Transporting the steadicam vest and arm
- Thread starter jamesc
- Start date
mikkowilson
Steadi-Guru
Pull the pin at the "elbow" of the arm to split it in 2.
Wrap them in some sort of padding - a spare t-shirt works just fine, or you can get a cheep piece of fleece from any fabric store and use that to wrap up the arms (just so they don't bang into each other).
Then put that whole lot inside the vest, and then all together into a bag or case. Slightly padded cases are preferred, but the vest is already so padded that any duffel-bag or suitably sized backpack will work fine.
The Steadicam backpack for the pilot kit (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...38_01_078_5238_01_Backpack_for_Steadicam.html) is overkill for the Merlin, I find it way bulkier than necessary unless you have the Pilot in there.
- Mikko
Wrap them in some sort of padding - a spare t-shirt works just fine, or you can get a cheep piece of fleece from any fabric store and use that to wrap up the arms (just so they don't bang into each other).
Then put that whole lot inside the vest, and then all together into a bag or case. Slightly padded cases are preferred, but the vest is already so padded that any duffel-bag or suitably sized backpack will work fine.
The Steadicam backpack for the pilot kit (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...38_01_078_5238_01_Backpack_for_Steadicam.html) is overkill for the Merlin, I find it way bulkier than necessary unless you have the Pilot in there.
- Mikko
the case that came with the steadicam pilot is all about padding and protection. for most transportation it wouldnt be necesary but i can say that if ever dropped there would be no worries. its almost all padding inside. it is rather bulky though. might be a little overkill for the merlin.
in this case the two pieces of the arm gets split with one on each side of the case. the vest lays on top of all of the other contents with a piece of foam between it and the rest of the pieces. there is a sizable front zipper compartment in front of it for batteries/accesories.
its a nice robust case. it did come with my steadicam pilot. way too big to take on a plane though.
david
www.davidprobst.com
in this case the two pieces of the arm gets split with one on each side of the case. the vest lays on top of all of the other contents with a piece of foam between it and the rest of the pieces. there is a sizable front zipper compartment in front of it for batteries/accesories.
its a nice robust case. it did come with my steadicam pilot. way too big to take on a plane though.
david
www.davidprobst.com
Nick Walters
Mentholated Member
I have a big rigid soft case that my Steadicam originally came with, but if I didn't have this I would take the dimensions down on paper that are required to store everything, and then find a hard case for storage.
I have hard cases for almost every piece of equipment I own, and not only does it protect your equipment, but it makes one look very professional....much more pro then gym bags and cloth wrapped equipment.
I have hard cases for almost every piece of equipment I own, and not only does it protect your equipment, but it makes one look very professional....much more pro then gym bags and cloth wrapped equipment.
mikkowilson
Steadi-Guru
Yeah, let me clarify; the arm in the vest in a bag is great for compact transportation if you are reasonably nice to the bag. (= don't check it with an airline!) I use that method when traveling light to shoots semi-locally.
But most of the time my Steadicam lives in 2 full size Steadicam hard cases. (The arm within the vest in one of them.)
- Mikko
But most of the time my Steadicam lives in 2 full size Steadicam hard cases. (The arm within the vest in one of them.)
- Mikko
Nick Walters
Mentholated Member
I simply love those cases miko! My rigid soft case pales in comparison 
I'm actually upgrading my storage right now to full on hard cases. The Steadicam is a beast and can hold up in the semi-rigid, but nothing keeps your mind at ease like an array of hard cases and a good cart to move everything around on....now I just need a pack mule, lol:thumbsup:
I'm actually upgrading my storage right now to full on hard cases. The Steadicam is a beast and can hold up in the semi-rigid, but nothing keeps your mind at ease like an array of hard cases and a good cart to move everything around on....now I just need a pack mule, lol:thumbsup:
ZazaCast
Major Contributor
I have a bunch of these SKB cases. Reasonably priced & solid.
http://www.skbcases.com/
Most A/V retailers can get them....
http://www.skbcases.com/
Most A/V retailers can get them....
Nick Walters
Mentholated Member
I have a few different kinds of cases, but here's the cases I have the most of :
E-bay special
I have a total of 6 of these, and the price was AMAZING...like REALLY REALLY amazing
rogar-BigGrin(DBG)
E-bay special
I have a total of 6 of these, and the price was AMAZING...like REALLY REALLY amazing
rogar-BigGrin(DBG)