Transporting lights to location. Suggestions?

C

cylinder

Member
I was wondering if people could share some suggestions on packing multiple lights for transport to/from (low budget) locations? Do you have any inexpensive suggestions to minimize damage and number of trips? Like, how would you move 8+ lights? I only have a station wagon and the occasional pickup truck, so large dollys and grip trucks aren't practical.

I've got 4 650w tungstens (soon to have more), some lowel totas, cords and and typical grip stuff. Right now they're all in various duffel bags which has become intolerable. Transport stands is easy in a separate standbag, so I'm more looking at lights and their components.

I've been thinking of using this: http://www.toolventure.co.uk/tool-storage/st-94850.html or even cheap luggages with some foam cut to size. Large cases like the arri are nice but are so heavy (and always designed to transport stands).

That said, I'd love to see what others are using to move their gear around :)
 
Milk crates Milk crates Milk crates Milk crates Milk crates Milk crates Milk crates Milk crates Milk crates.

Milk crates!
 
That's odd. I posted to this thread and now my post is gone. Puzzle.

In any case, what is that interesting cart/hand truck, dwelter?
 
I generally take from 2-5 6.5" fresnels, a few 150 - 300's, several dual and quad biax flo units, 3 HID lights, and all the associated grip... sometimes a big Leko, bags of fabrics, etc; some days it's piles of speedotron packs and heads. I have a 97 Pathfinder dedicated to gear, and with the back seats down, I usually fill it to the roof, with some Matthews Beefy's tied TO the roof.

Wheeled cases seem overrated to me for that much gear (maybe since my studio is up a flight of stairs?) I have several of those rubbermaid - style "action packers" (added some foam), pretty versatile, cheap and tough - they'll hold 3 650 fresnels with a sheet of foam in the bottom. Walmart and online vendors sell those black sort of military-look plastic cases with wheels, smaller but handy and they stack. Good for gels, dimmers, light modifiers, & small lights.

Large rectangular dairy crates for power, grip heads and such - those will hold 3 - 5 folded turtle bases, the columns go in some heavy-duty stand bags I've scored over the years. I've got a couple compartmented soft cases for my HID lights, softboxes, etc. I even have a big pizza delivery bag for my chinas. My open-faced stuff usually goes in a dairy crate since they're tough and the barn doors close the faces up.

I found a canvas 3' x 4' portfolio case for flags & foamcore... and check out cool lights web site, they sell a really nice rolling case for $200 which you can configure all sorts of ways (great for quad flos). Check the tool bag area of the big box stores (lowe's, HD) for really tough zipper bags, from small hardware & adapters size to almost-shoebox-size for superclamps & such.

And I do use my wife's black samsonite roller case for my blimp, mic cases, headphones and audio cables - but I have been warned not to chop it up or add any permanent dividers!
 
dwelter said:
Did anyone mention milk crates?
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That is an awesome packing setup! I reall like the huge wheels on your dolly. Is that silver/black toolbox (?) seperate or just tied to the dolly?





Michael Carter said:
Wheeled cases seem overrated to me for that much gear (maybe since my studio is up a flight of stairs?) I have several of those rubbermaid - style "action packers" (added some foam), pretty versatile, cheap and tough
And I do use my wife's black samsonite roller case for my blimp, mic cases, headphones and audio cables - but I have been warned not to chop it up or add any permanent dividers!
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These are some great suggestions! I think those rubbermaid containers are pretty handy. I'm debating between those and some samsonite type rolling luggages. While smaller and softsided compared to the rubbermaids, I think it forces me to not overload them so I too can haul up stairs or uneven terrain.


What other suggestions and pictures does everyone have. I know milkcrates are the standards... but do you guys just pile them up in a truck then pile them onto a dolly, or some other innovative ways of transporting to/from?
 
Pick up a magliner and make a plywood base for it. Thats
pretty much the standard for transporting things. You can also use a rubbermaid, but it doesn't fold up as well as the magliner does.
 
If you're transporting anything like 6" fresnels, you'll find the bulkiness & yokes demand something like a big rubbermaid - or a pricey custom case. The rubbermaid wins for me on cost and durability, and is much lighter than something like a flight case - I can get three cans in one and toss some accessories in. It's easy to spray-glue foam into the thing (I just leave it loose).

Magliners are rockin' pieces of gear, but start at about $300. I use a big steel dolly from the home store, $69 and converts to a flatbed. Either way you'll want some bungees or (better) nylon ratcheting straps, which can be cut to a useable size.

Dairy crates can stack if you don't fill 'em up - it can be hard to find "real" ones, and the closet and home stores sell flimsy, brittle knockoffs. The rectangular ones, as I mentioned, will hold several turtle bases, but the "toes" will stick out the top - still a great way to transport c-stands and makes you avoid ever buying the attached-base versions.

While I wish I could afford to buy and old, shortbus-size school bus and convert it to a grip truck (complete with shooting platform on the roof and sealed-off cab with cold AC), that's not in my immediate future... so the key is to have packing gear that can quickly adapt to any sort of shoot; have a system to pack the stuff you always bring (tools, grip odds & ends, stands, etc), and cases that can accommodate daylight or tungsten gear, flos or cans, and then pack for the job with minimal cases to move. And when you buy anything like a crane, a tripod, a steadicam-style rig, see if there's a case available - often getting the case with the gear will be a deal. And, look at "just the cases" for gear... Kessler's crane case is a big, tough, light deal that could carry all kins of longer things, for example. Look at DJ stores, music websites, etc... not just photography shops. Think about the shapes of things you desperately want a case for and think about what goods are roughly that size (IE, a sound mixer case for a big flo might work) and shop around in realms where there are more buyers than the photo market (a rolling suitcase is almost the same as a Lowell roller, which is 4 times the cost due to market size... yet the $100 pelican padded divider insert could drop right into many consumer bags). With luan plywood, a glue gun, black cordura, foam and a pop riveter, you can adapt all kinds of things. My DSLR rig is in a big rolling view camera case, but the rig fits perfectly due to making my own inserts and lens trays.

Also, there are several websites dealing in pelican-style cases, where you can enter dimensions and be presented with several models that fit, some with really good pricing. Search outside the photo world and save some bucks.

I've purchased a few "light kit" soft cases from eBay... one or two were decent, many are junk - thin fabric and padding, tiny zippers, etc. Not made for working gear. But I've scored killer, killer deals on pricey cases used, always worth a look.
 
After rattling around for years with all my gear in milk crates and loose, jammed floor to ceiling in the back of my 4Runner with the back seat folded down, I finally wised up some years ago and got a 12' enclosed utility trailer with a side door and a drop ramp rear door. I can stand up, gear fits in milk crates on shelves, there's room for almost everything from a full sized dolly and track to a 3K generator and I'm very, very pleased with it. Maybe I'll post some pictures.
 
Michael Carter said:
complete with shooting platform on the roof and sealed-off cab with cold AC
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The dream! I wonder if Slondons trailer could serve as a raised platform?

I really appreciate the suggestions. I've made my bags for lightsands and other long sticky shapes out of a lot cordura, ripstop nylon and time. Certainly a cheap and sensible solution. I'm currently hunting for 2-3 rolling suitcases with some sort of internal frame so I can stack (Ideally deep enough to hold 2 milkcrates). Unlucky so far, which is why I'm hoping to find alternatives. Hadn't thought about buying pelican inserts for them. I have a padded but ugly looking suitcase for my camera so it looks nondescript. Sometimes I even have an old shirt sticking out!
 
cylinder said:
The dream! I wonder if Slondons trailer could serve as a raised platform?
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Not the way it comes from the factory, but there are some brackets that can be added that allow putting ladders and whatever up above, I don't see why they wouldn't work to support a platform.

What I do is open the moonroof on my 4Runner and let the shooter stand on the seat and operate from there. For fixed shots a ladder does nicely. Nine times out of ten the camera operator wants to shoot from the back of the truck with the hatch up.
 
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