Transporting Your Gear

My company keeps different rigs for different things. For live events I have a stocked 2014 Ford Transit that keeps the gear loaded in it. Its completely specced out with 8 Litepanel Inca 6s, a few C100s, 5D3s...RED....and bunch of Hanson Pro Systems uplighting units, wireless DMX system, crane & stabilizers, full multi tracking (32 track) audio unit....light mods....ect. All this stays locked inside a climate controlled space. So when we have a gig...no loading involved!

That rig just stays in the van and is only pulled out for events and maintenance. Its really quick and easy and always stays in room temp climates. Makes life eaaaasy.

For production shoots, we use a separate system.
 
Oh, logistics. The bane of everything I do, it seems. Whether it's doing a show or filming something. It's always the damn logistics of getting things or people to location that is the biggest hurdle. Not having neither driver's license nor vehicle doesn't help the situation ;)
 
How do you like the Ford Transit?

I would think it would make a great little gear hauler.

The one great feature I dig about the Sprinter is the tall roof. Which means I can stand up inside, which makes things easier on my old back.
 
I absolutely loooooove the transit. Its great. I think somewhere around 35MPG. It feels and drives like a car...but has tons of room. Go with the extended body.


Also ....keep in mind...it will easily fit in a parking deck. When needed...thats a huge plus.
 
good thread! nice work with your truck David!

this is our car... Suzuki wagon R+ 4x4, looks a bit like a shrinked ice cream truck, but works. A lot of room in there!
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for transporting stuff on location i mostly use a small cart with rubber wheels. Easy to haul around Lights, Stands, Sliders, Tracks, whatever... it cost 100 bucks only and there even are beer-holders on the side! My AC's love that cart!
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would be great to get a bigger car, no money for that at the moment though, and even used cars in decent condition can be crazy expensive in austria.
 
GULP!

Carts. That is one area I'd like to see more companies jump into. There seems to be very little competition and the designs that seem best are insanely expensive - at least, compared to the actual technology involved.

David W. Jones said:
If you are wanting a cart above the FilmTools cart I posted, have a look at these…. http://www.inovativcarts.com

After pricing one, you might still think I'm a little frugal with the FilmTools cart. :happy:
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I have this Tractor Supply cart but would prefer something more akin to the FilmTools Camera Assistant cart at about 1/4 the price.

Come on, China, make my dream a reality. ;)
 
I have a friend in Montreal who will be releasing a new cart he designed in the new year. As soon as it's ready I will get him to post here. He a D.O.P. Who finally designed a cart that is uptodate and meet current day shooters needs. It will be built in North America as well.
 
Watching.
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BrianMurphy said:
I have a friend in Montreal who will be releasing a new cart he designed in the new year. As soon as it's ready I will get him to post here. He a D.O.P. Who finally designed a cart that is uptodate and meet current day shooters needs. It will be built in North America as well.
Click to expand...
 
Thank for starting this thread, I'm getting a lot out of it. I frequently have to drive in NYC and wheel my equipment around on a Costco special flatbed hand truck. In those instances I have developed a very portable setup. For weddings I bring everything I can fit in my Subaru Baja.

Is storing equipment in a van a bad idea with east coast temperatures?
Will insurance companies usually cover theft?
Anything you can do to make your van less conspicuous?
How much did the sprinter cost you after renovations?

Also, does anyone have any tricks to getting equipment up and down stairs?
 
BrianMurphy said:
These cases mostly Pelican and a couple of custom Clydesdale style ones made for me in Vancouver kept my gear safe flying cargo to the Caribbean and the Arctic. Over the past two years I downsized and moved to rentals when needed as more and more people hang out their shingle as lighting camera persons. Less work for larger teams up here and more one man bands. The three bags and Smart Car are my one man band kit, I keep a Passat Wagon for larger equipment needs and renovations. I think it depends what the market needs in your location.
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Great thread David.

@Brian - what camera back pack is that in the second photo?
 
The back pack is a Swiss Gear back pack. It comes from Costco made by Holiday Luggage. It was 39.99 and is very well made. I have liners made of cordura in the side pockets to prevent the stands from ripping the pockets. It carries: 1-Led 312 bi-color and airbox/gels,1-led 144,2 Manfrotto Nano stands,5-1 reflector,12 foot stinger,20 foot Boston blue BNC cable. 2-Sennheiser G3 wireless kits,with 2 Trams/kit,3-Sennheiser MKE2 lavs/3TR79's,Rolls 3 channel Mixer, sennheiser MD46 microphone and G3 plug-in transmitter, 6-15 foot thin gauge Mogami custom xlr cables,JK audio Daptor 2, JK audio remote amp and IFB kit,Sony headphones, 3 mini Motorola walkie talkies. Box of AA,9Volt and LR44 batteries. Teradek Vidiu and cables.Gaffer tape, cable path tape,leatherman, Allen key set metric/imperial. And a few other odds and ends.
It along with my tripod and camera bag complete the one man band kit.
 
Anyone have any cool gear for transporting, and organizing, audio and video cables. Doesn't need to be big. I was thinking of some of those apple boxes that pull double duty as organizers. Anyone have some solid, inexpensive, options?
 
Just bought a new car and will be pushing it to its limits in december when I shoot my first TV Pilot in december so I'll be sure to post some pictures of it packed. In the meantime I will be playing tetris to get ready >.<
 
BrianMurphy said:
The back pack is a Swiss Gear back pack. It comes from Costco made by Holiday Luggage. It was 39.99 and is very well made. I have liners made of cordura in the side pockets to prevent the stands from ripping the pockets. It carries: 1-Led 312 bi-color and airbox/gels,1-led 144,2 Manfrotto Nano stands,5-1 reflector,12 foot stinger,20 foot Boston blue BNC cable. 2-Sennheiser G3 wireless kits,with 2 Trams/kit,3-Sennheiser MKE2 lavs/3TR79's,Rolls 3 channel Mixer, sennheiser MD46 microphone and G3 plug-in transmitter, 6-15 foot thin gauge Mogami custom xlr cables,JK audio Daptor 2, JK audio remote amp and IFB kit,Sony headphones, 3 mini Motorola walkie talkies. Box of AA,9Volt and LR44 batteries. Teradek Vidiu and cables.Gaffer tape, cable path tape,leatherman, Allen key set metric/imperial. And a few other odds and ends.
It along with my tripod and camera bag complete the one man band kit.
Click to expand...

Thanks - looks like you're ready for anything.

I use a large TENBA shootout when I need a backpack. It's been pretty good over the last few years. I think I'll try the f-stop series bags next.
 
I have a Pelican 0370 case without foam that holds most of my lighting and video equipment. The 0379 organizer is attached to the inside to hold various pieces of equipment. The rest, such as stands, a boompole case, jib, and tripod have to be loaded into the car separately. Simple setup for my needs.
 
I'll post some updated pics of how I currently have my van configured when it warms up just a little.

I had a shoot on Tuesday where it was 12 degrees, and ya know what? The older I get, the more I hate to shoot in cold weather. At least it wasn't a car dealership in Buffalo. That would have really sucked.
 
Working in Nunavut, here during the one hour of daylight in Cambridge Bay @ a balmy -57 celcius with wind chill. We then travelled to Gjoa Haven where it was even colder. Amazing people, beautiful landscape, but cold.
 

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