A backpack or carrying bag is a popular option.  There are many that offer enough space and strategic compartments, such as the UDG Producer Bag, which is more than enough space for small items you’d like to pack.  American Audio also has the VMS4 is more a sleek briefcase sized bag, when you want to carry fewer items without looking like you’re going backpacking. Orbit Concepts’ JetPack Remix lies somewhere in between the two.  It offers a large amount of space, and compartments that will store your vinyl records without needing record sleeves.  The size is satisfactory, and wide enough to store a macbook pro horizontally, but still fits on your back and does not needed to be toted with an extra handle and wheels.  Other compartments are sized specifically for object like your needle case or DVS soundcard. http://djworx.com/exclusive-jetpack-remix-dj-bag-video-demo-and-interview/  

While on the subject of giving things away and getting free items as prizes, has anyone ever actually won something worthwhile?  The phrase “Many will enter, few will win” is something we hear on the radio all the time – it’s annoying.  But for those few that have won something, does that mean their luck has run out and they will never win again?  I’ve been lucky enough to win a prize or a raffle here and there, and all the times that I actually won, I never expected to or wanted to win badly.  The times I wanted to win, I naturally did not. The prizes I have won have actually turned out to be useful.  If I could go back and change the prize, I would not.  One of my favorite items that I’ve won was an Odyssey multifunction backpack that is meant to hold a lot of things.  It can actually be used to hold vinyl records without bending the sleeves, but I seem to use it more for cabled.  Now, my XLR cables can be wrapped perfectly without any bending or kinks, and there is always a spot to put a microphone when I can pull it out whenever I want. http://djworx.com/easter-giveaway-pioneer-ddj-wego-hdj-500-and-neo-cables/

Protecting your gear and getting it ready to transport to an event leaves you with a few options.  One of them is to fully protect your gear with hard and heavy equipment.  This may not be very economical or friendly for many DJs, but it is among the top of the list for providing the best protection for your gear.  Sensitive gear like turntables and other analog equipment will benefit the most from this type of protection.  Step down another layer and you move to something that will protect gear from the elements, but without weighing a ton or costing you an arm and a leg either.  The only issue here is that these will provide little protection from hard or sudden impacts.  Still, if the gear is never going to leave your sight – it may represent the best option. Speaker and keyboard bags were designed for just this purpose.  They offer a bit of style and flexibility, and if you’re lucky – they will make your gear much more portable.  Having a few backpack straps or carrying straps makes a world of a difference if your car is parked far from your gig.  It may be worth the investment even if it won’t protect from hard drops. http://djmag.com/content/monos-new-instrument-bags

There are plenty of ways to carry your gear around, and it is not a necessity to have a rugged case that goes along with every piece of gear you own.  However, many prefer to have each item boxed in a specific case whenever they travel.  It reeks of professionalism and tells the audiences that this is something you do for a living.  Hey, you might as well look the part, right?  For those of us who do not approach their gear in the same manner, there has got to be a happy medium that is one step above carrying the damn MIDI controller in your hands to your gig. That solution is called a backpack.  Any backpack won’t do, however – unless you like having your gear sandwiched together in a tangled mess.  A good DJ backpack will offer enough ruggedness to keep gear from making contact with each other, but it should also be flexible enough that it will conform to your gear as well as your back.  For DJs who have a minimal amount of gear to carry, like their headphones and a few records this is probably the optimal choice.  Be sure to check and see if it contains the correct compartments for your setup. http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2013/04/magma-riot-dj-backpack-xl/

We just talked about a new DJ back that was introduced at a local trade show on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean; of course only having one bag to show off would not be good enough.  While many objects that can be used for DJing are one size fits all, most are better off when they come in various configurations.  You shalt not be left with only one way to store your gear, especially since no two DJs have the exact same gear at any given time.  A backpack offers many advantages over a standard bag, since it fits on your back and can be carried without needing your hands.  Hell, you can even leave it on when you’re behind the decks. Another thing that makes the backpack an ideal solution is that it has the power to expand outward, instead of upward.  Carrying turntables around in a coffin is one of the hardest parts of a DJ’s night, as many will attest to.  It feel like carrying around a coffin with a small person inside of it – so now that MIDI controllers have literally take the weight off our backs, they deserve their own traveling and security solutions. http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2013/04/magma-root-dj-bags/

When a new MIDI controller is designed for DJ and producer use, there is actually more thought that goes into its form that you could even begin to imagine.  There is no hard and fast rule about what qualifies as a portable controller, but each company seems to share the same ideas about how they should be sized.  Anything that is deemed a laptop controller doesn’t seem to have a diagonal size of anything more than 15 inches.  Once you step up to a decent sized controller, perhaps an all in one unit, then the sizing of it needs to be carefully thought out. A controller like the Numark NS7 is portable, but hardly the definition of portable that most of us are thinking of.  Sure, it is many times smaller and lighter than a coffin that houses two turntables and a mixer, but it is not something you can carry around in one hand or on your back for that matter.  A true portable controller should be able to squeeze into a slightly oversized backpack.  Gear makers know there is a limit to what you can pack, so when they find the right tradeoff between size and functionality, it usually sides with the size. http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2013/07/magma-digi-control-backpack-xl-review-video/

Controllers and other types of simulated decks have a distinct advantage over traditional DJ setups.  You might think it would be their compatibility with a computer – but the real advantage here is portability.  When you are able to bring more gear into a club per trip – you are more likely to want to bring more of your gear to the club.  Before controllers were an option, hauling turntables around anywhere was a huge task.  Most clubs had turntables and CDJs ready to go, so the DJ only needed to worry about carrying heavy crates of vinyl records.  Now, that same amount of music can be store on something that than a dollar in change. With two hands, you can likely carry two pieces of equipment in at a time – but what about using your back?  We all know DJs use their heads instead of their backs, but literally, it makes more sense to use whatever you can to carry in heavy weighted objects.  Carrying in a mixer or a deck in a backpack actually works out well, especially if you are not taking a car to your next gig.  I would much rather be seen with a backpack than two flight cases on the train. http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2014/02/review-video-udg-ultimate-midi-controller-backpack-large/

Tumi x Vice® DJ Backpack