I'm always on the hunt for the best DJ bag. When I first started (1998?), the standard Northface backpack was my go-to for most of my gigs but when I realized i needed to bring more things with me, I went a little crazy trying to find the best backpack. Out of the 7 different ones I have, the current bag I use now is a Magma Riot XL. This thing is a fucking beast. One of the main reasons why I bought this thing was for travel. I picked up a gig for Royal Caribbean and I was going to be away for a whole month on a cruise ship down in the Caribbean. So I figured i'd get something that can hold my mixer plus all the other nonsense I bring around with me. The Magma Riot XL seemed to be the best option. It was just big enough to fit in the overhead compartment in a plane fully loaded (not extended).
Lets start off with the basics.
The next set of items are my laptop stands. While I know most places I spin at have some sort of makeshift laptop stand, I like to bring two (yes, two) everywhere I go just incase one stand won't fit, the other definitely should. Again, I'm a freak when it comes to being prepared so I plan for the shittiest scenario in the DJ booth.
Backups and Backups! I bring two 1 terabyte external hard drives just incase shit hits the fan. One also acts as a bootable drive just incase my internal drive fails. I back these up regularly so I'm always up to date on my music just incase anything goes wrong. Now, why do I have this with me? Simple, I do weddings, clubs, retail and corporate events. The last thing i'd want is to look like an asshole.
Backup cables are MAJOR KEY! Not for nothing but how many times have you run into a scenario where you needed a xlr - 1/4 adapter and radioshack was closed? right?!
Like I said, i'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to my gear but I run into so many random things where they come in handy. The next items i have aren't necessarily DJ related but just good to have in general.
So there you have it! That's pretty much everything I carry around with me everywhere I go. Let me tell you, it's pretty damn heavy. I'd like to estimate it around 25-30lbs. I know, it's crazy to do all that and yes I agree, sometimes I never even open certain compartments but i'm the type of person to show up an hour early for no reason. I like to be prepared. I like to know that I did my part. I've learned most of this the hard way and that's why it's grown to this but on occasion i'll prep a lighter version if I know for sure I won't need any of these things. OCD much? Anyway, that's all I got. Let me know if you guys have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them!
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August 8, 2016