How do you transport your light?

B

Bante

Active member
The title says it all!

I've reached the limit of my lighting case so I'd like to see how you guys do it. Do you have one main bag for everything or do you split your equipment up to dedicated cases and bags? Trolleys, hardcase or softcase? Why or why not? Dedicated truck or cart?
 
I hit my limit with lights a year or so ago as well, and basically ended up just keeping them in my apartments storage locker and moving them into the car before and after every shoot, most of them were loose, although I know some people use luggage or pelican cases. Then back in July I bought a Ford E-350 cargo van and built it up with shelves, racks and bought a rubbermaid cart. It was probably the best move I've ever done. All in all it cost about $3k after fitting it out (I got an '96 with 140k miles for only $2300) and the rental I get on the next 3 days alone will cover more than half of that.

Pros being:
- All of my stuff is with me wherever I go.
- My back is saved from the constant strain of hauling gear into a storage locker.
- I could get new gear that wouldn't fit in my old car.
- Looks super pro and allows you to go for somewhat bigger jobs
- Easier to park/drive than a box truck.
Cons being:
- Had to insure another car (also got equipment insurance)
- I only get about 8 or 9 mpg so gas is hella expensive
- Driving a big van with no windows isn't for every one. I know some people who wreck it, and that sucks.
- If I had a got a box truck I could store more and get bigger jobs still (running out of space now, but still don't want to go larger).

Anyway, that's my 2-cents. The downside I'd say is the more gear you have, the more stuff that breaks, and eventually if you go big enough you become like a rental house and that's not really the way I want my career to go. Hence not going bigger with the box truck. I'll rent one of those if the job requires it.
 
Bante said:
. Do you have one main bag for everything or do you split your equipment up to dedicated cases and bags?
Click to expand...

I can't even imagine an adequate lighting kit being able to fit into one case, especially with all the gear along with it.

For the most part, there's not much trick to it; you just use whatever works to transport what you have safely. Hard cases for everything is nice, but very expensive.
 
I work at a pretty big rental house in the SF/Bay area and for all the smaller jobs, where the lights aren't just going onto bigger carts, we pack them all in milk crates. They're super easy to stack and can fit pretty much any tungsten light you've got. I'd just do that, and then get a magliner, like so:

http://www.uline.com/BL_1808/Convertible-Hand-Trucks

We always put a plywood bottom on there so we can fit smaller items, but I think it's a pretty sound investment. Eventually I'd like to do what Dr. Cheese has done, but I'm still collecting gear...don't quite have enough for a 1 ton van quite yet.
 
I have a small panel van, so my requirements are different from someone who flies and must be a ble to 'lock' their cases or for a car owner where space is at an absolute priemium

For me www.reallyusefulboxes.com are the absolute king of the hill for the price

Mainly I use ones that are 60 40cm internal size (84Litre) size - so they all stack

I even make stuff to fit, eg my rig rails are 58cm long and my home made skate dolly is 39cm wide

====

OT: when loading a car or van you should consider what will happen if you crash, my van has a ply bulkhead, a sensible minimum, I keep the passenger area 'clean' nothing heavy in that part of the vehicle, not even a Leatherman, Ideally you should tie down your stuff with those ratchet lever straps to the D loops on the chassis, I load heavy at bottom

S
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I've been playing with the idea of a dedicated van/big car, where you could install shelfs to fit your light and gear. Very tempting.

I mostly shoot at hospital where we have lots of different locations and I also make shorts in apartments where there are most of the time no elevators. I just love the idea of keeping it simple and strip down me lighting kit to the basic 3-lights-and-stands-kit which I could carry over the shoulder and be super portable, but I just know I would miss out on all of that other stuff I left at home. A van would be awesome until the point where you have to make several runs up and down the stairs to get everything you need. But to come home and just leave the van in the garage, not need having to put everything back into the storage locker .. that is tempting.

Milk crate idea is nice too. I saw a stairclimbing handtruck that could come in handy when elevators are not available. Some of those milk crates are collapsable right?
 
morgan_moore said:
OT: when loading a car or van you should consider what will happen if you crash, my van has a ply bulkhead, a sensible minimum, I keep the passenger area 'clean' nothing heavy in that part of the vehicle, not even a Leatherman, Ideally you should tie down your stuff with those ratchet lever straps to the D loops on the chassis, I load heavy at bottom

S
Click to expand...

Completely agree with this. One of the first things I did was buy a metal security divider and bolted it in so that in a crash things would come toppling on top of me. It also gives me a little added security in case anyone wants to break in. I got a used one for about $100 off of craigslist, but a lot of the used cargo vans you find will have them already installed.

Also, milk crates are great for moving around smaller lights. Also nice for handling random grip gear.
 
This last suggestion is great and doesn't apply to just crashing -- if someone swerves in front of you and you have to stomp on the brakes, it's just as valid a concern. Having expensive stuff come sliding forward at you is not a good place to be in, so yes, definitely consider some protection between the passengers and all that sliding stuff!
 
Is anyone on this thread using Source 4 lights? They're a bit bigger than most fresnel lights, and shaped a bit differently (long and skinny). I love the idea of milk crates, but I don't think they would fit in one of those.

I can obviously find something to put it in, but I wondered if anyone here had run into the same issue?
 
robotsound said:
Is anyone on this thread using Source 4 lights? They're a bit bigger than most fresnel lights, and shaped a bit differently (long and skinny). I love the idea of milk crates, but I don't think they would fit in one of those.

I can obviously find something to put it in, but I wondered if anyone here had run into the same issue?
Click to expand...

I have source 4's and I don't find that they really require any sort of case. Usually when we rent those we'll just throw em on one of the shelves by themselves, just be sure to close the shutters.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top