What is a good drum monitor that is somewhat compact and not 80 pounds. I want a drum monitor that can kick some kick and be manageable on a typical sized stage.
Maybe something with a 12 and a horn.

Any suggestions?

Is this for SR use or personal? If the latter, get a buttshaker. Attaches to the bottom of your throne, and, combined with IEM's, delivers the finest fidelity at safe volumes, better than any conventional monitor.

Otherwise, be thinking something bigger than a 12 if you want to move air.

Why not just monitor with some good quality iso-phones...?

A lot cheaper AND lighter!

On-stage, headphones could easily become a nightmare.

We're actually looking into side-firing monitors for the drummer, and place them slightly behind his position at the kit - floor monitors just seem to get swallowed up in his cymbals to the point where they're inaudible.

Mmmmmm...I would think that for a drummer, it is the floor monitors that would be a bigger nightmare, especially if the kit is all miked up.
Headphones or in-ear monitors are much easier to work into the equation...with NO possible feedback or positioning hassles.

Why do you feel headphones would be a nightmare...??? I've seen many drummers use them with great success. The in-ear monitors are even less of a burden.
Plus...if the drummer is a real pounder...those floor monitors would have to be real close and fairly loud to overcome the kit loudness.
What about the real small monitors you place on stands...and then bring them in REAL close to the drummer's ears/sides...rather than large floor monitors?

Miro - did you read the rest of my statement - I specifically mentioned "Side firing monitors" - the types that you put up on stands at head level....

The nightmare for headphones would be running the wire. IEM's are another story - they're wireless.

Yes I saw you mentioned it...but I wasn't 100% sure you were refering to the small ones that can go up on stands and that can be placed at ear height.

See...great minds think alike.

But the thing with the wire for the headphones....why is it any more diffciult than say...running wire for speakers and mics...etc?

IMO..the only thing that would be bad about headphones or in-ear monitrs...is if the drummer refused to wear them...and some might.

Headphone wire is much finer (and more fragile) than speaker/mic cables. All manner of disasters possible in that situation. Furthermore, it's hanging loose off the drummer - imagine the fun of a stick getting caught in mid song?

As a drummer, and as a monitor engineer for many drummers who use IEM's with a buttshaker, I can assure you they are not at all fragile. The buds sit securly in thier ears, the wire down their back, secured to belt, collar, etc for strain relief. They are hearing savers, and I have yet to meet a drummer who didn't love them, since at a very low and hearing saving volume they can hear every nuance of their playing.

Unless the drummer is playing behind their backs, it is impossible to get a stick caught in the wiring.

In addition, the wiring is not fragile in a pro set of IEM's. It's designed for the rigors of the road and live playing.

I've had many studio sessions where the drummers wished to (and did) use their iems over headphones.

Drummers are IMHO one of the biggest benefactors of IEM's, given the sheer volume many play at. It in turn helps everyone, bringing the acoustic stage volume down, which in turn brings the house level down, reduces spillage onstage, and increases dynamics overall.

In the past years I've seen and worked with a ton of touring acts who, while not carrying production, have had many drummers carrying their own IEM's.

The traditional 2-3 way drum monitor is a disaster in many respects. It takes up a huge footprint on a small stage, even for a modest one that's going to move some air. It requires massive power, both to operate and physically move. It creates extremely high and dangerous SPL that destroys hearing and dynamics.

Drummers have adapted to IEM's probably better than anyone else onstage. They no longer have to compete with the wall o marshalls or their own kit, yet the quality of what they hear, and the safer levels inwhich they hear it, have increased dramatically.

If I could have only one musician onstage in a typical pop/rock genre be on IEM's, no question it would be the drummer.

My objections weren't about IEM's, AR - it was about traditional headphones. Wireless IEM's are ideal for the live application, if you've got the dosh to spend.

A midline set of IEM's and a headphone amp are far less expensive than eq/power/speaker cabling and a 2-3 way monitor.

Good point.

Also the IEM rig can be put in a small bag, whereas the traditional drum monitor goes in a small van.

However it depends on the application. If this is for individual use, then the IEM is a great, inexpensive, space saving, high quality solution. However if this is for sound company use, where the artist specs a specific traditional drum monitor, then obviously IEMs are not a solution.