Where do you keep all your equipment?

[BostonRott]

Since I bought my first SLR at age 16, all of my stuff has always lived in my camera bag (well ok, except the tripod!). I have finally hit a point where it doesn't fit all in one bag, and to keep my backpack down to a reasonable weight (for a long hike), I am finding the need to not haul everything around.

So where do you keep all of your treasures? Currently, my stuff is living amongst a few camera bags on the floor of my coat closet. :redface: I'm thinking maybe it needs a dedicated shelf up here in my office. :smile:

 

[Clix Pix]

For a long time I kept camera gear in an armoire. Eventually that was no longer feasible, so then some lenses started living in camera bags. I realized that for a number of reasons that probably the lenses needed more protection (especially from dust and cat hair) so that's when i bought my first Pelican case. Added a second a while later. With the (photographic) divider inserts they are perfect for my lenses, providing more protection against dust and cat hair than is possible in a soft-sided Domke camera bag. Now the shorter-to-medium sized lenses live in the Pelican cases and the longer lenses live in either their own bags or the Think Tank Airport Security bag. The D40, with its kit lens and the 55-200mm VR lives in its own messenger-style bag that I carry around most of the time along with my wallet, sunglasses, etc. (The D40 is my substitute for a P&S.)

Quite often I have the D2Xs or the D200 sitting out on a table with a longish lens on it ready for me to grab at a moment's notice when something interesting is happening out on our little lake. Right now I have accessories of various sorts in the armoire, plus my old Coolpixes, plus extra battery chargers (I keep a couple of battery chargers right out on a table, ready for me to quickly pop batteries into after returning from a shoot or prior to going out on a shoot). Tripods live in the car, ready for wherever I might decide to go.... Now that it's spring, the monopod has been staying in the house, handy for me to grab when going out for an afternoon or evening walk around the lake.

When I'm ready to set out on a specific shoot, I pull together the lenses and camera bodies that I will need and stash them in the appropriate sized camera bag(s).

Periodically I sort through and rearrange my gear but that's basically the way I've got things set up at the moment...

 

[seafoxfla]

I keep mine in their bags or camera bags in my home office/dark room on shelves in a large cabinet thats closed to keep out dust. but I always carry my D200 w/ battery grip, sigma 10-20, 24-70, 70-200, Nikon MM 1.4,
sb800, filters and cards in my lowepro sling 200 aw, it's like my American Express card, I don't leaved home without it.:biggrin:

 

[BostonRott]

Interesting comment on the Pelican cases vs soft bags re: fur and dust! I'll keep that in mind in the future.

My tripod is living out in the car too (stuffed between two dog crates!). :smile:

I'm thinking that some sort of an enclosed cabinet/case might be nice in the future. Camera bags on the closet floor just isn't cutting it anymore. :tongue:

 

[BostonRott]

but I always carry my D200 w/ battery grip, sigma 10-20, 24-70, 70-200, Nikon MM 1.4,
sb800, filters and cards in my lowepro sling 200 aw, it's like my American Express card, I don't leaved home without it.:biggrin:

I just picked up the 100 sling and really like it! I wanted something small for hiking with Miss Emilie, while maintaining the ability to easily pick her up (and fit through tight spots in boulder fields). So far, after one day, I love it. It's going to Providence tomorrow for some street shooting.......enough to hold D200, 18-70 and 35/2 plus cards/batteries and a sippy cup! :biggrin:

 

[Phil K]

We have very humid springs and summers, so I keep the stuff in electronic dry cabinets.

 

[ddietiker]

I keep everything I use in one Lowepro, tripod strapped to the ouside of it.

 

[Clix Pix]

I should have added that I live in a small two-bedroom condominium apartment with one elderly Siamese cat who sheds like crazy. I'm not the world's greatest housekeeper, as I'd much rather be out shooting or on the computer working on my images or hanging out at the Cafe! Dust and cat hair are realities around here.... :smile:

I have limited space and my closets are already pretty full of stuff I need to eventually sort through and dispose of one way or another now that I am officially retired. No need any longer for all those business-attire "skirted suits" and pantsuits and the like, nor the dresses and the shoes and matching purses.... Most of the time I schlep around rather casually dressed with a messenger bag or a full-out camera bag filled with gear for a day's shoot....

The armoire worked great for quite a long while but when I got to the point where I had my beloved old Domke bags holding lenses and such sitting around in the living room, spare room or closet, I realized that this was not a good storage solution for the lenses I don't use everyday or even the ones I use frequently. The Domke bags are wonderful for hauling gear around but they are soft-sided and open-ended and have lots of ways for dust and cat hair to sneak in..... I am very happy with the Pelican case solution and now the lenses are safely protected. Lenses that I use frequently or lenses which are pulled out only occasionally are equally sheltered and yet easily accessible.

 

[Stef]

Well since my house has more linen closets than I have linens (and I have ALOT), I have allowed myself 2 large shelves in there for camera goodies.

Then of course there is my Sony P200 P&S which lives in my purse when I happen to be carrying a purse that it will fit in. When I'm not, it lives either in my desk drawer at work, or on my computer desk at home.

Then there is the Sony H2, which is my fun little camera since it has pretty good zoom for a P&S. It lives in a small bag downstairs in my closet under the stairs. That way it's easy for me to get at it when my dogs do something stupid and I HAVE to get pics of it.

Then of course we can't forget about the camcorder (which obviously I do, since I NEVER use it.) It has a dedicated spot on a shelf in my bedroom closet. Next to all the other crap that I don't use, but keep because one day.... :wink:

 

[Zachs]

All of my gear is sitting either on top of my desk or under it at work. 1 slr and 3 dslr's are on top, with all my lenses in the bag/s.

 

[Clix Pix]

That's the idea: have your camera gear readily available to grab at a moment's notice to capture those unexpected priceless moments.... but also protect your camera gear and lenses against dust/dirt/accidental knocking off a surface, etc....

Shelves in the linen closet(s) sounds like a good plan, as that should keep lenses and such clean and dust-free. Eventually I will get around to clearing out my linen closet which actually doesn't have linens in it at all, but instead has boxes of old prints and negatives in it and odds and ends left from my film days! Whoever designed these apartments was not a woman because the linen closet is located in the most inconvenient place possible for actual storage of one's sheets, towels, washcloths, etc....so right off the bat I never did use it for its designated purpose. LOL!

 

[PhotoByMark]

I have considered buying a large fire rated gun safe to store away my camera stuff.

It would be in the house so temperature/humidity would not be a big problem and I have dogs/cats, oh and I live on a dirt road so seems like a good idea.

What do you think?

 

[Harry S.]

Where do I keep my equipment?

That's something I would like to know myself at times :smile:

Cheers

 

[Bob the Spiderman]

Where do I keep my equipment?

That's something I would like to know myself at times

Cheers. Harry
__________________

OH! Would I love to make a comment on this but I am afraid that it would be censored!!!!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Bob F.

 

[Harry S.]

OH1 Would I love to make a comment on this but I am afraid that it would be censored!!!!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Bob F.

I can well imagine what your twisted brain would contrive :biggrin::biggrin:

but you can still use email and give me a good laugh.

Cheers

 

[TOLady]

Collapsible bin in the corner of the kitchen has all the bits and bobs (reflectors, folded white box, small tripods, etc) while the gear sits in the Computrekker Plus AW bag on top. Large tripod and monopod standing beside it and everything is a few feet from the back door ready to go in an instant. I'm dragging my gear everywhere all the time so I never stash it away in the closet. I prefer it always ready to go.

 

[ZBaum]

Right now, all of my gear that I use is in my Lowepro Nova 5 bag, sitting next to me on my dining room table where I have my laptop set up. The one exception is the 300 2.8 that I'm borrowing, which is in my bedroom room since I don't need easy access to it. I also have an N55/kit lens and a Fujifilm S5100 digital P&S that I keep down in the basement in two other camera bags.....probably not the best place for them.

 

[BostonRott]

We have very humid springs and summers, so I keep the stuff in electronic dry cabinets.

Is this something with dehumidification built in?

 

[Mason]

I just passed the point of being able to keep most of my stuff in one backpack, so what I am not using normally stays on shelves in my bedroom. Although right now the D200, 70-200, 18-70, 50 1.8 are with me...the D2H is in Allison's closet (took it out of the bag for a recent trip), the D70 is at my house along with some other lenses (300 2.8 being one)...and my tripod is in the back of my Bronco! :biggrin:

And I'm moving it all tonight, so don't come looking for anything!

I keep thinking that one BIG bag to hold everything, at least for storage, would be nice.

 

[Phil K]

Yes, Gretchen. Something like this.