where there’s smoke there’s forum fire
So my special lady friend and I have managed to put together quite the collection of Lenses, Light stands, tripods, and other accessories. After looking at it, I've concluded that we have WAY... to much of this stuff for it to be just laying around on a desk. Its all so irregularly shaped that I'm not sure what to do with it.
How do you guys store all of your gear (Or do I just have to much crap?)
Some of it stays in my bag, some in a special drawer, and the stuff I usually need lying around on my desk. Find out what you need the most often and keep that nearby. Pack the rest into a bag, or put it in storage somewhere. Can you give us a visual of how much stuff you have?
The stuff I use regularly is in cases for use. I have two Domke bags, an F-2 and F-6. I carry the F-2 and the stuff I don't plan to use for the shoot stays in the F-6 either in the house or in the back seat of my car. The F-2 bag always has a spare battery, spare memory car, and my 16-85. It usually has the 10-24 and 70-300 and often has the 35/1.8 and a macro. The F-6 gets the 10.5, SB400, SB600, the other macro lenses and plus spares.
Tripod, monopod and a very small light stand fit in a tripod bag.
I have a Lightware bag that holds a power pack, two heads and cords. With additional bags for light stands, an additional head, softboxes, umbrellas, etc. I have stuff-sacks for all my crushable backdrops. Everything is stored so it's ready to grab if I need to use it.
Misc. stuff gets a couple of drawers.
I store my cameras, lenses and accessories in several Think Tank Airport and Tenba Air cases. These are soft cases with reinforcement to protect the equipment inside. Both are large suitcase type cases with wheels. If I'm shipping equipment I use the Tenbas. If I need one case to take on board the aircraft I use the Think Tank as they look just like another piece of luggage and meet the maximum dimensions for carry-ons.
Superteles like my 600mm and 400mm stay in their metal case for storage, but when I travel I move them into a Think Tank case. No need to advertise a big, bold Nikon logo and and let everyone know that I have an expensive piece of equipment for the taking. The Think Tanks also have side straps and pouches to attach a tripod. I have Gitzo tripods and monopods so I use the black bag they came in to cover them up (I keep the logo on the bag facing against the side of the case to minimize broadcasting it's photo equipment like the larger lenses.)
Big strobes, monolights,stands and over sized tripods stay in a long Tenba Air case similar to the ones I use for my cameras and lenses. The Tenba Air cases are the best for overnighting your equipment to your location. I've never had a problem with the TSA, Fedex or the airlines to ship overnight. I use a TSA approved lock so they have access to the content inside.(These are locks designed for the the TSA master key) I also enclose an extra cable and lock inside the case in the event that the TSA cuts the cable I'm currently using to lock the case. I have a note attached to the extra cable and lock asking them to use it to relock the case after inspection. This is an extra precaution in the event that the inspector doesn't recognized the approved lock. I've never had to use it. The large clear window on the front pouch of the Tenba Air cases are designed to hold all the shipping paperwork and have it clearly visible. This will avoid delays, especially with international travel. These bags are pricey (I spent $550 each for my two camera cases and another $450 for my lighting equipment case) but if you are doing a lot of traveling with your gear, you get what you pay for.
For day use, look at the bags by Larson Enterprises for lighting equipment. They have several soft carry bags for their folded up soft boxes, reflectors, starfishes, stands, etc. They're designed to hold their equipment, but they work with most brands of fold up studio lighting gear.
All that being said, I have two Domke J-1 for my day trips and light travel. Get the FA-031 U.S. Post Office type shoulder pads for the Domkes. They will save your shoulders and neck! Best $20 investment, especially if you plan to carry your cameras and lenses around all day. I suffered for a year before getting the pads. What a difference.
All my equipment are in cases. The Domkes are empty until I need them. I find keeping everything in bags and cases minimizes the dust and dirt on the camera and lenses and keeps them safe, secure and organized. I always know were everything is when I need them.
I've got all my gear locked up in tall cabinets. Willis I hope you and your special lady friend have insurance for all your gear. I recommend you look into it if you don't. Regular home owner or renters insurance won't cover you if you use your stuff to make money. And it's tough to convince the insurance co. if you have a room full of expensive camera equipment. Unless your a doctor or something.
Lowepro Slingshot AW200. That's it.
Hey jbl, I've got a 40D rank on the "other" forum now :^) So you can update your rank list.
as for now, I put everything (except tripod) in Lowepro StealthReporter D650AW - great and spacious bag, fit's nicely 2 dslr's (with grips), lenses, flashes, cables and my macbook
ricktoyota - have You ever compared the Tenba cases to the pelican ones?
Tenba's are OK but Pelican has a case for everything and are just about indestructible
I'm still using a Pelican I bought almost 30 years ago. Still perfect. I also like the ability to configure them to your needs.
I wrestled with the missus and got me a nice big cupboard shelf for all the photo stuff that was earlier in several convenient places around the house, so actually the missus was also content with the result.
My main lenses and both cameras are usually in my camera bag that sits on top of the cupboard.
Keeping them in open places was quite risky due to the dog-cat factor at home. I remember vividly how my cat raced along the floor and broke a bottle of Raki (similar to Grappa) I brought along from my honeymoon to Crete. Nothing happened to the cat but the contents of the bottle was lost and the house smelled like someone had had a major 2 week party in it. It isn't hard for me to imagine the cat doing something similar to my camera gear out in the open or him playing catch with the camera strap hanging over the table edge ... which reminds me ... BRB ...
I usually leave it in the camera bag. My dad originally had a case for the FM2 inside a bag, so I'm good with that. But now I need a new case for the Mamiya DSX 1000. I'm probably just going to get a Lowe Pro bag thingy and leave it in there. My 18-135 is in the pouch that came with the lens, so that's fine too. My 35mm 1.8 is always on my D40 now.
Adamz, Pelican cases are great, both hard and soft cases. I had a hard case for my Canon 35mm equipment years ago and borrowed a soft case/backpack more recently for a trip to Central America. I have no complaints and nothing but praise for the Pelicans. My choice for Tenba, and specifically for my Think Tank cases is discretion. The hard case Pelicans will hold up to more abuse than either the Tenba and Think Tank cases, but they stand out and I think are easier targets for theft in public locations. I have no hard stats to back this up. I just know that 2 friends that use Pelicans have had there equipment stolen while traveling and I too had all my old Canon gear stolen in my Pelican case in my car. A number of my of my friends and associates with Tenba cases have never had a problems, nor have I with my current gear. I try to make them blend with my regular luggage to avoid (or at least minimize) tempting fate.
The other benefit with Tenba is the ease of shipping. Everytime I've overnighted equipment with my Tenba cases through Fedex, they arrived on time and without any problems. The attached clear pouch is designed for the shipping forms and other identifications and one of the Fedex reps told me that when they see these cases, they know it's photo or electronic equipment (computers or sound equipment) so the handlers take extra care with the bags. Many times they are pulled out of the regular sorting and hand carried or carted to their next transition station. I guess in this situation, everyone seems to know that some type of expensive equipment is involved, but I feel more comfortable based on my positive experience with Fedex.
The other advantage of the Tenbas, at lease for me, is that I'm able to fit more gear into the same amount of space than a hard case Pelican. There are more options to organize your gear with Tenba than the foam cut or rigid insert for a hard Pelican case. The extra padding that encloses the Tenba Air cases gives great protection for most shipping situations. I have insurance for the extreme situation!
I think I would invest in a Pelican again if I needed to travel through or to a very wet or extreme weather location. I've always wanted to take an expedition cruise to Antartica and if I ever get that chance (It's high on my list of things I want to do before I die!), I would probably pack my gear in a Pelican case for protection and waterproofing.
I use to think FedEx was great until they claimed I signed off on a "significant" package that was NEVER delivered to me!!! I had to file a claim and stay on hold and all that crap for days!!!! FedEx's "investigation" said that the driver did in fact deliver the package to me! I had no way of proving them wrong except that I DID NOT RECEIVE my equipment!!! Luckily the "organization" who was sending me the item took over the claim and THEY believed me and believed that it was not my signature.
Unfortunately there's no real way to protect yourself from dishonesty like that. I suspect the FedEx driver made off with my stuff or he delivered to the wrong address and someone signed and got some free "gear".
Back on topic: yes Pelicans are awesome but do standout. Actually any kind of photo grear case stands out and says, "expensive equipment inside".
The gray pelicans are the least showy. Why I like the black domke bags. They disappear behind the seat in my car.
I'd never leave any kind of bag in the backseat of my car. Big no, no. A thief will snatch first and figure out what's inside later. No matter how inconspicuous you think your bag is.
ricktoyota - thanks for Your replay, I will consider the tenba, as it looks like they produce some great bags; as for Your Antarctica plan - I wish You the best, would love to go there myself, but it's so expensive.
You mentioned the insurance, can You please expand this topic? I was looking for insurance company in my country , but none of them want to insure photo gear (or if they want the insurance price is around half the value of the photo gear). I also presume, that I could insure my gear in some other country, as I did with my health, so any input here would be nice.
BTW:
as I've mentioned health insurance, there is a great insurance policy (at least for Europeans); it's done by the Austrian Mountain Association and includes all the risky sports. It's also quite inexpensive - around 60-70EUR/annually and covers the whole world. You don't have to be climber to get this insurance.
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