Backline Workbox Case with 5 Drawers + 2U Rack Drawer

Five drawers. One 2U rack drawer. The mobile tech station touring backline crews actually need.

The Nomad Backline Workbox is built for the touring guitar techs, drum techs, monitor engineers, backline crew chiefs, and stage managers who run shows from the wings — where every spare cable, every tool, every wireless mic receiver, and every power conditioner needs to live in a single mobile unit that survives 200+ shows a year and arrives ready to work the moment it's parked at side of stage.

Hand-built in our Market Harborough workshop, this workbox combines five full-width drawers for sorted tool, spare, and consumable storage with an integrated 2U rack drawer for mounted audio gear — wireless receivers, power conditioners, network switches, DI boxes, or any 19" rack-mount equipment the tech needs immediately accessible during the show.

Built for the way backline techs actually run a show

The wings of a touring stage during a show is a working environment under constant pressure. Strings break. Cables fail. Wireless frequencies drop. Drum heads split. Monitor sends need re-patching. Backup instruments need to be ready and tuned. None of these failures are predictable, but all of them are the tech's responsibility to solve before the audience notices.

A generic drawer case is storage. A generic rack case is mounted gear. Neither one alone solves the actual operational reality of running backline. The Nomad Backline Workbox combines both into a single mobile unit — five drawers of sorted kit AND a rack-mounted 2U bay for live audio infrastructure, working together as the tech's complete working station for the night.

The five drawers

The drawers are designed around how backline techs actually organise their kit. Most techs allocate drawers by category: one for spare cables and adapters, one for tools and small parts, one for consumables (strings, picks, drum heads, gaffer, batteries), one for spares specific to the show (replacement components, calibrated parts), and one for paperwork, set lists, and tour-specific documentation.

Each drawer runs on heavy-duty ball-bearing slides rated for repeated daily use across multiple touring seasons. The slides operate smoothly when fully loaded, won't sag or stick under sustained weight, and stay aligned even after thousands of open/close cycles on the road.

Drawer fronts feature recessed pull handles that sit flush during transit — no protruding hardware to catch, snag, or damage adjacent equipment in the truck. Internal drawer surfaces are smooth-finished for easy cleaning, with optional foam-lined or shadow-board interiors for crews who want fixed positions for specific tools or kit.

The integrated 2U rack drawer

The 2U rack drawer is what separates this workbox from generic drawer cases. It's a properly engineered 19" rack-mount bay integrated into the case body — sized for two rack units of professional audio gear, with rear access for cable runs and a working depth that accommodates standard rack-mount equipment.

For wireless mic receivers monitoring multiple radio channels, power conditioners regulating venue mains supply, network switches handling the digital backbone of modern audio rigs, DI boxes converting instrument signals, or any other 2U rack-mount gear the tech needs live during the show — the rack drawer keeps the gear powered, accessible, and protected without taking up workspace on top of the case.

The drawer extends to allow rear-panel access during patch changes, then retracts and latches flush during transit. The rack-mount rails are standard 19" specification, allowing the tech to swap rack gear as the show or tour rig changes.

Construction features

• 5 full-width drawer compartments with heavy-duty ball-bearing slides
• 1 integrated 2U rack drawer with standard 19" rack rails
• 9mm hexa-laminate panel construction throughout
• Aircraft-grade aluminium extrusions on every edge
• Reinforced steel corner blocks at every junction
• Recessed butterfly latches on the front lid
• Recessed flush drawer handles
• Reinforced 18mm wheelboard base
• Heavy-duty 100mm braked castors (2 braked, 2 fixed)
• Optional foam-lined or CNC shadow-board drawer interiors
• Optional removable working surface lid for on-stage tech operations

Engineered around how backline crews actually work

The case rolls smoothly across festival mud, venue concrete, broadcast truck ramps, and theatre stage floors alike. It stacks cleanly with other Nomad cases for truck-pack efficiency. It survives the brutal physical reality of touring without protruding hardware to catch, snag, or damage adjacent equipment in transit.

Front lid removes entirely for full-drawer access during operational use. Closes flush during transit with recessed latches that don't catch on cables, clothing, or hands during fast load-outs. Optional removable working surface lid turns the closed case into a stable work platform for instrument repairs, restringing, or on-stage tech operations during the show.

Specified across the backline sectors that depend on organised tech stations

Our Backline Workboxes are trusted by touring guitar techs working with major artists, drum techs maintaining touring drum kits, monitor engineers running side-of-stage IEM systems, backline crew chiefs standardising their fleet specifications, and rental house equipment managers building out backline-specific case inventories.

The brief is always the same: keep the kit sorted, keep the rack gear live, keep the tech working, and survive the road.

If you're maintaining a fleet of backline workboxes or specifying cases for a major tour, talk to our team about volume builds and custom configurations. Most of what leaves our workshop is built to specification, and most of our touring backline customers reorder year after year.

Engineered, hand-built and tested in Britain since 1961.

External Dimensions:

(L) 800 x (W) 600 x (H) 1090 mm