Author Topic: Lugging the kit  (Read 1721 times)

Offline Dobly

Lugging the kit
« on: July 01, 2019, 02:06:35 AM »
Once annoying thing about moving my kit to a gig or rehearsal and back again is how many trips to and from the car it takes.. At some venues, that means across the carpark, though the foyer, up the stairs and to the far side of the hall.

An e kits does not weigh that much. As an example my rack has be  moved in 3 bits. That is 2 trips to or from the car. The bass drum pad is an odd shape to pack, do it does not get packed, that is half of another trip to the car.

At home I can pick the kit up and move it. So I know I am strong enough to carry the whole thing.

Just thinking out loud. I don't have a solution for this yet.

Offline Chaser

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2019, 10:00:35 AM »
Once annoying thing about moving my kit to a gig or rehearsal and back again is how many trips to and from the car it takes.. At some venues, that means across the carpark, though the foyer, up the stairs and to the far side of the hall.

An e kits does not weigh that much. As an example my rack has be  moved in 3 bits. That is 2 trips to or from the car. The bass drum pad is an odd shape to pack, do it does not get packed, that is half of another trip to the car.

At home I can pick the kit up and move it. So I know I am strong enough to carry the whole thing.

Just thinking out loud. I don't have a solution for this yet.

I would suggest a flight case , but they may not be of any help if you don't have a way to transport..plus they are expensive,heavy..and don't do well with stairs.
There are companies that sell E-Kit bags..extremely expensive and small..
Here are a couple of examples of a cheaper solution with Wheeled Duffel bags....adapt to how you need....one is made out of Ballistic Nylon,the other Polyester.
Either Style under 100.00 ea..these 2 have the same dimensions

 
Exterior Dimensions:
40" x 16" x 15"
Linear Inches:71"
Weight:11 lbs
Capacity:6588 cu. in.

40" Max Load Ballistic Wheeled Duffel

40" Deluxe Wheeled Dufflel

There is a variety of 40" Wheeled Dufflel Bags/configurations/styles and should be able to easily accommodate 36" cross bars or uprights.
eBag 40" Wheeled Dufflel

Another cheap option/solution for transporting racks is Golf Travel Bags for Airlines with Wheels.
Majority are 50"..this one is under 50.00

Golf Travel Bags for Airlines with Wheels
« Last Edit: July 01, 2019, 12:54:45 PM by Chaser »

Offline Dobly

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2019, 05:36:07 PM »
Great reply. Thanks Chaser. Those cases are a great idea. I have some planning to do.

Offline Chaser

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2019, 07:56:53 PM »
Another trick that I recommend is purchase flat sheets and standard pillow cases..preferably King or California King..depends on size of kit.
Large sheets you can fold up to 3-4 times...you can purchase enough for all the drums/cymbals/pedals etc cheap..

Then roll the rack tubes one by one..(roll one then add one..roll repeat until sheet is used up) wrap the bundle with Velcro strapping..
after the Kit is setup the sheet doubles as a cover..

Use standard pillow cases..put a drum or cymbal in each fold/wrap over the excess as padding to stack them on top of each other..
I generally get the Black..the better the material , the better the padding..(like microfiber etc)
Black tho..has a tendency to get lost in a dark stage environment..so keep that in mind..

EDIT:
I forgot to mention for a few dollars more and extra protection eBags also sell "compression/packing cubes" that stack into the Duffel bags... make excellent E-Drum or module cases.
Single sided , double sided and the nesting types when empty fit into one another
Here is an example of the "Large"  double sided packing cube , which should hold (2) 12" Alesis drums


eBag packing cubes

« Last Edit: July 01, 2019, 10:00:23 PM by Chaser »

Offline Dobly

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2019, 03:24:04 AM »
I was thinking of lining the in side of the bag with something like heavy cardboard. Then have squares of carpet to put between each drum, and other bits. Wrapping rack pipes?  I normally don't pull them apart. 3 bits. Left, right and front. The front cannot be disassembled as I have cable installed in there down to  the bass drum.

Offline Dobly

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2019, 05:53:39 AM »
I just bought this...



It's 95cm, by 40cm wide and 30cm deep..

(36" by 15" by  12")

The 12 inch pads will fit in with 10cm (4") on the side. There are only 4 x 12" pads.  My 'modded' pads are 11cm (4.5") tall, so 4 of them with a little padding with fill only half this bag. Add 2 10" pads and I've used up around 65cm of the 90cm. Photos will follow. I will get it next week


Offline AlanK

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2019, 02:39:18 PM »
I say buy a cube van with a lift, then have your set mounted on a riser with wheels.. roll it in.. insist all venues are ground floor or they install freight elevators.. mission accomplished   ;D
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers

Offline Dobly

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2019, 03:40:11 AM »
I got the bag.. it's huge. And has wheels. :)



Just a test run here.. I need to get some stiff cardboard or carpet between each pad. There is room at the top for the bassdrum pedal, but not the pad as it is an odd shape. The pads are swimming in there. I might be able to put some stands in there too.

Offline AlanK

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2019, 12:05:23 PM »
Looks great Dobly, is that like a big hockey bag? When I've rented kits from the music store all the hardware is crammed into one of these. Even with the wheels, there's always the getting it up into the back of the van, or down the stairs to the basement and so on that's back breaking.

I'd suggest getting some foam sheets and put a square between each shell, and then some longer strips on each side to keep things in place.. I suppose you could throw one stand in on the side as long as there's foam between it and the drum shells.. keep it light enough. Could always buy a second bag for the stands etc.. for me it's just too heavy for my age and crappy shape.. last gig I did I just carried two stands at a time..having 5 or 6 in one big back does me in and I'm useless lol
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers

Offline Iggford

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2019, 02:36:43 PM »
I'm finding my transportation setup increasingly exhausting.  I've got all my pads (snare, 6 toms and a spare for extra sounds) in one bag.  It's got wheels, but it's a beast when it comes time to lift it into the car.  It's either up and over the trunk opening of my Grand Prix or it's just UP into my wife's Durango.  I keep all my hardware (hi-hat, cymbal & snare stands and certain rack parts) in another rolling bag.  A little easier to manage, but it still weighs a ton after a long gig.

Then I have a bag for all my cymbals, one for my double pedal and then my module case and bass drum.  Oh, and the rack.  That Strike rack is HUGE.

So, I've been weighing options in the bagging department.  I've thought about getting individual tom & snare cases.  I figure with the Strike pads not being as tall, I could double the pads up.  It would all add up to more bags to carry, but lighter each.  Then, a foldable cart for wheeling it all in and out. 

I'm still in the early stages of planning it all out, but after playing past 1 in the morning, it might make it easier to split some things up.


--
Shawn

Offline AlanK

Re: Lugging the kit
« Reply #10 on: July 24, 2019, 09:21:25 AM »
Brother, I totally totally feel for you. I mentioned I've rented a kit from a music store a couple times and the hardware bag on wheels was a bitch to lift and I had to take it down stairs and back up again at the end.. lifting it into the van was at least manageable if I could get the top tilted in a bit then lift and push but dude, I'm getting old and out of shape and it just does me in. I'm lucky I'm not gigging like you, that would just either kill me or maybe strengthen me up after a while but I know it would hurt.

I've always cursed the guitarists that I jam with, they just show up with a guitar case, pedal bag and usually they bring their smallest amps. Drummers have it bad! I hope you can find a solution. I think for me, I'd have to break it all down to maybe 50 lbs max per case and just make more trips.. what about those fold up carts.. four wheels and a u handle that props up.. once you're able to roll into some location toss whatever you can onto it and wheel it into the venue? But the curling club we played a little show in had no wheelchair access and then it had this stupid set of stairs to get up to the auditorium. Suffice it to say by the time I got home that night I was literally hauling my ass to bed up my stairs by the handrail.. all that moving, setup, playing a few hours, dismantle, load, unload, lug down to my basement.. it's painful.

Good luck my man.. keep us posted  :D
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers