Transporting Drum Gear

drummom

Member
Ok, I'm back and time for you to teach me more..

My drummer boy is taking his show on the road. He did great on the snare and cymbal at his school concert so teacher said for the next concert he can bring the kit. Also, we may need to take it out for another school variety show.

Anything we need to know about setting it up on a stage?

I got bags at Guitar Center. And, I ordered a cymbal bag (got different places to use up birthday gift cards). So, my husband said we need a rug (we have an extra indoor/outdoor rug - is that ok)? How do you pack up all the stands, throne, etc. to protect that? What else do we need to take?

Hey Larry, you wondered what happened to your old gear... its being used and appreciated every day and now its going on the road. :)

Thank you!
 
I have both fiber trap cases and hardware bags to carry my hardware. It’s better for me split it this way each one doesn’t weigh too much and I can put the bag on top of the case to roll it. Your guy at the local Guitar Center can show you what he has and what he could get.

But I’ve also gone one further step by having a big Rock n Roller cart to get everything on it and roll in in one trip. So I can just park anywhere now and roll the whole cart if I have to.
 
yeah...it depends on how many stands, and the weight of them...

for my big (6 drums/12 cymbals) rock and roll kit, I use a Humes and Berg molded plastic case with wheels...but that is like 10-15 stands that are pretty durable, and it is brutally heavy. Waayyy back when I started, I bought this case, knowing that eventually, it would be full.

for my (4 piece/ 3 cymbal) jazz set up, I use an old Vic Firth combo kit bag - the ones like he would use for school band - and it houses 3 Yamaha mini boom stands, my snare stand, and HH stand. It is much lighter weight, and rolls like a suit case would...I use that bag, and soft cases for the drums on a cart like Bo mentioned, and can get in and out of a gig in one trip 99% of the time

many people use old duffle/hockey bags as well

definitely bring the carpet!! I got mine for free as a remnant at the local carpet store....it is about 20 years old now and has tons of milage/mojo from years on the road etc.
 
FWIW, I've been using an unbacked indoor/outdoor carpet for the last 15 years. It's thin and light, like about a pound. I got it at Home Depot for 20 bucks. I had to cut it with scissors to about a 6 x 6 piece because it was bigger than I needed. As long as it's big enough so he can put his throne fully on the carpet, his own weight will hold the carpet in place. Make sure the hi hat stand is also fully on the carpet. It's great to hear he's really running with this.

Re: setting up on stage...I'd leave a little early, like an extra half hour on top of what you were originally planning, if possible, and make DOUBLE sure he has EVERYTHING HE NEEDS before leaving your house. Make a thorough checklist and don't leave anything out. Going early for the first time he takes the kit out is a really good idea, so he can take his time and not be stressed. A wagon or 2 makes loading in and out much easier. Have extra sticks for breakage or droppage. Bring a drumkey or 2 as well. Let us know how it goes, K? I also recommend toting a small, basic toolkit for emergencies, a flathead, a phillips and some pliers at least. Duct tape has saved many a gig, that's also recommended. Try to foresee any possible gear issues the night before, and maybe try tuning the drums at home the night before. The night before would be a good time to sort out any problems with the set.
 
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I like the Wolfpack rug. Sure you can get a cheap rug, but drum specific rugs fold up nice, have a wrapping system for easy transport and are extra grippy where they need to be. For an extra $50, totally worth it. For hardware, a case with wheels.

4917520E-4D0C-4C05-90B0-59D392E1C4F8.jpeg
 
For stands, I use a sturdy bucket (5 gallon paint or drywall mud, pickles, etc.), with optional army surplus duffel bag for inclement weather.

So far I have always had a vehicle that allows this to be set upright with the seatbelt (or another strap) looped around it
 
Thanks, got fabric cases as this is for a 10 year old trying not to spend that much. A cart is probably a good idea.

Looking for more how to
I like the Wolfpack rug. Sure you can get a cheap rug, but drum specific rugs fold up nice, have a wrapping system for easy transport and are extra grippy where they need to be. For an extra $50, totally worth it. For hardware, a case with wheels.

View attachment 89976

That is nice. We only need it a few times a year. Our instructor showed me the fancier cases but that's not in the budget. We have a 5 piece Rock kit - I didn't think about having to transport it when I bought it. Now I'm thinking in a few years if he takes it out to get a smaller used kit for out of the house....
 
For stands, I use a sturdy bucket (5 gallon paint or drywall mud, pickles, etc.), with optional army surplus duffel bag for inclement weather.

So far I have always had a vehicle that allows this to be set upright with the seatbelt (or another strap) looped around it

Thanks - we have multiple buckets as we DIY the house. And, those duffle bags - husband was military.

Not sure how it will get into the SUV- got a new one but was told by others it will fit but not sure if the kid will fit too and he's the most important part. :)
 
FWIW, I've been using an unbacked indoor/outdoor carpet for the last 15 years. It's thin and light, like about a pound. I got it at Home Depot for 20 bucks. I had to cut it with scissors to about a 6 x 6 piece because it was bigger than I needed. As long as it's big enough so he can put his throne fully on the carpet, his own weight will hold the carpet in place. Make sure the hi hat stand is also fully on the carpet. It's great to hear he's really running with this.

Re: setting up on stage...I'd leave a little early, like an extra half hour on top of what you were originally planning, if possible, and make DOUBLE sure he has EVERYTHING HE NEEDS before leaving your house. Make a thorough checklist and don't leave anything out. Going early for the first time he takes the kit out is a really good idea, so he can take his time and not be stressed. A wagon or 2 makes loading in and out much easier. Have extra sticks for breakage or droppage. Bring a drumkey or 2 as well. Let us know how it goes, K? I also recommend toting a small, basic toolkit for emergencies, a flathead, a phillips and some pliers at least. Duct tape has saved many a gig, that's also recommended. Try to foresee any possible gear issues the night before, and maybe try tuning the drums at home the night before. The night before would be a good time to sort out any problems with the set.

Thank you - all helpful. We have the Home Depot indoor/outdoor rug. Not sure if its backed or not but I may have a gripper if I didn't get rid of it. I should probably invest in some more drum keys. At one concert, his music teacher will be there but its the variety show I'm more concerned with and possibly this week to try out. I always have him carry a few sets of sticks (I usually but 12 pair or so at a time) even just for lessons.

He's making a go at it. Music is good for him. Next year he'll be at a school that has a specific music program and he gets two music classes, not just one and they have percussion but he's a kit man (but willing to play what ever he is told).

When you go out, do you take the entire kit or only what you absolutely need? His cymbal collection is slowly growing - I'd rather get him a new cymbal (got one for $10 for the holidays on clearance at Guitar Center that was $70) than legos at this point.
 
Larry, should I be buying/keeping things like extra heads or just do the duct/packing tape method which is what we did before getting a new head for the base drum? Or eventually upgrade his heads (not soon as just got the cases) and keep the old ones for an emergency?
 
I used 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 cheapie Walmart rugs or the like for 2 decades. I've heard bad stories about people buying "drum" rugs for $75 and them being WAY cheaper and didn't hold any better than a $20 rug. SO, be careful and knowledgeable about what you're buying.
Cheap rugs roll up nicely :cool:

Military duffel bags are very sturdy. A great inexpensive bag for hardware.

Spend the majority of your money on drum heads.
 
I used 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 cheapie Walmart rugs or the like for 2 decades. I've heard bad stories about people buying "drum" rugs for $75 and them being WAY cheaper and didn't hold any better than a $20 rug. SO, be careful and knowledgeable about what you're buying.
Cheap rugs roll up nicely :cool:

Military duffel bags are very sturdy. A great inexpensive bag for hardware.

Spend the majority of your money on drum heads.

Makes complete sense. He has a $30 Aldi's 5x7 shag rug under it now but I don't want that leaving the house. Its a big kit, he could use bigger than 5x7 but we have no space to put it somewhere else. We have an indoor/outdoor rug so if that doesn't work I'll go to another plan.

I think we may replace the heads/wire as the next upgrade. Its going to be an expensive drumming month.
 
Larry, should I be buying/keeping things like extra heads or just do the duct/packing tape method which is what we did before getting a new head for the base drum? Or eventually upgrade his heads (not soon as just got the cases) and keep the old ones for an emergency?
Yes Jessica, keep all your extra heads that aren't ripped. For gigs, I bring a spare bass drum head and a spare snare head, both sides, spare sticks and a spare pedal. Toms I don't carry spare heads for because they don't get nearly the use that the bass drum and snare drum get. I can play fine without toms. If the bass drum head isn't broke, I wouldn't get a new head. Unless you have no spares. A gigging drummer needs to bring a spare bass drum head, it's essential. If you can't get a spare BD head in time, I suggest bringing a half dozen 8 x 11 sheets of laminating plastic to rescue a ripped BD head, if that happens. A few sheets stuck over any rip that happens will get him through the gig. It probably won't happen but I don't take chances like that.

Don't forget to bring the hi hat clutch and seat top for the throne, those can be easy to overlook. A spare pedal is nice but I only had to use mine once in about a thousand gigs. I never once used the spare snare I would carry. I always have wires and straps and heads to repair mine if anything happens. Worst thing that ever happened to my snare was when one of the snare cords failed mid set. I played without snare wires for a lot of the set. Oh well! I prefer the plastic straps now.
I replaced the cord on break, because I had the tools I needed. Be prepared, try and foresee and correct any issues before they happen. Come prepared for any gear failures you may encounter.

As an aside, I just found this out: The name Jessica is an invention of Shakespeare. He made it up for one of his plays. So I'm informing all the Jessicas I know about that :)
 
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Not sure how it will get into the SUV- got a new one but was told by others it will fit but not sure if the kid will fit too and he's the most important part. :)

Stack stack stack. Snare on top of floor tom. Rack toms on top of each other. Cymbal bag on top of bass drum. Carpet rolled up and bungeed to military bag full of hardware. In the hatchback area of your SUV. Take out the back seat if you need to. You can get a ton of gear into a vehicle if done right.
 
Yes Jessica, keep all your extra heads that aren't ripped. For gigs, I bring a spare bass drum head and a spare snare head, both sides, spare sticks and a spare pedal. Toms I don't carry spare heads for because they don't get nearly the use that the bass drum and snare drum get. I can play fine without toms. If the bass drum head isn't broke, I wouldn't get a new head. Unless you have no spares. A gigging drummer needs to bring a spare bass drum head, it's essential. If you can't get a spare BD head in time, I suggest bringing a half dozen 8 x 11 sheets of laminating plastic to rescue a ripped BD head, if that happens. A few sheets stuck over any rip that happens will get him through the gig. It probably won't happen but I don't take chances like that.

Don't forget to bring the hi hat clutch and seat top for the throne, those can be easy to overlook. A spare pedal is nice but I only had to use mine once in about a thousand gigs. I never once used the spare snare I would carry. I always have wires and straps and heads to repair mine if anything happens. Worst thing that ever happened to my snare was when one of the snare cords failed mid set. I played without snare wires for a lot of the set. Oh well! I prefer the plastic straps now.
I replaced the cord on break, because I had the tools I needed. Be prepared, try and foresee and correct any issues before they happen. Come prepared for any gear failures you may encounter.

As an aside, I just found this out: The name Jessica is an invention of Shakespeare. He made it up for one of his plays. So I'm informing all the Jessicas I know about that :)

Thank you!!

The laminating sheets make compete sense and we have those. Think I need to get some more drum keys. The snare heads look ok but are starting to get worn. But, one of the base pedal mallets is getting worn so I need to replace that. We need to stop looking as this is costing us more. I haven't bothered to keep extra heads yet, just sticks as we are so close to several stores and Amazon that its pretty easy to replace. I used packaging tape on the base head (its been replaced) and that worked but something bigger like the laminating sheets makes more sense.

Any other helpful advice...
 
Stack stack stack. Snare on top of floor tom. Rack toms on top of each other. Cymbal bag on top of bass drum. Carpet rolled up and bungeed to military bag full of hardware. In the hatchback area of your SUV. Take out the back seat if you need to. You can get a ton of gear into a vehicle if done right.


The kid is 10 so he's in the back seat and I don't think the seat will come out easily. I might be able to open the top or get a top rack or rack for the hitch but I got a new SUV and one guy was a drummer and said he gets drum in. Almost got a bigger SUV but wanted fun. Figured worse case we can later get a second small travel set. But, for now, he's not going out enough to make it worth a second set. Worst case we'll take two cars as both places are at schools close by.
 
But, one of the base pedal mallets is getting worn so I need to replace that.
When I read this one question comes to mind: you are not using one of the black Evans patches on the Bassdrum head and felt beaters, do you? Normally a felt beater can last decades, but the blackEvans patches destroy them within hours of playing. So if using felt beaters better use the clear patches which are not abrasive...
 
When I read this one question comes to mind: you are not using one of the black Evans patches on the Bassdrum head and felt beaters, do you? Normally a felt beater can last decades, but the blackEvans patches destroy them within hours of playing. So if using felt beaters better use the clear patches which are not abrasive...


We are using the black patch. Now you tell me... when I asked about new heads everyone said to use a patch. Can I switch out the patch? My son said he likes the half felt beater as I got him a full felt for his single pedal but on the double it came with the half and half.

Anything else helpful to know?
 
So, the show is going on the road as the school is insisting we bring the full kit...my husband and I had a great laugh as they want to do it in a classroom to keep the noise down. It will go right through the walls. They have no concept of how loud it is .... :)

Any other advice on transporting would be greatly appreciated. I guess there has to be a first time for everything.
 
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