Shipping Gear Cross-Country!

[stringbean01]

going to be shipping my "studio rig" from Maryland to LA for a 6 week recording gig. my first time doing this and im a little nervous about safety and cost.

-apogee converters
-preamps/comps
-adam a7's
-cables
-snakes

flying mics as carry on.

i've gathered that its probably best to box up units individually in meticulous bubble wrap+foam. will want to insure everything for all its worth as well.

any tips on how to keep the costs down? which service?

thank you!

[bishopthomas]

Are you putting it all in a rack? If not then shipping it all in the original boxes will certainly work, but if it's going in a rack anyway why not keep it there. That's what rack cases with wheels and handles are for. There was another discussion on this not too long ago and the OP ended up using FedEx Home Delivery. A search will bring it up I'm sure.

[PlugHead]

GS search engine is your friend:

How to ship a mobile rack

Transporting equipment

If you're trying to do it on the 'cheap', I'd do the crating/packaging yourself, and have it sent via bus or transport/cartage, or another ground service that has reasonable rates, and INSURANCE!

good luck with it...

[stringbean01]

Originally Posted by bishopthomas

Are you putting it all in a rack? If not then shipping it all in the original boxes will certainly work, but if it's going in a rack anyway why not keep it there. That's what rack cases with wheels and handles are for. There was another discussion on this not too long ago and the OP ended up using FedEx Home Delivery. A search will bring it up I'm sure.

shipping a bare rack scares me. i have an OSP "shock mount" 6-space (no casters), but i just cant see that thing actually absorbing adequate impact if it were dropped. at all.

i'd imagine shipping my smaller non-shockmount 6-space roadrunner rack inside a box with ample styrofoam popcorn would be safer?

really only shipping maybe 5 or 6 large-ish boxes worth of stuff. i dont think this calls for a high end freight service as discussed heavily in those other threads...

also just found out fedex has a multi-package ground service where you can ship multiple boxes to the same address in one cluster with declared value insurance. this is sounding like the best option for me.

thanks for input! any other thoughts are welcome

[loji]

I shipped 400lbs of equipment for $500 door to door from San Diego to Brooklyn.


Pack your rack .. and ship it on a pallet. They'll fork lift it into the back of a truck, and it'll bounce it's away over to the West Coast for you


Look into logistic services .. it's their jobs to know the good rates, and get the 'in'. MUCH cheaper than doing to fed-ex UPS yourself.

I ratchet strapped a rack, drum case, bass case, misc metal boxes etc .. all together, and just ratchet strapped some acoustic foam to the outside. Not a problem at all .. got it in about a week.

I'm a big fan of tight packs. If the gear can't move, it can't get hurt. The problems happen when you have all this soft stuff around, and it gives to much the gear and move and bump into each other, the ground, etc .. make it all one single solid object.

and GOODLUCK! Have a great session!


p.s. I even had a snare stand collapsed in the rear of the rack .. all the gear was shallow, and I just stuck a piece of foam in the back to protect the XLR jacks. . . Dj decks, and a UPS in the drum case, etc .... pack it up right, and it'll be fine.

[bishopthomas]

A fall is a fall. Whether it's wrapped in cardboard and/or some packaging peanuts, it's not going to make much difference. Gear is shipped around the country all the time in its ATA cases (consoles especially). I never understood why you would want to take a perfectly road ready case with wheels and handles, and wrap it in cardboard making it impossible to carry and non-rolling. That seems like a recipe for disaster, not using the case as it's intended.

I agree, though, that the safest way to do it is to put it on a pallet and go freight. Now you're using forklifts and pallet jacks, not some guy trying to manhandle a huge box with no wheels or handles.

[stringbean01]

cool. i'm interested in this pallet method now. ideally hoping to send it all for no more than 400 each way.

if someone could just explain in a little more detail how this works i'd really appreciate it!

so a pallet.. will i need to buy one myself? do i buy ratchet straps at home depot or something? or do the services help you pack a pallet. do these services typically schedule a pickup at your house? what kind of insurance/coverage options are there with this "logistics" services?

can anyone suggest either a few national services, or one that operates out of the washington DC area?

thanks again!

[bishopthomas]

You can have a shipping company palletize your gear for a fee, but if you have access to a pallet then just do it yourself. If you're putting it all in a rack then just build the rack, lay it on its back if possible (if not take off the wheels), and strap it to the pallet. You can buy straps from Home Depot for around $15 for 4 of them if I remember correctly. If you're shipping it as individual gear, not in a rack, then stack it all nice and neat then wrap it in plastic wrap. You can get large rolls from Sam's Club or a restaurant supply store.

You really want to either have them pick up at a loading dock or deliver it to their local terminal. Most will charge you an arm and a leg to pick up from a residential address, from the ground, if they even do it at all.

I can't make many recommendations. I got a quote from FedEx Freight to ship a 600 lb pallet from Nashville to Toronto for $800, just to give you an idea. I have a friend who just used Estes Express to ship a pair of Sumner lifts (like Genie material lifts, if you're familiar; massive crank stands for lifting truss/lighting/PAs). They were on a pallet, we picked them up from the dock, and I believe it cost around $250 from Dallas (I think) to New Jersey. Good luck in your search and please let us know how it turns out.

[stringbean01]

any advice on how to coordinate a loading dock location? do you typically just ask permission to use a building's dock? do these freight services carry forklifts in their trucks?

sorry for the barrage. i just have no idea how the details of this process work! i'm a freelance engineer trying to get my stuff out to LA to work with a band on a record in an unfitted studio space that we're renting for a few months.

thanks!

[WVUtubadude]

Road trips are fun....just get an Enterprise truck


If it is palletized, you will have to take it to the shipping company's hub since their delivery vehicles are not equipped to handle them.

[DannyL]

SOS shipping is about the best there is. They are not cheap. But I have had them ship everything: multitracks, vtr's, tube pre's, vintage mics, you name it. Never had a problem, the gear always arrived intact on on time.

Regards;
danny

[stringbean01]

called SOS... nice people! kinda freaked out that they dont offer higher insurance coverage though for new customers... but waiting on a quote anyway.

alternatively, i got a quote through discountshipping.com which is absolutely in my ballpark, and they seemed to offer insurance based on value.

i'll keep you guys posted; any advice as the discussion progresses is welcome!

[Remoteness]

You received some very good answers.

If you need more advice consider clicking on the popular tag called, transportation Threads - Forum Tags by Remoteness

There are plenty of threads on the topic.

[stringbean01]

phew! finally found a shipping agent with a cheaaaap quote and included insurance (covering $25/pound at the estimated weight class), with a reasonable option to upgrade insurance. reasonable pricing on shipping to/from residential locations that require a liftgate also!

S3 Logistics, agent mike bergfeld seems to be the jam. going to piece together this pallet next week and see what the final weight, quote, specifics are.

ps, anyone ever used uship.com? seems like ebay for finding a shipper.

[Remoteness]

I've shipped passive and active splitters; mic pre racks; consoles and such via FedEx and FedEx Ground with great results...

Go figure; right?

[stringbean01]

question, where should i get a pallet? how much are they? maybe i could just yank one from an "overstocked" loading dock somewhere at night, haha.

[Remoteness]

You can build one or buy one from uline.com, but you may prefer to steal one from an "overstocked" dock instead.

Originally Posted by aemaury

question, where should i get a pallet? how much are they? maybe i could just yank one from an "overstocked" loading dock somewhere at night, haha.

[stringbean01]

so many unattended pallets on the streets of bushwick, brooklyn. *hello!*

[Remoteness]

Yeah, just like all those unattended mics on those stands in the studio; "hello?"

Originally Posted by aemaury

so many unattended pallets on the streets of bushwick, brooklyn. *hello!*

[t_chance]

Pallets are most often offered free for the taking here in MN. I'm sure you could find some for nothing anywhere. If you see some outside a business, just ask.

[stringbean01]

yep, i found an abandoned pallet in the middle of the block against a fence. great condition. standard 48x40. will be taking it home next week and building the shipment. will be sure to keep you posted with pics too.

in the meantime, i packed my two racks:

1) OSP 6U 19" deep case with a rubber/foam shock layer... has my converters and pre's fitting all 6 slots on one end. packed all my xlr cables back behind those units and in all the vacant nooks, then mounted my comps, headphone amp, and power conditioners on the other end. heavy as shit but solid as a rock. no leeway for anything to move a single square inch inside.

2) Roadrunner 6U 14" deep case stuffed with my 50' 16/ch snake and some pedals/misc stuff. basically just using it as a really heavy duty box. will be used as a rack once again when unpacked for tracking.

ordered a big Pelican 1650 (32"x20"x"12) to fit my A7 monitors, some more cables, and all my dynamic mics.

bungee-cord-wrapped several collapsed mic stands together

will fit the 3 large items together on the pallet, find a space for the mic stand bundle, and ratchet strap it all together using 3 or 4 straps. should i use more straps?

plan to take all my condensers in their boxes in a carry on roller suitcase when i fly.

feeling like its going to clock in somewhere between 400 and 500 lbs. up near the top of the budget, but viable nonetheless. current quote via S3 Logistics (residential to residential w/ liftgate) from bethesda MD to santa monica CA is $400, with $25/lb insurance coverage .

gettin there.

[bishopthomas]

Glad you found a pallet. Just FYI for others, Craigslist is a great resource for stuff like this. I've never found pallets before, but if you're in a major area (like DC for the OP) you're bound to get some responses from a Craigslist ad.

[boojum]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

Yeah, just like all those unattended mics on those stands in the studio; "hello?"

LMAO! You mean those are not like a buffet, you know, help yourself?

Luckily I have not lost any gear, yet. But I am fast to the mics at the end of the gig and keep eye on the recorder.

[hbphotoav]

Originally Posted by aemaury

yep, i found an abandoned pallet in the middle of the block against a fence.
...
bungee-cord-wrapped several collapsed mic stands together

will fit the 3 large items together on the pallet, find a space for the mic stand bundle, and ratchet strap it all together using 3 or 4 straps. should i use more straps?

gettin there.

You might buy some of that stretchy industrial-strength saran-wrap stuff and seal up the entire load on the pallet (or find a shipper who will wrap your load) to protect a bit against moisture and secure it to the pallet. See the stuff at: Shrink Wrap, Bags and Tools - ULINE

[stringbean01]

phew. here's where im at. pics taken throughout the process. ended up packing the racks full to the gills with all kinds of stuff. ziptied butterfly latches. got 250 "fragile" stickers for $3 on ebay. tightened together to the pallet with ratchet straps. kinda weary of the mic stand bundle... feels pretty solid and bungee-tied many many times to itself and various locations. overall the whole thing feels solid as a ROCK.

my math tells me that this weighs about 450 lbs. the best quote i found for this job is about $400. hopefully it isn't way heavier than i've calculated, but overall i'm really happy with how easy the process has been. hopefully it all arrives safely. any last tips?

scheduling the shipment tomorrow! also listing on uship.com

[bishopthomas]

I'm a little concerned about the mic stand "package" falling off the pallet. Regardless, now find yourself a huge roll of plastic wrap and go over the whole pallet a few times. This is also where your bill of lading will attach, rather than a big nasty sticker on your cases.

[stringbean01]

Originally Posted by bishopthomas

I'm a little concerned about the mic stand "package" falling off the pallet. Regardless, now find yourself a huge roll of plastic wrap and go over the whole pallet a few times. This is also where your bill of lading will attach, rather than a big nasty sticker on your cases.

agreed, the stands could be more secure. gonna play with it some more today. plastic wrap over the straps and all?

[Remoteness]

Yes, plastic wrap over everything.
You can get the stuff at Home Creapo also know as Home Depot.

[bishopthomas]

Now that I look more closely at your picture I see that the bungees go around the pallet. I was about to suggest you do that, but since they are secure to the pallet it would seem that you are good to go (after those layers of plastic). And yes, plastic wrap over the straps, just like you have it. Cover the gear completely and maybe down to the "deck" of the pallet. Just don't cover the whole pallet itself as the will get mutilated by moving around the floor/truck and from the pallet jack/fork lift.

[stringbean01]

yep yep! stands were snug to begin with via bungee cords strapped to the pallet, but i got a few layers of wrap over it as well now. only $20 for a nice big roll of stretch wrap with handles at home depot. and its bio-degradable plastic!

pallet picking up tomorrow afternoon. bill of lading printed. delivering in 4 business from Maryland to LA. 450 lbs. $25/lb insurance. approx $400 total cost.

Mike Bergfeld at myfrieghtworld.com.
Toll Free: (877) 549-9438
Direct Line: (913) 905-5209
Fax: (866) 761-7510
mbergfeld@myfreightworld.com

great guy and super helpful with a shipping noob like me.

everyone here: thank you SO much for your input. i truly am not sure how i would have been able to figure out how to do this quickly and efficiently without you all. will keep you posted upon arrival!