[monkeh]

I'm joining my first No 1 UK tour in the next month or so until summer 2013 (after working in theatre for a number of years) and just wanted to pick everyone's brains - what are your essentials to pack when you go on tour?

Cheers

S

PS I'm in stage management, touring weekly (in case that helps/hinders!)

[david.elsbury]

I've not toured, but from what I've gathered, the following are quite useful:

Lots of underwear and socks, it's nice to change them halfway through the day, makes life more bearable.

Your own comms headset.

No doubt others will be along to offer more suggestions, otherwise do a Google search with site:blue-room.org.uk appended to the end, the in-built search kinda sucks.

David

This post has been edited by david.elsbury: 29 April 2012 - 02:02 AM

[DeepSpacePenguin]

More pairs of shoes than you think you'll need.

[indyld]

My guide to touring would have personal comfort at the top of the list. You can endure any amount of abuse, long hours and awful sleeping conditions if you look after No. 1. This may be less relevant if you get things such as: sleep, food, breaks, a bed and other luxuries that I believe are becoming more common these days.

Feet. Guard them with your life. Two pairs of socks per day, if your luggage space budget can stretch to it, or at least more than you think you'll need. My secret nugget of touring gold is a spare pair of boot laces. When you are wearing steel toe Cats for 20+ hrs a day, chances are you will break one and reef knots only go so far. A bootlace has also replaced the drawstring on my touring jogging shorts when it snapped - a life saver. It can also be used for all manner of other things, perhaps the real answer is just some spare para cord that can double as a lace and anything else you need from it.

Oh, yeah, soft shorts and anything that with less fabric, that can be comfortable for days/weeks without washing/taking off. People wash up better than clothes do and also dry out quicker. As has been mentioned, underwear is also a prime consideration.

Continuing on the personal care, your own pharmacy for all eventualities (I think this has been mentioned here before) including vomitting and other nasties, gig butt, etc. Being in a strange place, on four hours sleep a night and not being able to down the odd pill / dab some cream on in between truck loads isn't pleasant.

I'm sure various people would suggest special kit boxes, favourite tools and 120-in-1 Gerbers, plus a spare for everything on the tour and a truck based workshop for maintenance, hammock, blah, blah.

Frankly, if you look after yourself properly, a solution can be found to everything else. And many of those solutions include a spare bootlace. LOL.

E2A: Forgot to say, I realise that the picture I paint may not be exactly the same as touring SM not in the thick of roadboxes and steelwork, but the sentiment about looking after oneself first and foremost works across all departments. Actual role specific kit is pretty much as one would use in a static show, remembering that you can't just wander into the SM store to get it.

This post has been edited by indyld: 29 April 2012 - 01:00 PM

[OllieDuff]

From a recent touring experience, looking after your feet is critical. 2 pairs socks per day, an antifungal/bacterial spray or powder for your boots (they get a mite horrific after a couple of weeks of long days), bag o' blister plasters, pair of open sandals or lightweight trainers to wear in accommodation/on the bus so that your boots can air.

I also picked up 50ft of nylon rope for not much money (sub 10 quid) from a naval surplus store - quite handy for random things. Mine got used for things as diverse as tying down kit and creating a makeshift costume rail.

[timd]

OllieDuff, on 29 April 2012 - 01:38 PM, said:

I also picked up 50ft of nylon rope for not much money (sub 10 quid) from a naval surplus store - quite handy for random things. Mine got used for things as diverse as tying down kit and creating a makeshift costume rail.

You can never have too much rope...

[mac.calder]

If you are like me and have trouble falling asleep in new places sometimes, go see your doctor about getting some Temazepam - The main reason I recommend it is that it will knock you out for (about) 4 hours chemically and then will have completely metabolised. No headaches/drowsiness/sluggishness etc common to non-prescribed sleeping meds.

Socks have been done to death - but they are important...

Since you said you are doing weekly tour legs, chances are you will be able to launder your clothes fairly regularly - what is your accom like? Serviced apartment? Hostel? Hotel? Motel? If you are in serviced apartments then you will probably have access to a washing machine and dryer - so bring some detergent etc (last thing you want to be doing on the first leg of a tour is shopping)

I always pack a power board too. They come in really handy.

This post has been edited by mac.calder: 29 April 2012 - 02:57 PM

[mumbles]

Assuming you're on weeklies in the UK and putting yourself up in digs, then definitely a couple of four ways, always make sure there's a few rolls of toilet paper in your suitcase, and more clothes than you can imagine you'll need, like make sure you pack gloves, hat and scarf, and sunglasses/hat etc now even if you're sure you'll be home before it gets cold/hot.

Other things I tour which make my life that little bit nicer:
- plate, bowl, mug and cutlery, nothing worse than rushing a ready meal down when it's in an almost molten plastic pot
- extra phone charger, it will always be in the theatre/at digs, when a you're at the other, and b your phone's flat
- a 3 mifi or similar dongle as theatre Internet is often piss poor!
- my own pillow! I spent years finding the right one, it seems OTT but a pillow isn't that difficult to tour and waking up with a sore neck will ruin your day, especially on weeklies when you'll be worked hard, all the time!

Good luck with it, hope it goes well and you enjoy it!

[WiLL]

If you are on the book or calling at all, I would recommend your own good, comfy can set. Nothing worse than an uncomfortable set for 16 hours a day.

[bigclive]

mumbles, on 29 April 2012 - 08:05 PM, said:

- extra phone charger, it will always be in the theatre/at digs, when a you're at the other, and b your phone's flat
- a 3 mifi or similar dongle as theatre Internet is often piss poor!
- my own pillow! I spent years finding the right one, it seems OTT but a pillow isn't that difficult to tour and waking up with a sore neck will ruin your day, especially on weeklies when you'll be worked hard, all the time!

A few of those things got so much easier now that most modern phones have standardised on micro-USB for data and charging. (Except the iPhone of course.) It's now viable to have a general use charger floating about at work for communal use.

I've been using a 3 MiFi unit while travelling for a while now, but recently discovered that the All You Can Eat data add-on for your smart-phone (3 quid a month on Three) actually works very well when you use the WiFi hotspot facility in your smartphone. There's no saying if that is going to last, but it comes in handy. Speed and reliability are about the same as the MiFi unit on contract. (Which quite frankly is best described as "tolerable".) The way things are going with phones, I could see the requirement for a laptop while travelling diminishing.

Hotel pillows. They're largely made of air and if you have broad shoulders will leave you with a sore neck. My fix for that if I'm in accommodation for a while is to go and buy a 12-pack of toilet paper and use it as a very firm pillow underneath the hotel one. Sounds odd, but works a treat. In fact it works so well that I use one as an under-pillow at home now too with a pillow case over it.

[fireball40k]

This SM article might prompt a few ideas: http://www.techietal...agers-tool-kit/

[LXbydesign]

This may not apply and I hope it dosent seem silly - but if you smoke, pop a packet in a hideaway zippy pocket in your luggage.

You will soon forget its there and not tempted to take it into work - but then suddenly remember its there, when at silly O clock in the morning you are back at the digs, all the shops are shut, everyone else has gone to sleep and you just realised you've run out - - - but then you remember!!....

Its saved my life soooo many times! :-)

[OllieDuff]

bigclive, on 30 April 2012 - 05:25 PM, said:

A few of those things got so much easier now that most modern phones have standardised on micro-USB for data and charging. (Except the iPhone of course.) It's now viable to have a general use charger floating about at work for communal use.

That reminds me, bring a 13A-to-USB-power adaptor or two so that Apple fiends (and those who charge off their laptops and don't bring a mains adaptor) can be dealt with.

Fisherman's Friends lozenges. Last time I went on tour - in the winter - the cast were scrounging mine on a daily basis. Suboptimal for singers as it numbs the throat some but cures a multitude of ills. If you don't use them, they have a long shelf life so just keep them for the next show.

Can of spray plaster - http://www.expressch...aster-30ml.html or similar. Means you can patch up minor cuts and grazes as you go, even if your hands aren't clean, and it doesn't wash off in the shower or in immersion like an Elastoplast.

[peza2010]

If your anything like me..... a spare mobile phone, just a cheap pay as you go, with a few quid credit, but the phone numbers of everyone you might need to talk to while on tour. Spare phone batteries can also be had pretty cheap and our useful, if your on site before the man with the power is, and your gonna be off the bus for a few hours.


I also seem to destroy socks,and I find it a lot more comfortable to wear two pairs under steelies.

The spare packet of fags one is a good suggestion, as well as some spare cash for when you want food at 2am, and your no where near a cash point/and/or another crewbie cant sub you for the night.

[svincent]

2 note books

a small pocket contact book with all members of crews numbers Incase you get stuck with a dead phone and don't have any numbers. (pay phones)

really good strong suitcase don't go cheap because if your doing weeklies chances are you'll chuck it on the back of the truck and have a small bag with 2 days worth of stuff in. (truck packers are known to be less gentle with your stuff after 6 hours of get out)

camera or camera phone to make it easy to remember the truck pack and your weekly set up for the first few weeks. plus to record memorable times you may have

small laptop is always advisable.

and a really good long book for boring tech sessions.

personals seem to be covered pretty well - double up on lemsip and eat plenty of fruit to stop getting the touring illnesses that go round the company.

otherwise enjoy it!

*edit Typo*

This post has been edited by svincent: 14 May 2012 - 01:09 PM