How do you move your gear?

[Alastair Brown]

Apologies if this has cropped up before.

Curious to hear how you guys transport/contain your gear.

I'm using a largish flightcase to contain my three Canons, batterys, tripods etc.

Wondered if any else to the individual bags for each camera approach or had any other tricks/tips they would care to share?

[Rick Steele]

Search the forum/web for "Pelican case".

[Waldemar Winkler]

I always travel with way more gear than I need. It is a habit I can't seem to kick gained from working as a roadie in my youth. What follows may seem like overkill. I almost always shoot outdoors on private property.

Three cameras. Two are in large modified and padded tool bags from Home Depot. Total cost: about $40.00 each.
Three Tripods. To bogen, one slik.
Two Monopods with ball heads. Both Bogen.

One Stanley Steel Mobile Toolbox containing:
•The small camera and all camera accessories in the top compartment.
• In the top tool drawer, all the video tape I expect to use plus volt meters, battery meters, and various audio adapters.
• In the bottom drawer, small tools, duct tape, communication radios, and spare batteries. Also on camera lights and batteries for two cameras.
• In the bottom bin, audio mixer, audio cable, and power strips.

Peavy rackmount road case containing four wireless mic receivers, lapel and hand mics for same, mic clips, and mic cable.

Stanley wheeled tool bin loaded with extra everything plus 100' of 14 guage AC power cable, a hammer, and garden stakes secure the cable to the ground.

Wheeled luggage duffel with two light stands, two duffusion umbrellas, two 750 watt quartz floodlights, AC cable, duct tape, and wireless dimmer system. Also two microphone floor stands.

It all fits into my Jeep Cherokee SUV. Sometimes I have to bring a portable generator if the event takes place out in some field where there is no electricity (Brides seem to like these out of the way places a lot these days). I'm just thankful I don't have to cater the event.

Usually ceremonies and receptions occur in the same location. I get onsite a couple hours early and set up both ceremony and reception areas. Anything I don't need stays in the Jeep. I'd rather have it than wish I had it. Most of this stuff is for the ceremony. The reception equipment list is two cameras, two monopods, on camera lights, tape, and spare batteries, and an iRiver for the DJ's sound board. All of that fits into pockets. Except the lights stands and flood lights. Hate using those things. Sometimes there is just no other option.

If I worked in a metro area my gear bags would be much smaller and lighter.

[Peter Chung]

Wow! That's quite the load of gear! Care to share a picture? I'm interested in how you put your modified and padded tool bags from Home Depot together.

I shoot as light as possible.

I have one foam pluck suitcase that holds two cameras, batteries, tapes, iRivers, and accessory lenses.

I have a Canon camera backpack that holds a third camera, more tapes, on-camera lights, mics, batteries, misc cables & accessories, tape, LANC controllers, business cards.

I carry 3 tripods and a monopod in a baseball bag that I picked up at a Sportmart on clearance.

And I have another backpack that carries my Indicam Pilot.

I usually have someone helping me on my shoots and we can unload in one trip. We usually have to get someplace and setup relatively quickly so travelling light is our priority.

[Peter Jefferson]

Ok here goes...

Trolley bag I bought from local supermarket for $25 which houses three 12v batteries plus my three lighting kits. These go down the bottom due to weight. Above that, sitting with the batteries I have a soft bag with one camera and a smaller bag which houses my globes, wireless mics, batteries, toolkits, fuses etc.

Then I have a "camera" bag which houses all my cam batteries and tapes. This also houses my business cards, WB cards, and lens cleaners (essentials). Then I have my Manfrotto tripod bag which houses one tripod and one Monopod.

I then have an over the shoulder bag (designed to be worn across the chest) which houses my chargers,

I then have another camera bag which houses my Canon 5D and all associated lenses. This one is a huge Lowepro backpack.

I then have a small bag which houses two more 12v batteries for lights. These remain in the car unless charging just in case I need excessive light or I may need to run daylights. In the car, I also have a Lowel Tota lighting kit, plus a Lowel Omni light. I also have diffusers, reflectors and light stands. All these are expendable so leaving them in the car is a non issue.

Then I have my camera, which I hang over the passenger seat side of the car when I'm actually out filming. Reason this one is not in a bag is that I do not know what I may see so I can instantly start shooting if anything comes to the fore. I am usually set up to shoot before I get to my next location. The majority of the time, I shoot handheld with my bike handle mounted for extra stability. Ceremonies and speeches are the only times I use tripods and monopods.

[Bruce S. Yarock]

Like Waldemar, I bring way too much gear, but I'd rather have it and not need it than the other way around.
Canon H1 and accessories- in large portabrace case.
Canon A1 " " - Some large off brand case.
Sony FX1-In pelican Case.
Manfrotto tripods and heads, each in padded bags.
Audio Kit in a Home depot metal atache case ($19.00)
2 light kit in a Pelican 1620 case.
Indicam pilot (steadycam type rig) in a Pelican 1620 case.
Misc stuff- another Pelican 1620.
And if I'm bringing my Nikons, etc....that's another pelican 1620!
How do I move it? Rock n' Roller. Everything crammed into a 2000 Chrysler 300m, with barley enough room for 3 of us.
Bruce S. Yarock
www.yarock.com

[Waldemar Winkler]

Originally Posted by Peter Chung

Wow! That's quite the load of gear! Care to share a picture? I'm interested in how you put your modified and padded tool bags from Home Depot together.

I've never thought to take a photo of the gear I use.

In regard to my home made camera cases, I needed to find some case big enough to hold my Canon XL cameras without having to remove the XLR mic adapter or the lens hood. These cameras were budgeted to be replaced in 2008 so I didn't want to spend too much on the cases.

I found a Husky brand soft tool bag that measured 24" long by 13" wide x13" high ... just big enough to hold a XL camera Camera fully assembled. They were onsale for around $20 earlier this year.

Then I found this really inexpensive anti-fiatigue mat that could easily be cut into any shape (I used a sabre saw with a knife edge blade ...cuts rubber and cardboard cleanly with no rough edges). You can find the mats here:

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/ptww88989.html

I cut these mats to provide padding for the bottom, sides, and ends of the bag and wrapped them in a dense cloth to prevent gouging. To add a bit of rigidity to the case I cut 1/8" tempered masonite to the same shapes as the mats. I used silicone sealer to glue the masonite and mats together because I had a tube loftover from a home repair task.

The last step was to cut holes in the bottom pad so I could attach velcro straps. These would secure the camera body and lens in place.

All parts completed, I rivited the padding to the interior of the cloth bag.

The end result has been satisfactory so far. Last week I knocked a case off of a table. The velcro straps kept the camera firmly in place. No damage to anything.

Here are some images:

[Yang Wen]

A Rock n' Roller R6 cart is a must:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...art?sku=699010

If you do get it, make sure you get a model with the inflatable tires in the back. The large tires make it much easier to climb curbs and steps.

On my cart I have:

Pelica 1610 http://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1610-C.../dp/B0007PI0XW

-Inside the Pelican I have a DVX100, GL2, batteries, shotgun mic, and wireless receiver+transmitter kit.

I have the DVX100 soft case http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/prod...0&sku=PNCCS100

-Inside the softcase, I have my tapes, headphone, more batteries, XLR cables, on-camera light, and my hoodman.

Two Tripods, each stored inside its own tripod bag.

Everything then goes inside my Honda Element with the backseat in the cargo position.

http://z.about.com/d/suvs/1/7/v/G/-/-/Cargo.JPG

[Michael Liebergot]

I use the Lowepro Pro Roller 3 Large Rolling Suitcase and love it.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Roller_3.html

I can fit 2 FX1's PAG C6 light kit, NRG Varalux Pro and battrey belts, Sony HVL-LBP LED light, batteries, Rode NTG1 Shotgun mic and wide angle lens, and more inside the case.
I then place my Samson Micro32 wireless set in the front part of my case.
Tripods get mounted on the side.

I also have a Kata MC-61 case, that I use to carry my audio equiptment in. Mic stands I carry in.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ulti_Case.html

That would be Edirol R09/Zoom H4/Zoom H2 recorders, XLR cables, batteries, various mics, etc.

I just pace this bag on top of the pro roller and roll right into my venue.

I also have a KATA CC-193 for when I only need 1 camera.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...lder_Case.html

Kata also makes a folding hand truck that can go through the back of KATA bags, so you can stack them and wheel your stuff in.
Works great for smaller shoots.

I prefer the soft cases with the reinforced sides to the hard Pelican cases. As the Pelican cases weight much more.