for me anyway) carried in one hand with a guitar case in the other. But then there's a 2nd guitar case to carry in anyway. If I'm bringing the Atomic wedge for the violin, that's another trip too.

The rack is all wired up to a patch panel, and the other cables I need (guitar cables, speaker cables, MIDI, etc.) all live in the case for the MFX and exp pedals. Not that I use slides and such in the band, but they live in there too anyway. Spare strings, peg winders, side cutters etc, live in my main guitar case.



I was actually looking at that same one on a local site. Is it sturdy enough? I never ended up buying it coz it just looked a bit flimsy.

The one in the link is aircraft aluminum. 400lb capacity. It is very strong. I unload the whole truck with it.

It doesn't fold up quite as small as I would like but it will still fit behind the seat of a normal passenger car.

Richard

 

[UnsungHeroGuitars]

What is this 'all in one trip' thing of which ye all speak..?

It takes four of us several trips, but then again, that is PA, lighting, instruments & stands etc - perhaps the only downside of being fully self-contained I suppose. Mind you, the overall benefits outweigh that

 

[yek]

Do all your re-arranging at home, well BEFORE the gig, so that you know what goes where, and what works and what doesn't.

Yeah, that's no problem before the gig. It's AFTER the gig where it goes wrong. Beer and re-arranging stuff don't go well together.

 

[yek]

What is this 'all in one trip' thing of which ye all speak..?

It takes four of us several trips, but then again, that is PA, lighting, instruments & stands etc - perhaps the only downside of being fully self-contained I suppose. Mind you, the overall benefits outweigh that

Since a couple of years the bands I play do not bring their own P.A. anymore. I rather earn much less than have to carry all that stuff etc. After-gig hours improved a lot since then.

 

[scottburrow]

This is what I use. The carts about $179.00 bucks. It's very compact.
TRI-KART 800 FOLDING LUGGAGE UTILITY CART

 

[jon]

I am taking quite a fancy to that tri-kart..

 

[scottburrow]

I am taking quite a fancy to that tri-kart..

yeah, you won't be disappointed. I love that I can drive it with one hand, with guitar on my back and a coffee in the other hand. Of course now that I have added the Matrix and a 2x12 cabinet it takes two trips now, but the good thing is we just moved into a new building where I play, so I don't have to go as far as I used to.

 

[henryrobinett]

I am taking quite a fancy to that tri-kart..

Me too. I wonder if it'd work for my rig. I have 2 12" cabs though.

 

[scottburrow]

Me too. I wonder if it'd work for my rig. I have 2 12" cabs though.

You would be surprised, what I have desperately gotten on that thing at times. Those late night gigs where you just don't want to make another trip, because your afraid that when you get back for your second trip, there will be nothing for your second trip, if you know what I mean.