# Touring bands - What do you tour in?



## Meldville (Dec 3, 2008)

We've been using my old '92 Chevy G20 conversion van + a shitty trailer, but it's time to upgrade. We sold the shitty trailer, and had intended to buy a 15 passenger van and go w/o a trailer. That is, until we read all the safety reports like 15-Passenger Vans and 15 passenger van safety and Q&As: 15-passenger vans. These basically told us to stay away from 15 passenger vans at all costs. Hell, we've had a blowout on 3 of our last 4 tours, and that's scary enough without the fear of the van rolling the fuck over!

So, we're trying to decide what to do. Should we get a newer/nicer conversion and pull a trailer? That'd probably run 4000-5000 bucks. Could we realistically fit ourselves (5 dudes and maybe a merch guy), our gear (2 halfstacks, bass rig, double kick drumset, 4 guitars, 2 basses), a bucket or two of merch, and our clothes in there without being insanely cramped? Maybe a 12 passenger + a trailer? (The seats aren't as comfy in that case, but at least sleeping in the van wouldn't be too bad). The problem here is trying to balance as much comfort as you can realistically have while being an unsigned touring band with the best gas mileage and best relative safety. Any other suggestions?


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## noob_pwn (Dec 3, 2008)

i would say get yourselves a newer conversion, as with any vehicle modern safety standards will be head & shoulders above the rest.
Get yourself a decent trailer to tow, something real big.

Here in Australia we just lease minivans like toyota coasters which are 21 seater small busses, you unbolt half the seats & install a cage to seperate passengers & cargo and you have a 12 seater with plenty of room for gear that doesnt chew through much fuel and is really safe. The downside is these are reaally fucking expensive! and im not sure about you guys but over here you need a different class of license to what it takes to drive a van or car. Check out whether leasing will do it for you over the pond.


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## JoePayne (Dec 3, 2008)

I tour in a green chevrolet 15 passenger van. horrible gas mileage but comfortable for up to 6 people in your crew including yourself.


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## eleven59 (Dec 3, 2008)

That's the TerrorVan. We can fit 6 people and all our gear, not extremely comfortably, but we're getting a trailer before the tour.

Our gear includes:
3 Amp heads
3 4x12s
1 Oversize 4x10
1 6U Flight Rack
Kick
Snare
4 Toms
Large drum hardware bag
3 guitars
1 bass
and some other small items.

It's a 7-seater. 2 front seats, 2 rear bucket seats, and a bench at the back. We remove one of the middle bucket seats, and put the cabs and some other gear there, the heads go in front of the rear bench with a blanket over them so our shoes don't get them dirty, everything else goes in the back. It's cramped, but it works. And it'll be way better once we have a trailer.


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## Meldville (Dec 3, 2008)

Yeah, it looks like we're going to be going with a conversoin/trailer combo. The 15 passenger would save gas money, but I'm not taking a chance on rolling over while on tour


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## Nightcrawler (Dec 29, 2008)

We took my 1984 chevy Starcraft for a 12k km trip this summer with a 4x6 trailer. We fit:
6 dudes
2 4x12
1 6x10
5pc kit with cases
3 reg sized heads
8 guitars
Merch box
Camping/cooking equipment
Bunch of random shit/2 coolers/backpacks

It was a bit tight but I also have 2 extra captain seats so the bed was free most of the time. Conversion vans are the shit, but I would like a newer 15 pass better, more room inside and it is possible to build a box in the back you could sleep on and hold your gear under.


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## Tukaar (Jan 6, 2009)

Right now, we carry our shit in 2 separate vehicles. My 1995 Chevy Silverado 1500 and one of our roadie's 1990 Ford F-150. We have:

2 half stacks
2 guitars
2 basses
1 P.A. head
2 P.A. speakers
Bass drum
Floor tom
Tom
Snare
Double pedal
3 pairs of sticks
Ride cymbal with stand
Crash/Ride cymbal with stand
Hi-hat with stand
2 microphones.

Each vehicle is also carrying 2 sweaty, nasty dudes.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Jan 6, 2009)

for the two-week Recently Vacated Graves: True Zombie Metal tour in 2004, we fit 4 guys and all our gear in a Honda Odyssey (7-seat minivan). the trunk space was filled up so much that you couldn't use the rearview mirror at all, and Tim (who did most of the driving) still drives without using his rearview because of it 

we don't have a live drummer, though...we play live with sequenced drum tracks. we had 3 guitars and a bass in hard cases, a guitar head, 4x10 bass cab, a 2x12 guitar cab, 2 PA speakers, some merch, food, our personal stuff, and a rack case containing the preamp and power amp i used at the time, the bassist's head, and a PA power amp. the 2x12 cab was mine, and the other guitarist borrowed cabs from other bands at the shows.

For the 2005 2-show Canadian mini-tour, we used the same vehicle, but we only had 3 people, and we didn't have the rack. i used the 2x12 again, along with a head, and Tim took his 4x12. otherwise, it was pretty much the same.


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## DevinShidaker (Jan 6, 2009)

we have a chevy g20 and I hate it. it's confortable untill it's time to sleep, if you don't find a place to stay that thing blows...the best thing to do is this. But a 12 passenger van, take out the back row or back 2 rows of seats. put down a futon mattress. you still have enough places to sit if you need to be seated, but there is actual comfort in the van. We have a 5x8 trailer in which we will take:
huge drum flight case
2 bass drums
4 4X12 cabs
2 heads
1 bass fridge
1 bass head
5 guitars
2 basses
2 or 3 merch tubs
and all of our personal luggage.
yes, we are VERY good at tetris.


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## sworth9411 (Jan 20, 2009)

We Used to Tour in a 1990&#8217;s Chevy Gladiator with some modifications&#8230;..It had a tv a sleeper and a mini fridge, and we bought an aftermarket ECU for the onboard computer that gave us good gas mileage&#8230;The enigine was strong and a V8 but we ran it on four cylinders with the ecu. Our trailer was sweet and although I don&#8217;t suggest doing this this is how ours was acquired&#8230;

We &#8220;rented&#8221; a U-Haul with a $100.00 American Express gift card (as they only verify 100 dollars on the account) and were fortunate that the kid behind the counter either didn&#8217;t notice, or didn&#8217;t care to see ID or anything like that&#8230;.We painted that shit with black spray paint and towed it along and no-one was ever the wiser&#8230;..not that I advocate that or anything.

I have heard horror stories about the 15 Passenger, but as long as you&#8217;re not above 65 MPH (recommended speed with one of those bad boys towing a trailer) You should be fine&#8230;..

If all else fails buy a vw busJ

P.S. to save room we bought a euro rack for up top (for our personal stuff) tents for sleeping on the road and truck stops and a mini bbq and fridge (available at better truck stops) for the road to save money on food


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## Bloody_Inferno (Jan 20, 2009)

noob_pwn said:


> i would say get yourselves a newer conversion, as with any vehicle modern safety standards will be head & shoulders above the rest.
> Get yourself a decent trailer to tow, something real big.
> 
> Here in Australia we just lease minivans like toyota coasters which are 21 seater small busses, you unbolt half the seats & install a cage to seperate passengers & cargo and you have a 12 seater with plenty of room for gear that doesnt chew through much fuel and is really safe. The downside is these are reaally fucking expensive! and im not sure about you guys but over here you need a different class of license to what it takes to drive a van or car. Check out whether leasing will do it for you over the pond.


 

Yeah, my work gets special rates when it comes to vehicle rentals so we use that for playing to country places or interstate. It's still kinda dear but it's better off that way than driving 4 cars. Or if you can arrange to borrow the cabs or drumkits off the local bands when playing interstate then yeah that too. 

As for the licence issue, if you're a manual (not me cuz I'm lazy) driver, then a 3ton truck is the maximum vehicle you eligible to drive. Any higher requires a heavy vehicle licence. Ideal vehicles maybe a Ford Transit or super Long wheel based vans/ 12 seater commuter busses. Provided a designated (manual) driver as well of course.


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## Tukaar (Jan 25, 2009)

Just got a 1992 Dodge Ram 150 Van, or "big ugly bastard" as we like to call him.

We're down to a two-piece now, so all we have to haul now is:
Me
The Drummer
Whichever roadie we decide to bring with us
2 guitars
my pedal board
1 half stack
Bass drum
Tomtom
Floor tom
Snare
Ride cymbal
Crash/Ride cymbal
Hi-hats
Extension cords
FOOD.


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## MarcoM (Feb 22, 2009)

my band has Dead to Falls trailer when they broke up and a matching colored trailer


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## Meldville (Feb 26, 2009)

MarcoM said:


> my band has Dead to Falls trailer when they broke up and a matching colored trailer



Wait, what? Two trailers? Or you got their old van?


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## The Atomic Ass (Mar 2, 2009)

Personally, I think most of the safety issues with 15-passenger vans are the fault of the operators. 

I'd just get the 15-passenger, lower it so that when fully loaded it sits less than 3" above the hard stops, and dually the rear end. Check tire pressure frequently and drive SANELY and you shouldn't have a rollover.

To add to that, my uncle owned such a van, that was built in the 70's. (Real safe one there, eh?) He drove his family around in it quite a bit, (wife + 6), drove all the way out to California on vacation, etc. Never once had an accident in it, despite several blowouts, one of which I was present for. It wasn't duallied, either.


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