Yeah, yeah, big deal, or at least that's what I thought at first. On closer examination I see that this backpack is being touted especially for Serato SL users. It has padded walls and a removable/adjustable padded insert. The press release states the Creator backpack is designed to hold "Serato SL gear, laptops, mixers, vinyl, and more."

All at once?

According to the specs, the Creator backpack has "Individually padded compartments for laptop and mixer," plus "two padded pockets for Serato unit and headphones."

What's interesting me here is the brand-specific nature of the Creator. They aren't just saying its OK to stuff ANY old DJ gear in the backpack, they're going the extra mile to attract Serato users. Now that's probably a fairly obvious tactic to those in the know, but were other UDG products similarly targeted? I'd never bothered to look into unit-specific carrying cases, so I decided to dig a little deeper.

The first item I checked out, the UDG "Producer Bag," did have an iPod holder, but that's as close as it gets to out-and-out product endorsement. I thought I headed for a dead end until I spotted UDG's Denon DN-S3500 bag, made especially for the Denon DN-S3500 CD player.

"I'll be damned," I said to myself after looking of the specs of another brand-specific bag, UDG's model designed to carry the Pioneer CDJ-1000. "And to think that I am currently hauling all my crap around in a couple of old padded military duffels and chemical warfare ensemble bags!"

It's true. No matter whether playing keyboards in a show in Austin, spinning discs in Iceland, or doing a recording session in Denver, I've always used the stuff I've had lying about for transport. I never bothered to look at "designer" gear for specific models. Of course, to trick out my gear with all this designer stuff, I'd have to do a series of gigs just to pay for it all.

Serato's Serato Scratch Live Computer DJ Solution retails at just over $500. That includes Scratch Live software, the Serato USB interface, 2 control records and CDs, and more. The Creator backpack? It retails at just above $250.

Whoa.

That's HALF the cost of the Serato outfit in the first place! Can we get some Serato products thrown into the deal? Now THAT would be sweet. Hell, even a Serato T-shirt would be a nice bonus.

I'd really love to get my hands on this UDG Creator backpack. But the price is pretty heavy-duty, even with the UDG's "durable zippers with lockable heads, Ultra comfort compartment with MP3 holder and CD storage, and protective rubber feet." Rubber feet? This sounds like "da bomb" for a DJ.

Price aside, just what rock have I been living under all this time? Or is this boutique gear aimed at rich (well, richer than me) DJs jet-setting all over the globe and working with Depeche Mode on the latest five million remixes of "People Are People"? How could I possibly afford to buy most of this stuff? I am seized with DJ lust for these lovely specialized pieces with their special compartments and padded protection. But how to foot the bill?

The little accountant who lives in my brain woke up at this point and tapped me on the shoulder. "Ahem". He said in that snotty little British accent. "Have you forgotten that you may write off such gear on your US Income Tax form as an expense for professional equipment?"

Now I would never take the advice of the voices in my head on faith alone. But it sounds sensible enough. So I looked up some information on IRS.gov. Here's what I found under the "self employed business person" category:

"To be deductible, a business expense must be both ordinary and necessary. An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in your trade or business. A necessary expense is one that is helpful and appropriate for your trade or business. An expense does not have to be indispensable to be considered necessary.”

Now I am NO tax expert, but it seems to me that protecting your DJ gear would be a necessary part of doing business as a DJ. It's also helpful and appropriate. So folks, interpret that passage taken directly from IRS.gov however you want, but me personally? I'm buying me some protection for my gear above and beyond stuffing it into a military duffel bag.

Now I am wondering, in the alphabet soup acronym game, how did I manage to go all the way from UDG to the IRS?