Traveling with Gear (airplane?)

[charlievela]

Hey everyone,
I'm currently making arrangements to do a record this summer out of town. The plan is to rent a house someplace scenic and set up a make shift studio. I think it will be a really great experience for the band, and I'm really looking forward to setting up real reverb chambers in the empty rooms. Only problem is that most of the locations we're scouting are a good deal away. Renting all the needed gear locally is not really an option due to budget constraints, so I need to find some way to bring my stuff with me. We've discussed renting a uHaul and trucking it, but i don't really relish the thought of traveling across the country solo and back again when we're done.

Has anyone ever traveled on an airplane with their gear (i think i can fit most of my barebones stuff into a 12-14 space rack and a trunk or two, we'll buy stands and stuff locally)? If so, what's the best way to go about it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Burnt Ernie]

Skip the plane-your gear will get trashed. Load the truck. Drive the truck.
Dig the drive. You'll get time & space to sort out what you haven't yet.
Just my take. I toured with the same band like this until they "made it",
and stopped having fun. That took 7 years. DON'T EVER STOP HAVING FUN.

[rocky]

I travelled 7 or 8 times a year on transatlantic flights with a Pro Tools set up, a bunch of guitars and old analog synths.

Best advice I can give you is buy ultra suitable hardcore road cases for them.

Some of the knocks and smashes those cases took were unthinkable,
but nothing was ever damaged beyond use.

Don't leave any cabling or loose items in any cases that may potentially damage pots or connectors or to anything else.

Leave no options for things to be moved/misplaces in the event that someone opens it up and messes with the pack. That happens.

Do make sure you can do the pack only one way.

Make sure you feel comfortable turning that case upside down and jumping on it & using it as a snowboard, because that's probably going to happen too.

Also, try to bring as much stuff on the plane as you can.
I often travelled with all my pedals, laptops, tape echoes and microphones
as hand luggage without issue, except for the time through security.

I don't miss the fear of opening up the cases on arrival to see if that nights show was going to happen or not!

[Gentleman Jim]

I'd look into the idea of shipping via FedEx Ground or UPS rather than trying to fly with it. With new arbitrary and capricious fees being added by airlines on what seems like a weekly basis nowadays, I would be nervous about how much the total bill would come to.

Instead of driving solo, is there a possibility of bringing a friend with you for a road trip and paying for them to fly home; then fly back at the end of the recording to help you drive home? Maybe the rest of the band could all chip in a bit to buy the ticket, rather than purchase stands, etc. on location.

Also, from the way you worded your post I'm assuming that you don't live near the rest of the band. If you all live near each other, why aren't they considered candidates for driving? Seems like a lost opportunity for some artistic inspiration, no?

[Ronan Chris Murphy]

I spent a lot of time carting gear around the world for records. These days its usually a couple pieces of rack gear packed in the suitcase with the underwear.

when I had to move a lot of it, I got a big kick ass ATA approved road case with great shock mounting, and have it moved by a cargo company (usually rockit cargo)

[mn412]

http://www.rockitcargo.com/

always have had good experiences

[charlievela]

Any recommendations on where i could look for ata flightcases? Any places i should avoid?

[roscoenyc]

http://www.rockitcargo.com/

always have had good experiences

Rockit is great.

Also, Soundmoves is very good too. Started by some former Rockit employees.

http://www.soundmoves.com/

[Nick Sevilla]

Hey everyone,
I'm currently making arrangements to do a record this summer out of town. The plan is to rent a house someplace scenic and set up a make shift studio. I think it will be a really great experience for the band, and I'm really looking forward to setting up real reverb chambers in the empty rooms. Only problem is that most of the locations we're scouting are a good deal away. Renting all the needed gear locally is not really an option due to budget constraints, so I need to find some way to bring my stuff with me. We've discussed renting a uHaul and trucking it, but i don't really relish the thought of traveling across the country solo and back again when we're done.

Has anyone ever traveled on an airplane with their gear (i think i can fit most of my barebones stuff into a 12-14 space rack and a trunk or two, we'll buy stands and stuff locally)? If so, what's the best way to go about it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Rockit Cargo.

Use them, you'll be glad you did.

Cheers

[Leopold]

Don't know if this is an option because maybe the band is in one place and you and your gear is in another but, isn't there any place local or within driving distance that may fit your needs, maybe just a few hours away, or perhaps in between you guys?

Just a thought.

Eddie

[CarlWelden]

Ditto on Rockit Cargo

If you intend on bringing ANY of your gear in carry-on, the best advice I was given, is to always include a copy of the manuals along with whatever components you have on you.
Security is bound to scratch their heads over odd shaped microphones, etc.
there is no way for you to plug anything in and test it to demonstrate it's purpose, but a copy of an owner's manual is the fastest way of communicating the nature of your luggage contents.
Safe travels!

[joel hamilton]

I just bring the stuff that I wouldnt cry if I saw the knob busted off...
If you have some stuff like that, and you want to take it, put it in some racks and get a samsonite strap to wrap around it when it is checked. Gate check it if possible, or if you dont feel like carrying it: just check it.
I have put crazy stuff under a plane.... like a couple of germaniums, a distressor, a pultec (with all the tubes in my carry on ) and a ton of microphones in my bag... The rack stuff was just in an SKB rack with wheels on it because I am lazy and didnt want to carry the stuff, and also because it weighs the least rather than a shock mounted case that will cost you for overages before you even put like one piece of gear in it! Again: aside from the pultec, this is all stuff that really travels pretty well.
Shove foam around the gear from the back after you put it in the rack. Thats all I did. Like a lot of it, so the back cant wrench the rack ears into a pretzel after the 36th time it gets thrown 10 feet. Thats fun to think about...

If it is stuff that you will cry if it gets smashed: sound moves or one of those companies should haul it for you.
there is no "in between" unless you are driving it yourself.
Shippping via fedex can work if it is one or 2 thingies that you can pack up really well.