How do you arrange your gear in vehicle?

[Jamie Roberts]

Hi there.

I would love some suggestions, photos even of how guys store their production gear in their vehicles so its easily accessible, ordered and doesn't constantly get mixed up (like mine does!)

Do you use storage containers, bags, trays, something else?

Im continually having to re-order my gear due to taking this out to get that out, then putting those in with these etc etc!

Gear like cameras, lights, audio gear, cables, stands, adapters, batteries, reflectors etc.

Any ideas appreciated!!

[Josh Bass]

Most folks pull everything out of the vehicle for the shoot and load it on a cart to get it onto the shoot location, only leaving behind a few things that they MIGHT need but probably won't. We don't generally leave the light kit in the car and grab each light as we need it, etc. EVERYTHING MUST GO!

[Don Bloom]

Everything is in either bags, large or small or hard cases. Most in bags.
For example my main camera is in a large Pelican with all the ancillary; IE. batteries, basic wireless audio, on camera lighting and batteries to power same, another bag for my main tripod, light stands in a old tripod bag, LED lighting in a small case, tungsten lights and softboxes in a Portabrace utility bag, misc. audio cables and other audio gear in an old toolbag I got at a home improvement store, gaff tape, clamps misc stuff that I've carried for years and rarely use but will never NOT have with me...Priceless! I mean a large cardboard box with handles in the ends. Beat to hell but it works. When I off load to a cart...EVERYTHING GOES!
Sometimes I just have my camera case and tripod with an on camera light, sometimes more depends on the job but EVERYTHING GOES.
The Pelican case doesn't fit into my trunk so it goes into the backseat, everything else goes in the trunk of the car.

[Warren Kawamoto]

I built a ramp for my cargo van out of plywood and 1x1 headers. The top of the ramp clips onto the bumper. I laid down 3/4 inch plywood on the floor of the van, then installed rachet tie downs which is mounted through slots in the floor. I push an entire cart up the ramp (all my carts have wheels,) then strap everything down when driving. To unload, I wheel the cart(s) out. Loading or unloading an entire van of carts can be accomplished very quickly and easily by myself. When I go home, I store all the carts in a storage room for the next gig. On the next gig, I pull out whatever cart I need. One cart has gear for shooting, another has speakers for playback at receptions, another has a steadicam, another has lights and stands, etc....wheels are a great invention to save your back!

[Nate Haustein]

It's usually a catastrophe waiting to happen!

I think that I'm like a lot of other people in that I keep like-items in individual bags and cases. For example, my Kino-Flo Divas and accessories are inside the Pelican 1650. All my Fresnel hot lights are in the red bag, my cameras are in the Pelican 1510 cases, grip stuff in the gray bag, etc. Stands and other stuff gets piled on top, but nobody's perfect! I've trained myself to be diligent in putting things back in the case or bag they belong in so I know where it is when I need it. There's definitely an order of operations that needs to happen to fit all of it in the bags, and also into the car.

It's a modular system that I can assemble like building blocks for different shoots. Storing lights and equipment loose in my vehicle isn't really an option because most of the time I need to pack in and pack out to locations with a smaller crew. Rolling it all on the cart and having what I need is more helpful for me than running back to the car for every little thing. Speaking of, the cart takes up a lot of space, but it's definitely worth having. Stands and other long items fit underneath.

The attached photo isn't exactly new, so now there's probably another half of what you're seeing that I'm taking with me regularly! Unless you've got a dedicated production vehicle (I don't at the time), loading and unloading is simply a part of the job. I like to separate my lighting and grip from the cameras so that I can remove them for charging, reconfiguration and anti-theft. The trunk of my malibu does a pretty good job of holding most of the big stuff.

[Jamie Roberts]

Love the cart. I have a 2 wheel trolley that I load bags onto but it's a pain. I'm going to have start from scratch I think. Lay out all my gear down to the fiddly stuff, look at what storage gear I have (bags, cases etc), and come up with a workable solution!

[John DuMontelle]

Pelican Cases...which I load as needed.

I can not trust leaving my gear permanently in my SUV.

Too many thefts in South Florida.

At the beginning of each shoot I load just what I need...with a few extras, but not many.

Light stands and tripod are in their Tuf Pak shipping tubes. I have two.

Tungsten lights in one 1610 Pelican Case.

I have an extra, single tungsten Lowel light, in a lowel shoulder case for those "one light" shoots that come up during news coverage.

Audio gear in one 1610 Pelican Case.

Camera with everything needed to do a very basic shoot in it's IM2760 Pelican Storm Case.

Nanoflash with 9-inch flatscreen HD monitor in it's own 1550 Pelican Case.

Three HMI lights split between two 1610 Pelican Cases.

My small cams, GoPro and Canon DSLR with lenses, in a 1560 Pelican case.

I like the Pelican Cases because they stack well. Protect the gear, and I can adjust "the load" depending on the needs of my shoot. Plus they have a lifetime guarantee...which I've had the experience of exercising and Pelican really lives up to that guarantee.

My Rock n Roller cart slides in on top of it all. Last in, first out.

The pic below shows my old Petrol Case which I used to use for my 3 HMI's before putting them in their new Pelican Cases.

My tripod, which you can't see, is bungee corded to the far side of my light stand tube.

I've known way too many folks who have tricked out their vehicles with shelves and cages, leaving all of their equipment there 24/7...only to wake up in the morning, or come back after a long day of shooting, to find half or all of their gear gone.

I do whatever I can to not be one of them...(knock on wood)

[Oren Arieli]

I have a Honda Element, and the rear seats are almost always removed, as this is my production truck. That makes it pretty easy to load/unload. Hard cases are the way to go for anything fragile. I also have two longer soft-sided cases for light stands.
I try to put all the biggest/boxiest containers on one side of the truck.The last thing I'll load is a rolling hand truck, as it's the first thing you'll want to remove from the vehicle. The biggest boxes go on the bottom of the hand truck and provide the base from which to build your 'gear pyramid'. Sand bags go on top of the hard cases, then the light stand bags, which are somewhat stabilized by the sand bags. Top it off with some bungy cords and you're ready to roll. I try to make each shoot a one-trip experience. Doesn't always work out that way, but you'll thank yourself when you've got to go through a winding property and multiple doors.
I also keep a spare folding hand-truck strapped to the back of the passenger seat. It adds only 2 inches to the depth of the seat, doesn't interfere with anything, and comes in quite handy when you're lugging just a few items over rough surfaces. Rolling cases are great, but their wheels are often tiny, and you end up dragging them across rough surfaces or deep-pile carpets.

[Peter Ferling]

I sometimes sub for a large production company, and we use the large, double walled rolling cases. Everything is organized and packed by item use and location, (i.e. all electronics, devices and associated wiring for the control station in one, Stage and drape hardware in another, etc.). That way everyone is not having to hunt and dig through all the boxes to find what they need for their area. We also pack a case of extra cables, connectors, etc. Which is brought to every job regardless to prevent techs from taking items from others carts.

When using cargo vans for smaller jobs, we always run a 2x4 just behind the seats to prevent things from rolling into them. We also chock all wheels with pieces of angle iron. Heavy items are loaded first, lighter and loose items in bags are placed on top and camera's are loaded last. Everything is then tied down with bungees or racket straps.

When going it alone, I follow a similar practice. I only haul what I need for the site, and like others, carry everything in one go. For security reasons, I refrain from using the fleet white cargo vans and stick with Mini-vans with tinted windows. My favorite is the Chrysler town and country with their stow and go seating. I fold them down into the floor and slide in a sheet of plywood.

I also mark my cases with my name, but refrain from plainly labeling contents to attract thieves. As a matter of convenience, in large facilities, I will unload at the shipping dock and borrow a large rolling flatbed/cart to tow around. This especially useful if I need to go on tour and shoot in several locations. I can then leave things partially or fully set on the cart as I move to the next location.

[Jamie Roberts]

It's been great reading what other guys do and seeing a few photos. Some good advice and ideas!

[Chris DeVoe]

I just walk through the turnstile and onto the L.