how do you store and organize your extra equipment

[Tin Can]

I also hide gear from myself. I am constantly discovering fresh toys.

Today it is a Big Shot with old Fujiroid in it, One shot left, so I put in a Magic Cube and pointed it at a print.

Never saw this effect...unretouched iPhone copy

Green Girl by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

[Michael Graves]

I went to a university surplus auction a few years back and bought 4 6'6" tall 28 inch wide oak storage cabinets with doors for $22.00 each. That worked for a while, until I needed more space.

[Vaughn]

Alas, organized I am not. Most of the time various formats live in their packs, semi-ready to use and stashed where ever in the house, Ries tripod propped up by the front door. But there is a 5x7 sitting on my desk along with rolls of 120 waiting to be developed, my Pentax Digital Spot Meter is around here somewhere, and 20 8x10 film holders are on the floor getting dusty. Shame!

[mdarnton]

I store my stuff in kits, thought that might be only in a box. Holders are cheap so I have enough to keep each kit ready to go. The rare times when I want a lens in two kits, I buy a duplicate lens. Since I prefer old Wollensak and Ilex lenses, this doesn't break the bank. So I have three 90mm WA Raptars..... cheaper than a single Super Angulon, and I don't need to switch lens boards around all of the time!

[tgtaylor]

If you don't protect it, it goes to pot fast. So the first thing I do when I buy equipment is to buy good hard cases to store it in when not in use. All of my cameras and lens are stored in Pelican type cases in a corner of a walk-in closet and chemistry on two rows of the shelving. Film up to 4x5 is stored in the refrigerator in a Kodak cooler-type film case that I found in a used bin for $5, or on the top shelf of the wine cooler until opened after which it is stored under ambient conditions in the closet. 8x10 film is stored on the top shelf of the refrigerator along with 11x14 RA-4 paper. B&W paper is stored under ambient conditions in the closet. Even the big Meade telescope and 16x70 binoculars have their own hard cases. I like my gear and do my best to keep it looking good.

Thomas

[Tin Can]

I have some in cases, or boxes, or tool chests or anywhere else.

I want to make it hard to steal it all quickly.

My friend's father hid his best Leicas inside a piano.

I told him to look there, just because it made a logical place...

[StuartR]

I have a studio, and a portion is usually in bags ready to go, as it is a pain to fully pack and fully put away a kit every time I use it. But for things I am not using a lot at any given time, I store them either on shelves in a cabinet, or in a drawer. I took the padded divider from an unused pelican case and just put it in the drawer...that made a quick and easy way to separate and protect a lot of gear in a drawer, and it is less fussy than having a pelican case stashed somewhere that you either have to look at, or drag out and open every time you need something.

[fotopfw]

I store the 4x5" Sinar in it's Sinar rolling hard case, with all the lenses, I have to add film holders to it in a separate bag. The 8x10" has it's own case, from Think Tank. Film holders for 8x10" are in a separate bag. Both cases are to heavy to carry more then en few yards, so obviously, the case stays in the car, and from that I pick what I need for that shooting occasion. It goes in a backpack mostly.

[John Kasaian]

My Nikon SLR kit is still in an Igloo Playmate cooler, The Rollei TLR kit is still keeping my socks company in a drawer.

[DrTang]

now I have a studio that also doubles as a storage locker...or visa versa

so I have a metric tonne of cameras, lenses, and tripods..plenty of tripods hanging around there along with lighting gear and about a zillion backdrops - and plastic bins filled with parts and junk stored in the corner

additionally.. I have extra stuff or little used stuff in cases in a closet at home along with some little used (as of now) large format lenses stuck in a glass case that is supposed to be for display items only

so..very often when I want something..it's in the place I am not..