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Photo Pro |
May/June 1992 |
By the time you reach the jetway, your shoulders may be screaming unless
you have one of the lightweight carts you've seen wheeling through the terminal.
Unfortunately, it can take years of experimenting to find the right one.
People tend to buy the flimsy ones usually sold in airports--or one that
is too heavy. The Remin Company in Joliet, IL. produces a cart called the
Kart-a-Bag Concorde II, that I find is a perfect size for carry-on, sells
for about $67, and has a load capacity of a shopping 150 pounds. Sometimes
mine looks like an ant carrying an elephant, but it hauls a lot with no
difficulty.
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Industrial Photography
February 1994
Bits&Bytes - by Jack Neubart |
Kart Blanche
One of the items I picked up at Photo '93 -- OK, it was shipped-- was
the Remin Kart-a-Bag® Tri-Kart 800. That long name represents a product
long on features. I've been looking for the ideal carry-cart, something
that would not only carry heavy loads, but would be a comfortable height.
Well, I found it. While it's kind of heavy, at 17 pounds, the 800 collapses
to just over 20 inches.
First, this compact package is full-featured. Setup and breakdown combined
couldn't be more than a minute--maybe a minute each way the first try. The
beauty of the Tri-Kart is its quad-wheel construction. For lighter loads,
use two wheels; for heavy loads, up to the 300-pound capacity, switch to
four-wheels by lowering the accessory casters. There are even mud/splash
guards on the amin six-inch wheels. And heavy-duty elastic cords hold everything
in place. An added finishing touch is the contoured grip, although the smaller
models feature a rubberized contoured grip--that would have made the 800
perfect.
If you plan to stow the cart as airline luggage, put it inside the optional
carrying case or in some raggedly looking bag. Let's just say that's a precaution
based on rumors that say you may not see it again otherwise.
The Kart-a-Bag 800 will give you "kart" blanche to carry your
gear almost anywhere you want. If you can't find it at your local pro shop,
call (800) 423-9328. (They also have a number of smaller two-whhel models,
and a model TKT 900-- a modified and much heavier 800 that even gives you
two shelves to work off when in a stationary position.)
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American Disc Jockey
Association Magazine
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Ray's Review
"This month I am very pleased to review two products. The first
is the KARTMASTER HD 500 II, the best alternative to those large cumbersome
hand trucks that always seem to be too big and usually continue to take
three or four trips to get your equipment into a room. The KARTMASTER HD
500 II is a compact cart that can carry up to 500 pounds as an upright hand
truck or in a flat bed mode.
Before this product was introduced to me, I had to use a dolly that was
used for delivering cases of beer. That particular dolly was just too big
and could not fit into my vehicle. Then an angel seemed to be looking down
on me, low and behold the KARTMASTER HD 500 II was sent to me to be tested.
Some of the features on this heavy duty cart include a patented push
button for opening and closing the cart. It also has an extended nose plate
made of aluminum, the tires are 8 1/2" and made of rubber, they also
include 6" non marring ball bearing wheels which have brakes on them
to keep the cart from moving while loading equipment.
There are two shelves, one is for the bottom of the cart, the other is
the top shelf that folds out and can carry 200 pounds. The members of the
Southern California Chapter of ADJA can attest to the weight test as I personally
put the shelf to the test by sitting my 200 pound frame on the top shelf
and was wheeled around the room without any problems. Both shelves actually
fold for easy storage and are made of aluminum and steel. The shelves weigh
20 pounds. The total cart weight is 42 pounds and folds down for easy storage.
I even use the cart for my table to hold my CD library at my gigs.
The KARTMASTER HD 500 II has a limited 5 year warranty and is great for
one trip loading. Believe me after years of making 3-4 trips to unload equipment,
this KARTMASTER II is truly a blessing in disguise. It is a bit on the expensive
side, but as with anything else, you get what you pay for. When you call
let them know you heard about them from the ADJA NEWS."
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RHYTHM
England |
"Freewheelin'
After 400 years on the road, Bob Henrit's back has finally given out.
But luckily help is on hand in the form of one of those carts that pensioners
pull their shopping around in...
I hope this isn't going to be taken as a sign that old Henrit's past
it, but I'm going to let you into a secret; I'M FED UP OF CARRYING DRUMS
INTO AND OUT OF GIGS! I'm glad, I've got that off my chest. When I tour
with the Kinks I have the luxury of a drum tech, but like all the drummers
I know, when I'm not going that gig I respond to the telephone and do rock
and blues gigs with various bands up and down the country, driving myself
and carrying the drums in and out. I've used the smallest set I can for
this sort of things for years: 18" bass, three toms including a 14"
floor, three cymbals and a hi-hat, and the minimum of hardware to support
it. All this goes into two small stands cases, five drum cases and another
for the cymbals. All of which is fine but you've still got to get those
eight boxes into the gig, so at best that's ten journeys (there and back).
And if you bring stairs into the equation, you can end-up with a seriously
pissed off drummer with sore hands and a potential bad back who would rather
have red hot needles in his eyes than do a gig! So why am I telling you
something you probably already know? Simply because I've tried but a gadget
called Kart-a-bag which allows me to take all my drums into a gig almost
all at once.
Kart-a-Bag makes several different personal load-carriers and in essence
this, their Concorde IV, is the baby of the group. It's an American made
collapsible, telescopic tube-framed trolley with two large rubber wheels,
weight just 4 kilos and folding down to an easily manageable 20" x
16" x 6" designed to fit into your motor on top of all your drums.
So you arrive at the gig, take out your Kart-a-Bag, pull up the plastic
handle (which has a rubber insert below to protect your hands), hinge down
the substantial welded base section and step on it to lock it into place,
whereupon it stands up on its own, obediently waiting to be loaded up with
our drums. All you do is pack said drums on securely, fix them in place
with the inbuilt elastic spiders provided, and bish bash bosh, you're wheeling
it all into the gig, no bother. And if, God forbid, you've got stairs to
go up, you can either pull the whole shebang up backwards, or get someone
to grab the other end.
Now the Concorde IV should not be confused with a regular luggage trolley
because it will happily carry to 80 kg (the next size up will carry 130
kg for roughly 38 percent more), which means, with my medium-sized kit in
its hardcases, weighing 113 kg (the base drum weighs 24 kg and the stands
cases are roughly 20 kg each), I'll need to make a couple of journeys to
bring in the whole kit. But at worst, that's a quarter of the journeys I'd
make normally, and my hands won't be sore I reckon this Kart-a-Bag gear
is the business. Bernard Purdie endorses it. It's a helluva lot easier than
hand-carrying your gear and it gives you a lot more time for posing at the
bar. Now, where did I put my drum gloves."
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Laptop Buyers Guide
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We travel hard and heavy, often with more than 100 pounds of computer
and photographic equipment (and that doesn't include personal items like
clothing, toiletries, etc.). Unfortunately, if there isn't a handy skycap,
porter, or hotel bellhop around, we must somehow carry or drag most of it
ourselves. Of course, it's always a relief to leave the suitcases and Tenba
case at the airport check-in counter, but then we usually have that long
walk to the lounge or the terminal with lots of equipment and hand luggage.
Fortunately, most of our carry-on cameras and portable computer equipment
and often, some of our regular luggage and equipment-gets piled on our portable
fold-up luggage cart. We owned a series of cheap, no-name luggage carts
that were always falling apart or breaking down, but several years ago we
finally invested in an 8.5 pound, high-quality, American-made cart called
the Concorde IV. Speifically designed for the computer trade, the Concorde
IV is several pounds heavier and about $40 more expensive than its generic
competitors, but it has very smooth ball bearing wheels, a hand-welded wide
platform frame, two permanently attached elastic straps that don't drag
on the floor, and an instant collapse/pull-up handle. We've sometime piled
on more than 100 pounds of gear, something definitely not recommended with
most other carts of its size and weight. The Concorde IV is easy to use,
well balanced, and effortless to pull, and despite its extra weight, it
folds up small enough to fit in any overhead luggage rack.
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LA TIMES
MIAMI HERALD
CHICAGO TIMES
TRAVEL SECTION:
Judi Dash |
PICK OF THE CROP: ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR A TRIP GEARED FOR TRAVEL
"...ROLLING ALONG: Most travelers have a love-hate relationship
with luggage carts. They're a hassle to schlepp around or to stuff into
airplane storage areas, and can be difficult to open and dismantle. On the
other hand, they're a blessing in those long airport corridors and can save
big bucks on accumulated bel-hop tips.
...the Kart-a-Bag, which the family-run Remin company ha been fine-tuning
for (30) years, stands out as th best of the burgeoning lot. These wheels
are certainly not cheat, costing upwards of $75. (The least expensive wheels
on the market can be had for less than $20.) but if you're a frequent traveler
and tend to load up your wheels to the max, you'll find the Kart a-Bag well
worth the price differential.
The cart's best attribute is the ease of assembly and disassembly. The
wheels' telescoping handle opens up via a (press button)mechanism about
a third of the way from the base. To extend, you...(hold on to the handle
and the weight of the base pulls the base down )...When fully extended he
curtain-rod-like aluminum parts lock into place. The same (press button)
motion is used to collapse the handle. The base folds upward and is held
in place by two elastic cords that wrap around the ccart and can be hooked
onto the base.
The process takes a while to get used to, but is actully very simple
once mastered: the result is a stable luggage carrier. The Kart-a-Bag comes
in a dozen sizes and weights. Balancing sturdiness and compactness, my top
choice is the Concorde III, a 7-1/2 pound model that accomodates a 175 pound
load and collapses down to 18-1/2 inches high by 13-1/2 inche wide by 4-3/4
inches deep...."
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