#12

I’ve just had to go through a similar process so thought it could be helpful to share.

Ended up getting a Pelican 1605 Aircase. Kinda bulky, but if you get the right size it’s not thaaat much bigger than gear you need to carry. The air case range is actually pretty light too, considering. Fits my 6U snuggly plus had half of a foam tier underneath to make compartments for cables, power and other smaller bits. Works a treat.

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#13

Just moved interstate and loved having a couple of pelican cases to just throw things in and keep it all protected and togeher

#14

Sorry to bump an old conversation but i was wondering whether anyone could advise me - i’m moving from Germany to the UK soon and have my modular which I’m loathe to put in a transporter’s van. My case is 55.5cm wide which comes in just under the 56cm limit for hand luggage. I was thinking of carrying it onto the plane under my arm but sadly my case has no lid so perhaps it’s a bit of a risky move - if more reassuring than placing it in someone else’s hands… Even with a lot of bubblewrap around the face of the case, does this seem like a terrible idea? Does anyone have any experience travelling with a eurorack without a lid?! I’m afraid I don’t have enough time to buy a suitable case and sell my current one.

#15

I’ve travelled with a bubble wrapped 6U skiff on one occasion. If it’s with the dimensions allowed, shouldn’t cause any problems. Usual advice of turning up early, paying for priority boarding applies.

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#16

(Side note: My move has been shelved for the time being, but I’m glad this thread is still useful. Someday, HKI, someday…)

#17

Hi there,

I recently accepted a new job thats has my family moving out of the United States at the end of the year to the mid east (during a pandemic, hurray!). Does anyone have experience or advice about shipping equipment or moving gear internationally?

I’ve read some horror stories about equipment being confiscated. Obviously i’m worried about synth gear because of its appearance. I assume no airport employee has a clue of what this stuff is or what its for.

any input would be super. thanks!

#18

I flew with a small Eurorack system between the US and Ireland a couple times, US security opened the case once and just asked what it was (I said “musical instrument/synthesizer” some people have suggested “DJ equipment” is more readily understood). Either Canada or UK (can’t remember which layover it was) opened it up and did one of those swabs for explosive materials but nothing worrisome. Some people have also suggested, if you have modular or something, to have it in a ready-to-make-sound state, so that you can easily demonstrate what it does. It’s hard for me to imagine TSA letting you plug something in and power it up, but apparently people have done that?

Assuming your gear is all similarly material you’re allowed to take on airplanes I wouldn’t be too worried about confiscation—the concern for me at least was the prospect that, in an overfilled flight or something, they might not let me carry it on. So you might want to make sure your gear is well packed to withstand a bit of moisture outside and some bumping, in case that happens. Technically any musical instrument you’re allowed to take in the airplane cabin, but in certain cases I’ve even heard of them making people put guitars below in the hold, and definitely would expect electronic gear to go before guitars :stuck_out_tongue: My case is only 6U, 70hp, so fairly small. I would definitely be worried about going over the overhead restrictions because then you have to really get into the nitty gritty of the rules about instruments vs carry-on and that’s a discussion you probably will not always get your way on.

Don’t have experience shipping gear, but from experience shipping other high dollar value things for work I would suggest shortest possible time in transit is usually safest. For peace of mind I would avoid it entirely, if you have to do it I would suggest looking into DHL, for international shipping their pricing tends to be better and they seem somewhat more reliable—depends on a lot of factors though, I would assume. Also if you have to deal with import duties in a country that you’re new to that could be a major headache.

Congrats on the new job and good luck with the move!

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#19

I moved from the US to Germany a few years ago. Depending on how much stuff you’re moving with, I’d recommend a professional shipping company. In many cases here, I’ve heard of companies paying for this kind of shipping as a part of a relocation package. Usually it takes a few months (sent in a container on a ship), but the company I worked with did a pretty great job of packing everything up - not synths in particular, but I think everything arrived undamaged.

Germany at least has an import tax exemption for personal affects shipped into the country when you move here from abroad. Your experience may vary in a different country.

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#20

@Angela moved from the US to the UK (and later UK->ES, and then ES->PT), and it was “a whole thing” for sure, with the US->UK move being the most complicated by far.

This was like 13-14 years ago, so a lot has probably changed, but we did freight for most of our stuff (including a lot of music gear). I think we did 100cubic feet or something like that, and it took like 3 months to arrive by boat. The nice thing is that weight doesn’t matter if you’re doing it this way. As long as it fits in the allotted space, it’s fine.

Given how much stuff we had, and what we were willing to pay, freight was pretty much the only option. Air shipping of anything was incredibly expensive etc…

The more delicate/precious gear we brought with us on the flights. So we each had a carry on, and two suitcases. So in that we put mics, ciat-lonbarde stuff, etc… This was post 9/11 but pre-Trump era, so getting checked at the border leaving wasn’t that big a deal, even with weird gear. This was 2007 though, so much has changed…

I was worried about more circuit-bent and DIY looking shit, but that stuff wasn’t a problem at all. Even now when I travel (inside the EU anyways) with that kind of stuff, they don’t bat an eye. Total grain of salt with that though, as our experience was a long time ago.

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#21

I moved from the UK to Japan in 1999, Japan to Italy in 2011, Italy to France in 2014, and then from France back to Italy last December. I moved lots of audio gear (and pets!) each time, and never had a problem, but always went with reputable global moving companies. It’s not cheap but they do a great job and everything is insured. I think the only thing that I can remember getting broken in any of the moves was a lamp, and they offered to replace it. Nothing ever went missing. It’s usually around 40-50 boxes of stuff in total.

So my only advice is to read up on which companies will do the move for you, and try to chose the one with the best reputation.

We always say it’s at least a six month struggle when global moving, three months prep, three months settling in etc. but then it’s plain sailing. Enjoy your new life! Nothing like living in other countries to broaden your horizons. Our daughter is half Japanese and half British, spent over half her life in Europe, but has never lived in the UK. I envy her upbringing!

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#22

Congratulations on the move!

It’s definitely unlikely that you’ll be able to score any gear more affordably there than you can here. Not to encourage GAS, but whatever. (Though, I scored a Blofeld keyboard relatively cheap, the only deal that was on the local Craigslist equivalent. But Casios were $$$.)

At my worst moment of international geardom, I flew international with a ukulele, three volcas, a Reface DX, a Waldorf Blofeld, and a mid-eastern instrument, all of which entered airports, passed security, and which I had no issues with.

(Also, it all passed through the undercarriage of a 13 hour bus ride, and a nice metro trip too… In retrospect, those were some wild decisions.)

The only thing to worry about with carry-on gear is to make sure that you can demonstrate that everything turns on for security folks. I had a laptop confiscated by security when I was changing flights in Paris because my charger broke and the battery no longer held a charge, and it took daily phonecalls to French airline customer service in order to get someone to locate it and ship it to me at my expense.

Don’t be me! Order power cables to the origin and not your destination. (The replacement laptop charger that awaited me when I reached home was salt in the wound!)

(For lack of advance planning and thought, the Waldorf ended up getting checked under the plane in a soft case wrapped in a quilt. One key was damaged, otherwise it’s in perfect shape.)

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#23

Also, for reference, this journey was in mid-2016, so all the new security rules were in effect, but maybe there was still a bit more laxness w.r.t. LITHIUM.

#24

I’m another UK expat living in Milan! We moved London- Paris 2013 and Paris - Milan last year. We also used professional movers and they do an impressive job and absorb a lot of the stress. Enjoy your move!!

Crown was one of the companies we used and were happy with but inside Europe

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#25

We should meet for coffee some time! I was in Paris from 2014 to last December.

#26

Gladly! Will shoot you a pm

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#27

During my move from Korea to the US I basically just brought my case as a carry-on and stored my smaller case in my checked suitcase with clothes surrounding it on all sides.

I did get stopped upon arrival to the US and they inspected my luggage. When asked about the gear I simply explained what it was and that was that. I didn’t need to plug it in to demonstrate and they didn’t even swab the equipment for explosive material.

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#28

I’ve had some great experiences with www.luggagetoship.com recently, but it really depends on the destination country…

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#29

The most comparable move I’ve done has been US to UK (2007). I saw @Rodrigo already chimed in with some info about that, but it might be worth knowing the rate we paid. 100 square feet (which is smaller than I thought! It’s like a pallet stacked 5ft high). cost us $800.

Another interesting part might be the scam someone tried on us: We had received our stuff and then got what looked like a bill in the mail for £100 (or maybe £200) “related” to the docking…or storing…or something. I can’t remember now 13 years later. We noticed it was in Rod’s name, which tipped us off. The shipping company only had my contact details and we paid out of my account. We simply threw it out. Still it’s weird to be welcomed to a new country with a scam. Actually, we were targeted for various scams our first year there, which felt terrible…but that’s a post for another thread

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#30

Thanks everyone for responding. got a lot of research to do before the move and luckily i have some time.

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#31

Hi, longtime listener first time caller here.
I’m going to be making an interstate move with a moving company at the end of next month. I have two cases of eurorack gear, a 12u 104hp wooden console case and a 7u 104hp Intellijel case that I use when I perform live. I am planning on unloading the console case and boxing up all the modules in their boxes. But for the Intellijel case, do you think it would be okay to leave the case filled, put the lid on, and wrap it in bubblewrap and box it up? I cannot take it in my car unfortunately. Does anyone have any additional tips on having studio equipment moved by a moving company?

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