The van versus bus question is really a math question. A tour bus with a driver runs several thousand dollars a day once you add fuel, driver pay, and hotels for the driver. A rental van costs a few hundred a day plus gas. Unless you are selling out thousand capacity rooms, the bus loses money every single night. Do the math per show before you fall in love with the idea of bunks.
A van works for crews of up to six if you pack smart. Rent a fifteen passenger van, pull the back seats, and build a simple gear platform. Budget for gas by mapping every mile and knowing your van’s real mileage, not the advertised number. Add fifteen percent for detours and traffic. Factor in one hotel room every three or four nights so everyone can shower and sleep flat. Exhausted crews make mistakes that cost more than a motel.
The step up from a van is not a bus, it is a bandwagon or small RV with a trailer. That covers crews of six to ten at a fraction of bus cost. Only move to a real bus when guarantees cover it with room to spare. Plenty of careers have been bankrupted by touring like stars before the ticket sales existed. Travel at the level your draw pays for, then upgrade when the numbers demand it.
Buy or build proper gear storage for van touring. Loose equipment sliding around destroys instruments and creates dangerous projectiles in sudden stops. Invest in cases, straps, and a logical packing order where the first things needed at load in are the last things packed. Unload in reverse and you save twenty minutes every night. Label every case with the band name and phone number. Gear gets left behind on tours constantly, and labeled cases come back while unlabeled ones disappear forever.
About the Author – Ruben Burgos: Ruben Burgos brings over 25 years of music expertise and more than 15 years of model guidance to the table. He is the indie major pinnacle to retaining credits for musicians and helping them navigate this wicked industry without the fuckery.