back from an intl trip last week + had a question that fits timing wise in more ways then one – “you’ve mentioned pelican cases before, what’s your fav travel tools + best way to protect gear”?

thanks for the question bob. this is tough + easy. easy because there are a number of options (lowepro, crumpler, tenba, dakine, lightware, photojojo, petrol…) + tough because though there are choices a plenty in my mind there’s nothing that covers a wide variety of work styles with a modular system. i have word that there’s a remedy for this in the works so stay tuned but more often then not it’s about evaluating your style, goals + gear + then mashing together a system that’s fluid for you.

the perfect set up for me would be highly versatile + functional with minimal extras. simplicity over saturation. i take this into my own hands when feasible. in fact, as demo’d in the attached video, i’ll strip down major manufacturers designs + recalibrate them for my own needs. in this case that’s a jumbo sized lowepro super trekker awII reconfigured for an elinchrom ranger battery pack with two heads + accessories. we use this set up for local travel/on site schlepping + the pelican 1610 hard case for flight or other rough travel.

that said, my current methods tend to fluctuate as gear is added or subtracted from inventory. i like to have one main storage with everything camera wise in it for easy access + local transportation. this is paralleled with similar set ups for lights, video, underwater housing, assistant’s bag, point + shoot, etc. flight travel usually works well with what i have as i’m currently in a lowepro rolling backpack that’s carry on sized (road runner aw). between that + pelican’s 1490 hard case for a laptop + hard drive the basics are with you all the time. if lights are going then i use a pelican 1610 hard case (see above). when i heli in somewhere (or snowmobile) i’ll opt for the lowepro omni trekker combined with it’s pelican 1550 mate.

definitely keep a headlamp in your bag, a copy of your photographer’s rights, any credentials you have, business cards, model releases, a blower, a lens pen, a cotton cloth, zip loc bags + silica packets. photograph everything at least once a year for insurance + travel purposes + you might even want to before each trip. a checklist isn’t a bad ideas as well, especially as your war chest grows or if you’re working with other shooters. + keep it all labeled clearly so you too don’t end up with well used cards from calumet sf’s rental dept.

for me the crux is always after the traveling, once you’ve arrived. + that my friends is what i’ll get to next.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 06:38 and is filed under gear, photography, video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.