In this 2-part series 19 Bandsintown artists have shared with their best tips for tour packing. Here you will find what they never leave home without, what they must bring, and what should be left behind. Plus, there are some great international touring tips.

Ron Pope - 251,467 Trackers

Be Brief(s) 

Pack way more underwear and socks than it's normal to pack; pack twice as much as you think you need, because you never know when you are going to have time to do laundry. I'm not trying to run out of underwear out there like some kind of monster. 

Mary Lambert - 137,017 Trackers

Oil Aboard!

I never leave home without coconut oil. I use it for everything: makeup remover, moisturizer, cooking oil, and on dry skin after a flight. 

Back It Up

I always bring a hard drive in case I pop in a studio or, god forbid, my computer crashes. 

If The Shoe Fits…  Leave It At Home

I used to tour with a ton of shoes: show shoes, workout shoes, everyday shoes. I even carried a whole separate suitcase just for shoes! Maybe the idea of indispensable income from the record label got in my head back then, or maybe I've just become quite thrifty, but I would NEVER do that now. 

Sawyer Fredericks - 72,023 Trackers

Stay Green!

It is really important to me to tour as greenly as possible, so my band and I always bring utensils, plates, reusable coffee and water bottles, and reusable to go containers. A medium sized cooler allows us to waste less food and saves us money, too. I also bring a 5 gallon water jug, that I refill routinely at hotels or Airbnb’s that have good water.

Hollis Brown - 8,086 Trackers

International Touring Tip: Remember - England, Europe, & The US All Use Different Outlets

Bring different chargers for the different outlets! Bring extra strings, bring some clothes that look good in photos. Always make sure you have layers in case the weather changes. Bring sunglasses, jackets, and tons of clean socks.  

Leave Behind: The Ego

And leave home the ego. 

Rebecca Loebe - 4,442 Trackers

My packing has gotten pretty out of control! I pack pretty much the same regardless of how long I'm leaving for - four days or a month. 

Roll Your Own

I've got two roller bags (they used to be carry on sized but they've been so overstuffed for so long that they're way past that now). The first roller has CDs, vinyl, shirts, stands for CDs and shirts, price list, newsletter sign up, enamel pins, sharpies, make up for gigs, and any other on-stage gear that didn't fit in my guitar case. The second roller has extra CDs and vinyl, and a very small amount of clothes - typically two stage outfits and two daytime outfits. Over time, I've learned that no matter how many options I bring, I always end up wearing my favorite two or three things, so why pack more? Of course, I also bring pajamas, workout clothes and a sweater/jacket. Other essentials I don't leave home without include good headphones, a portable humidifier for my voice (I use the MyPurMist), a TENS unit for my back, a good book, a small journal, snacks, my favorite tea (Tazo Awake, yum), and a ziplock bag with a starter-dose of any meds I might need (DayQuil, NyQuil, allergy meds, midol, band-aids, Emergen-c, etc). 

 International Touring Tip: Flying Merch

When I'm tight on space for international flights, I'll detune my guitar and stuff merch t-shirts into the hollow body of the instrument. I can fit 20-30 shirts in there, which frees up a good amount of space in one of my rollers. 

LowDown Brass Band - 2,203 Trackers

Block It Out

Always bring a pair of headphones and sunglasses (2 pair, if you're prone to losing them). It's hard to get "alone time" on the road, so they help in shutting out the world sometimes. They also shield against poor music choices by the driver, hangovers, and avoiding social interactions with strangers at rest stops. 

International Touring Tip: Make A Manifest

If you're driving into Canada (or over int'l borders in general), it's helpful to have an equipment manifest that details the gear and general stuff you have in the vehicle/trailer. That's something they could hassle you about, moreso coming back into the States than going into Canada (go figure)... and who needs that?! USA! 

Truett - 1,343 Trackers

Less Is More

The most important thing I learned in touring extensively, whether it be bus touring or van touring - LESS IS MORE! Only take what you absolutely need when traveling on the road. Take a long hard look at what you’re packing. Try to pack in as small of a bag as you can. Moving from venue to hotel to hotel, you want to have as small and portable a bag as you can. This will save you so much heartache in the long run. Every tour I go on, I try to pack lighter and lighter each time.

Twin Guns - 939 Trackers

Kristin Fayne-Mulroy, bass player

Breathing = Good

A good over the counter nasal decongestant just in case! There are few things more misery-inducing than a stuffed-up nose during a 5+ hour drive, or - even worse - during flight take-offs and landings. Extra socks and underwear. Trust me.

9 Volt Batteries 

For your pedals, especially if touring overseas, and even if you have a travel adapter.

Leave Behind: The “Panic” Grabs

Those last-minute "But what if I really need THIS after all?" items that you stuff into your luggage right before leaving. They'll weigh you down and you're 99% likely not to use them. (Exceptions: that extra phone charger - though that really should NOT be a last-minute add! Keep that somewhere outside of your luggage so you'll have it in case of loss or delays.)

Johnny & The Mongrels - 229 Trackers

Make Sure The Muse Can Follow

The laptop with the recording software always goes everywhere with us just in case we have some inspiration and need to document it. The portable Field recorder works really well in a pinch as well.  

Get Some You Time

Headphones! For obvious reasons, but also to help with noise cancelling and even "avoidance tactics" when needing some time to yourself.

The Normal Living - 93 Trackers

Always Bring Plenty Of Instrument Cables

All lengths and different colors. A few years ago we played a show in New York where our bass player had to plug into the venue’s bass amp and play with a 1ft long guitar pedal cable. As you can imagine, it looked ridiculous. It wasn’t funny at the time, but looking back at it now is hilarious.