The band packing checklist (nothing left at home)

The item you forget is never the guitar. It is the power strip, the kick pedal, the second XLR for the vocal mic, or the laptop charger for the tracks. Every band has a story that ends with a 40-minute drive back home, and most of those stories happened because "someone" was supposed to bring it.

A packing list is only useful if it is specific: what, how many, who. Below is a full master list to adapt, then a way to turn it into kits per show type so you never write it again.

The principle: items belong to people

A shared list where everyone ticks what they see is a list nobody owns. Make every line one person's responsibility, even for shared gear. The bass player brings the band's DI boxes because they live in her flat; the drummer brings the gaffer tape because it lives in the hardware case. If the responsible person is not playing this gig, the item is reassigned, out loud, before the day.

The master list

Quantities are for a 5-piece (vocals, guitar, bass, keys, drums) playing with its own small PA. Scale to taste.

Instruments and backline

• Guitar x2 (main and spare, or a spare set of strings and a tuner at minimum)
• Bass, spare strings
• Keyboard, sustain pedal, keyboard stand, its own power supply
• Drum kit: kick, snare, toms, hardware bag, cymbals bag, kick pedal, throne, stool mat or rug
• Snare spare, spare kick beater, drum key, spare heads for snare and kick
• Amps: guitar amp, bass amp (or amp modeller and DI)
• Pedalboard with power supply, spare patch cables x2

PA and monitoring

• Tops x2, sub x1, speaker stands x2, speaker cables x3
• Mixer, its power supply, tablet for remote control and charger
• Monitors x3 or in-ear systems x5 with earphones
• Vocal mics x3 with clips, instrument mics (kick, snare, overheads x2)
• DI boxes x3 (keys stereo, acoustic)
• Mic stands x5, short boom for kick

Cables and power

• XLR 10 m x8, XLR 5 m x4, jack 6 m x4, jack 3 m x4
• Power strips 6-way x4, extension leads 10 m x3, 20 m x1
• Multicore or stage box if used
• Cable ties or velcro straps, gaffer tape x2 rolls, electrical tape

Consumables and spares

• Batteries: 9 V x6, AA x12
• Strings, picks, sticks x4 pairs, felts and wing nuts
• Fuses for the amps, spare power supply for the pedalboard
• See cables, spares and redundancy for the full spares kit

Documents and admin

• Printed setlists x5 (one per musician, large type)
• Gig sheet: address, contact phone, times, parking, payment arrangement
• Contract or booking confirmation, invoice or receipt book
• Stage plot and input list x2 for the engineer

Personal

• Stage clothes, spare shirt, shoes that survive a load-out
• Earplugs, water bottle, snacks, phone charger, cash for parking
• Passport or ID for hotel and border gigs; see gig travel logistics

Merch and extras

• Merch box, card reader, float of 100 EUR in small notes
• Banner and stand, lighting bar and its stands and cables, fog machine and fluid
• Torch, multi-tool, first-aid kit, clean towel

Kits per show type

Nobody wants to read 90 lines for a duo gig. Save three or four kits and pick one per gig:

Kit	What changes
Duo acoustic	2 mics, 2 DIs, 1 small mixer, 2 tops, no drums, 4 cables, 1 power strip
Full band, own PA	The master list above
Full band, venue PA	Drop tops, sub, mixer and monitors; keep mics only if you prefer your own; add stage plot
Festival, backline provided	Cymbals, snare, kick pedal, pedalboards, keyboard, in-ears, setlists; nothing else heavy

Read backline explained before trusting a "full backline provided" line on a festival sheet.

The routine

1. Three days before: the leader applies the kit to the gig and reassigns items for absent members or deps.
2. The day before: each person packs their own items and ticks them. Batteries replaced, laptop charged, setlists printed.
3. Loading the van: one person reads the list aloud while the others load. Every tick happens when the item is in the van, not when it is by the door. Ten minutes, and it is the ten minutes that prevent the drive back.
4. After the show: the same list in reverse. Count cables and mics before the van door closes; venues are where XLRs go to die.
5. Next day: anything used up (tape, batteries, strings) goes on the shopping list before it is forgotten.

Do this today

• Write your own master list from the one above, adding the odd items only your band needs (the harmonica case, the click track laptop).
• Put a name against every line.
• Build the two kits you use most.
• Print the list for the next gig and read it aloud at the van.

Where expert.band helps

expert.band keeps the band's inventory with quantities and notes, lets you save kits per show type, and gives every gig its own packing checklist: apply a kit, set the quantities this gig needs, assign who brings what, and tick items off while loading. Members see their own items on the gig page, the printed gig sheet includes the list, and after the show you run it in reverse to make sure everything comes home. Start free and build your first kit in ten minutes.