Backline Workbox Case with 4 Drawers + 2U Rack Drawer

Four drawers. One 2U rack drawer. The compact tech station for fly-dates and smaller touring rigs.

The Nomad 4-Drawer Backline Workbox is built for the touring guitar techs, drum techs, monitor engineers, and backline crew chiefs running smaller-format rigs, fly-dates, and tours where every kilogram of freight and every metre of wing space counts. Where the full 5-drawer workbox is the workhorse for full-scale touring production, this compact variant is for the techs who need everything in one unit but can't justify the larger format.

Hand-built in our Market Harborough workshop, this workbox combines four 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 fly-dates, smaller rigs, and weight-conscious touring

Touring backline doesn't always mean a full European stadium run. Fly-date tours, smaller venue runs, single-artist support tours, festival fly-ins, and weight-conscious freight scenarios all create the same operational challenge: the tech still needs all the same kit categories — cables, tools, consumables, spares, AND live rack gear — but in a more compact, manageable case format.

A full-size 5-drawer workbox is the right answer for major touring production. For everything else, the 4-drawer variant delivers the same engineering quality and the same rack-mount capability in a configuration that's lighter, more manageable, and easier to fly internationally without freight cost penalties.

The four drawers

Four drawers means four operational categories — typically allocated by techs as: one for cables and adapters, one for tools and small parts, one for consumables (strings, picks, drum heads, batteries, gaffer), and one for spares and tour-specific documentation. Less than the full 5-drawer configuration, but enough for the operational categories that matter most on smaller-format tours.

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 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.

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.

The compact format trade-off

Choosing the 4-drawer variant over the 5-drawer means accepting one less drawer of storage in exchange for a lighter, more compact case footprint. For most fly-date and smaller-rig touring scenarios, this is exactly the right trade-off — the tech keeps all the categories that matter most, while gaining freight efficiency and easier solo handling.

For touring techs running full-scale stadium or arena production where storage volume matters more than freight weight, our 5-drawer + 2U rack workbox remains the workhorse format. Same engineering quality, additional drawer capacity.

Construction features

• 4 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 compact tech stations

Our 4-Drawer Backline Workboxes are trusted by touring guitar techs working with artists on fly-date schedules, drum techs maintaining smaller-format touring kits, monitor engineers running compact IEM systems, festival backline specialists supporting single-artist runs, and rental house equipment managers building out backline-specific case inventories where freight efficiency matters.

The brief is always the same: keep the kit sorted, keep the rack gear live, keep the tech working, and keep the case compact enough to fly without penalty.

If you're maintaining a fleet of backline workboxes for touring artists who do international fly-dates or smaller-format runs, 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