I have done a number of trade shows involving shipping expensive and delicate audio equipment including consoles and other pieces to customers and remote sites.
I have also done several remote/travel sessions as described in this thread.
It seems that a long term workable and affordable solution is to build a couple heavy duty wooden crates to house your "remote rig" and pack them up with your gear secure inside. Ie; speakers, DAW, mics, stands, cables, snake, hp system, pre's, etc...
You can work with a shipping company for pick up and delivery as well as specifying whether a lift gate is needed on the truck or not. You can insure your shipment too although some pieces may be one-of-a-kind.
Just design your crates as muti-purpose so you can use them as a desk when you set it up onsite. Some black cloth and gaffers tape will make the end setup look very nice and you can even use some cloth covered 703 (or heavy duty packing blankets) as padding/gobo material...
The shipping costs are reasonable and good with timing the arrival so you can schedule the crates to arrive before you do, or when you arrive. They will usually provide a window of a couple hours for delivery.
If you stack your crates on a small pallet you can strap them all together and use black shrink wrap to best hide the contents. Especially if you have a cardboard box or two with obvious labeling on the outside.
Just use drywall screws to seal your crates and check your makita with your checked baggage on both ends.
You can ship everything a day or two ahead and include any last minute items in your checked baggage.
-j