How do you carry sheet films and holders ?

[Jean-Louis Llech]

What kind of boxes (or cases) do you use to carry Quickload/Polaroid sheet films, and Fuji/Polaroid holders ?
Do you use original cardboard boxes ? Fuji boxes are quite normal, but Polaroid's are big ones and hardly fit in a bag.

I saw on their website that Walker cameras sell some ABS film storage boxes for every kind of sheet film. They are rather expensive, but are they strong enough ?
Or do you use plastic food boxes like Tupper** ?
All ideas are welcome.
Regards

[bob moulton]

Jean-Louis-- I use two methods for transporting LF 4x5 film. The Readyload/Quickload film and holders I pack in a Gnass Gear case. Two are available, one for one pack of film and one Readyload holder, and another unit that holds two film packs and one holder. I have a number of older boxes of the now defunct double readylkoads. They hold the single shors well, and are thinner and thus easier to pack. Either case will hang from a tripod and/or could be configured to wear on a belt, a strap, etc.

Since I use 320TX and there are no readyloads for it, I pack the traditional 4x5 holders each in a zip lock bag to keep them reasonably clean and place those in an old army surplus map case that I attach to my pack. If I am taking only a handful of those holders, then I put them inside my camera pack along with everything else.

If I am traveling far and will use a lot of 320tx, then I load the film in some midoholders and put the holders and the midoloader into its case.

The ABS boxes on the walker site may be for exposed/unexposed film only. The site does not indicate sizes, but since they offer three types, 4x5,5x7,8x10, I imagine none of the boxes will hold the readyload holders.

A friend cut two pieces of thin balsawood the size of readyload film holders and uses them as bookends to enclose the readyloaders. He keeps the "book" together with velcro. That system is simple and works well. Hope all this helps.

[Jim Rhoades]

Save lot's of money and go to the supermarket. Get the larger plastic, almost rectangular, sandwich meat storage container. I use three. One for the Polaroid 545 another for Polaroid film and the third for T-Max. I store the 545 in the plastic box and switch to a soft case when I put it in the backpack. The T-Max box is tough enough as is. You can carry more film by re-packaging though. I just over protect them when they are bouncing around the back of my Jeep. The Polaroid box could not protect foam rubber. I think they use cheap boxs in order to sell more film.

[Eric Woodbury]

For regular sheet film holders (that's all I use) in the car, I pack them by twos in a ziplock bag and then pack them into an 'ammo' box. These boxes are about $5 - 7 now. I spray paint them white and line them with matt board. They are air tight, water tight, and you can stand on them. I throw these in the van and off I go. The typical size holds 9 each 5x7 or even more 4x5.

From here they go into the backpack or camera bag without the ammo box, just the ziplock.

[Ron Bose]

Gnass Gear

[Ellis Vener]

I use the Fuji Quickload boxes for both Fuji Quickload and Polaroid films. they are plenty sturdy, free, and all you need are big "baggies to waterproff them. Wht carry the extra weight if you can avoid it?

For the holders I use the bags from Garagear. Gnass gear would be similar, the large (12'x12") Domke / Calumet lens wraps work well too.

[Bruce Watson]

I put film holders in one quart ziplock freezer bags to keep out dust and moisture. I put ten of these in a Gnass Gear pouch:

http://www.gnassgear.com/products/product_detail.cfm?pcode=PG-84632

Twenty sheets of film, which is about my maximum for a day hike.

If it's a long trip, I carry film in the factory boxes and a couple of empties to hold exposed film. I change the film in the filmholders in a Harrison film pup tent:

http://www.cameraessentials.com/tents.asp

[Jean-Louis Llech]

Thanks for all these answers.

Ellis, I didn't know Garagear. Do you know if they have a website, just to have a look at their products ?
Regards.

[Stan. Laurenson-Batten]

After years of searching I have at last come up with the perfect solution for 5X4 film and slides. It is the 'Polar Gear' picnic cases of various sizes, they are insulated and padded with double zips. I use about a dozen these cases for exposed and unexposed film, the larger ones for store purposes. The are very cheap to buy, by photographic standards. The distributors are DNC UK Limited Weybridge Code KT13 9BN.

[Frank Petronio]

GnassGear stuff is top notch and worth every penny. GaraGear is out of business.