Storing your kit... Anyone mastered it?

Urban Grimshaw

Urban Grimshaw

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I seem to be building up more camera kit, and being a master of disorganisation it normally gets dumped into a box somewhere. Maybe some of it will stay in my camera bag. But now boxes seem to be overflowing. And while it gets spread across several areas, specific items are becoming increasingly more difficult to find!

Interested in how other people more organised than myself store their gear. Would love to hear suggestions and ideas. Bonus points for DIY custom solutions.
 
I have a 'tower' of plastic storage boxes with sticky labels at the front to let me know what is in them. It's easy to find what you are looking for, and if your kit preferences change, change the label (y)
 
:ty: I thought I was the only one...... LOL!

Camera gear (expected) but then.... tripods (3 of them), camera bags (10) print boxes (3) mounting board, mat cutter, printers, printer paper (2 large storage boxes, one for cheap, one for expensive), books, magazines, more books, cutting mats (3) exhibition catalogues, oh, and did I mention all the original boxes and packaging it all came in?

I had plans to turn study into hobby room... putting kitchen style units (build to house printer, print boxes and large deep drawers for stuff), but first, I need to clear out the study.... which is full of.... well, just go back to beginning of the post LOL! :runaway:
 
Magazines!! I keep some for, well, ever :eek:
 
Fortunately we have a wax printer at work and some lovely 300g A4 paper, smashing (y)
 
Generally kept in two camera bags, one that holds most of the stuff and another with kit ready to take out and about. Also got a storage unit for keeping boxes and rarely used bits of kit on its shelves. Oh and three flight cases with old film systems under the bed, and some stuff in the dining room. Oh sod it, it's everywhere!
 
I don't have much kit as I have only recently started out but I am super organised and I suppose you could say edging towards OCD so I converted a spare cupboard into my storage solution where I have everything to hand, I hope the picture helps explain?

Storage.jpg
 
David Mercer said:
I don't have much kit as I have only recently started out but I am super organised and I suppose you could say edging towards OCD so I converted a spare cupboard into my storage solution where I have everything to hand, I hope the picture helps explain?

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Cool!
I thought about using a couple of drawers with foam inside, with cut outs for camera and lenses etc
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
Cool!
I thought about using a couple of drawers with foam inside, with cut outs for camera and lenses etc
Click to expand...

It's funny you say that as underneath the base is a void and my next project is to construct a draw unit and sink it into the void so the draw fronts are flush with the doors when shut! The foam is a good idea :plus1:
 
I have a peli case for storing kit I'm not using, it lives under the stairs but mainly my camera etc stays in the bag(s) so its grab and go.
 
ecoleman said:
Lots of camera bags ;)
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Me too but then I leave the spare battery or SD Card or brush or lens cloth or filter holder in one of the bags I am not taking with me. I seriously think unpacking everything and repacking would help with this, not that it will ever happen...

(the other day I actually went out with a bag full of gear but forgot the body :()
 
Thought I was fairly organized until I came across a lens the other day that I didn't even remember buying, nice surprise.

My lenses are all in Lowepro Lens Cases (think they need labeling!!) along with a silica gel sachet. Cameras in various small bags ready to drop into my ordinary rucksack and tripod in a padded bag. The latter gets strapped to my rucksack when taken out, so its own bag is just for storage.
Plus a drawer full of accessories, old crap really I suppose its called and lots of books on shelves

Wish I had a dedicated room to put it all in along with somewhere to have an editing computer and desk for mount cutting.
Sadly not going to happen living in a small cottage dating back to the 1890's, just have to carry on using the spare bedroom ;)
 
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Main camera body and lenses go in a large camera bag and I have a smaller backpack for if I need to not take everything.
I have most of my kit in the study, in a cupboard, for the additional pieces, however I also have two large Bownes lighting bags. One has all my car rig equipment in it, the other has my portable lighting kit, brollies, softboxes, triggers, lots of flashguns etc. These are in the loft.
 
Watching this thread, need better bag/storage solution for my kit.

Already have a number of bags with bits in the cupboard.
 
When I get new Kit I just start a new camera bag.
When you go out, you just collect the right bags to do what you need.
If I ever needed my OM1 kit everything is in a single bag. so I would not have to hunt for anything.
With My canon it would be at least two bags........
 
I have 4 camera bags to store my stuff. 3 big bags and 1 small. The small one usual keeps my Fuji XT1 and my wife's Lumix GF3. The 3 big one serves different purpose.

Bag 1: Keeps my Nikkonmat film camera, 2 AI lens and all the bits and bobs like wireless trigger, light meter, filter adapter ring etc,
Bag 2: Keeps all my DSLR Nikon lens I don't use often like the 70-200 f2.8, 50mm f1.8, spare flash, charger, extra spare battery, extra spare CF cards, rain cover etc
Bag 3: keeps my Nikon D3, 2-3 lens, flash, spare battery and CF card etc. (This is my go to DSLR bag)
 
I use f stop ICUs, the downside isn't you have to plan way ahead, if I order a new icu now, I can expect to be organised again in 2018, I might have to change the way I do it but it is very convenient this way. When I eventually get round to it, I'm planning on measuring them and getting a pelican case to fit them in, I have one for flashes, one for camera and lenses and fingers crossed the mavic will fit in one next year when I've been given permission.

I also use the cable management bags from thinktank to organise little bits with different colour carabiners clipped on so I know what is in each bag without looking.
 
badboy1984 said:
I have 4 camera bags to store my stuff. 3 big bags and 1 small. The small one usual keeps my Fuji XT1 and my wife's Lumix GF3. The 3 big one serves different purpose.

Bag 1: Keeps my Nikkonmat film camera, 2 AI lens and all the bits and bobs like wireless trigger, light meter, filter adapter ring etc,
Bag 2: Keeps all my DSLR Nikon lens I don't use often like the 70-200 f2.8, 50mm f1.8, spare flash, charger, extra spare battery, extra spare CF cards, rain cover etc
Bag 3: keeps my Nikon D3, 2-3 lens, flash, spare battery and CF card etc. (This is my go to DSLR bag)
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Hi

What hag do you use for number 3?

Thanks
 
Just narrowed my kit down to 3 lenses (24/50/70-200) and it all goes in my new Tenba bag (awesome bag!).

Rest of my gear... Chargers, cables etc seems to be on the side, in a draw, missing!

Need to find a box!
 
David Mercer said:
I don't have much kit as I have only recently started out but I am super organised and I suppose you could say edging towards OCD so I converted a spare cupboard into my storage solution where I have everything to hand, I hope the picture helps explain?

View attachment 90953
Click to expand...

I don't get it being so organised but keeping lenses on the shelves??? All my lens are in lens pouch, i don't want them to be gathering dust!

I have a camera bag for each system i own (1 for my nikon digital, 1 for my olympus 35mm film , 1 for bronica medium format film, 1 for other film camera) each back can hold all the lens and body of one the one system so it's all together. Then i have a couple of going out bags which get whatever i'm using at the moment. And i have a box where i keep all the box. All of this fit under my half of the king size bed!
 
Lemaildetom said:
I don't get it being so organised but keeping lenses on the shelves??? All my lens are in lens pouch, i don't want them to be gathering dust!
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I don't get it being disorganised! What's the problem with lenses being on shelves plus they get used nearly everyday so they don't get chance to gather dust!
 
My solution for 12 bodies over m43, canon and Fuji around 30 lenses and a load of other stuff such as flashes etc was to sell all canon, all m43 and just keep 4 fujis and their 8 lenses. (Excluding film kit)

Items like bags, tripods, filters etc I kept too but the net result is I go out more with the cameras, I don't have heaps of unused and potentially expensive kit kicking about and more importantly a nice wedge of cash back in my bank.

It's not the best solution BUT if you can also strip back some of what you have you may find that hobbie room comes along a little quicker than you thought was possible before.

A couple of small flight cases and a large camera bag and everything is pretty much away now which is a massive bonus and it's much easier to find what I'm looking for as a result.
 
David Mercer said:
I don't have much kit as I have only recently started out but I am super organised and I suppose you could say edging towards OCD so I converted a spare cupboard into my storage solution where I have everything to hand, I hope the picture helps explain?

View attachment 90953
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Can you delete that pic please. If my other half sees that. My weekend would be ruined.:D

Nice touch with the under shelf lights. Do they come on when the doors open ;)
 
kingo15 said:
Nice touch with the under shelf lights. Do they come on when the doors open ;)
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Yes they are activated by motion sensors, I have LED strips on the inside edge of the frame where the hinges are as well, I ruined my wife's weekend when I did this as it's where she used to keep her long dresses and coats :exit:
 
David Mercer said:
I don't have much kit as I have only recently started out but I am super organised and I suppose you could say edging towards OCD so I converted a spare cupboard into my storage solution where I have everything to hand, I hope the picture helps explain?

View attachment 90953
Click to expand...

David,

What is the large black bag in the picture?

Thanks

Kev
 
Currently I just use a couple of camera bags, but did buy some drawers and started something along the lines of this: Link

finished-finish-web.jpg


As it happened I started this (NOT THE ABOVE!!) just as I decided to switch systems so it looks nothing like that :D
 
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I'm not the neatest person in the world, but I do mind my camera gear very well. I have a desk dedicated to photography stuff alone, I also use a Think Tank roller bag, and have 3 other camera bags that gear gets moved between. The only gear left out, will be what i'm actively using. But even that goes back into a bag end of the day, and all my bags and drawers will have a few silica gel packs scattered about. I tend to clean down everything after use too.
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
Cool!
I thought about using a couple of drawers with foam inside, with cut outs for camera and lenses etc
Click to expand...
I saw THIS after doing a Google search and fell in love!

My designated photography equipment storage area is very much in disarray right now, but I'll fix that later this month.
 
My cameras and lenses etc get stored in two camera bags but it's my lighting stands and other kit that cause me the most grief hence the back of my Ford Focus looks like a trip to the local tip!
 
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