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Thread: Photo Gear Storage

  1. #1

    Photo Gear Storage

    You would think that living in a house I would have plenty of storage space but I don't think the designers were thinking about storage that much. The lack of closet space coupled with living with my wife and two daughters means I really don't have any storage space to myself. My 35mm gear lives in a Lowepro Minitrecker hanging on the back of the only closet on our first floor, it's jammed with coats, a vacuum cleaner and food. No room upstairs, too many clothes and shoes. Half the basement is finished off but this is our cat's domain and there is cat hair everywhere, finished and unfinished sides.

    I used to keep my large format gear in a Kelty Redwing/Photobackpacker in the trunk of my car but it gets pretty hot in the summertime (bad for film) and I worry about all the vibration-especially with respect to my analog spotmeter and LunaPro SBC. I would love to get a nice furniture cabinet to keep my gear in but they are really expensive and I'd rather spend money on photo gear. I have also started to pick up some RZ67 gear so I really need more storage. I have thought about storing my gear in the garage in some cabinets but it gets pretty hot in there in the summer (100F+) and cold in the winter (well below freezing).

    If you've gotten this far and have any suggestions I'd love to hear from you,

    Scott

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    Greenbank, WA
    Posts
    2,605

    Re: Photo Gear Storage

    Big rubbermaid container in the basement?

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Dec 1999
    Location
    Forest Grove, Ore.
    Posts
    4,675

    Re: Photo Gear Storage

    Here's an idea that helped me with limited closet space. I built a "carriage" for my photo gear that I can easily pull in and out of a closet. It's not much more than a flat rectangular surface on wheels that supports a vertical pegboard. I added a couple of end pieces to reinforce the pegboard. This carriage added about 50% storage capability to my closet.

    Maybe you can compromise by pulling some of the conventional closeted items out and putting them on a coat roak or in an armoir, or some such piece of furniture.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Posts
    9,487

    Re: Photo Gear Storage

    Rubbermaid type stuff works well - under the couches or beds, on top of cabinets, etc.

    Less stuff is the key thing...

    Where do you keep all the negatives and books and such?

    I would love to find a good cat disposal service. I found that kicking the damn things whenever the females aren't looking is a very good way to teach them male avoidance. I also "sport" toss them whenever I catch them, it is amazing how far you can throw them and they really do land on their feet nearly all the time. Except that once....

  5. #5
    Is that a Hassleblad? Brian Vuillemenot's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    Marin County, California
    Posts
    837

    Re: Photo Gear Storage

    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Petronio View Post

    I would love to find a good cat disposal service. I found that kicking the damn things whenever the females aren't looking is a very good way to teach them male avoidance. I also "sport" toss them whenever I catch them, it is amazing how far you can throw them and they really do land on their feet nearly all the time. Except that once....
    Never heard of spaying and neutering, Frank? It also works well for those pesky uncoated barrel lenses that tend to reproduce out of control...
    Brian Vuillemenot

  6. #6

    Re: Photo Gear Storage

    Quote Originally Posted by neil poulsen View Post
    Maybe you can compromise by pulling some of the conventional closeted items out and putting them on a coat roak or in an armoir, or some such piece of furniture.
    That sounds like a great idea. The floor of the closet is where I store my developer, fixer and other darkroom chemicals but maybe I can clear some space under the sink in the bathroom where I do my developing. That way I'll have even more storage space. I'm just concerned that if I don't fill all the space up in the closet it will be taken over by food. Food, who needs food anyway, the store is right down the road and the food in the closet is the second container of the same things we have in the kitchen!

    Scott

  7. #7

    Re: Photo Gear Storage

    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Petronio View Post
    Rubbermaid type stuff works well - under the couches or beds, on top of cabinets, etc.

    Less stuff is the key thing...

    Where do you keep all the negatives and books and such?

    I would love to find a good cat disposal service. I found that kicking the damn things whenever the females aren't looking is a very good way to teach them male avoidance. I also "sport" toss them whenever I catch them, it is amazing how far you can throw them and they really do land on their feet nearly all the time. Except that once....
    Frank,

    The only issue I have with the rubbermaid-type stuff is that I'd like more air circulation since I'm shooting outside and sometimes there may be a bit of moisture in with the gear.

    Less stuff would be ideal! I was seriously considering a Mamiya 7 with a wide, normal and long lens and ditching everything else. Lack of perspective control, lack of precise framing and a lack of development options between frames are really big downsides. But there is something to be said for simplicity-that's why I picked up an RZ67

    Our cat has been fixed. Most of the time he is really mellow but once in a while he tries to bring down my wife and one of my daughters. He stalks them and attacks their feet, drawing blood a lot of the time. I'd love to get rid of him since I'm allergic to the darn things but he belongs to the daughter he doesn't attack. I don't really know why he is 'her' cat, my wife and I feed him and take care of the damn litter box!

    Scott

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    2,955

    Re: Photo Gear Storage

    My backpack is in a storage bed from Ikea, the top lifts up to access the storage; good system.

    Why not hang your backpack in the closet?

  9. #9

    Re: Photo Gear Storage

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Marshall View Post
    Why not hang your backpack in the closet?
    My 35mm gear is hanging off of the top of the closet door and there is no room halfway down the door due to the clothes and vacuum cleaner.

    I'm seriously considering setting up one of those free-standing wardrobes like this http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00891634000P in our basement for the clothes so I can take over the closet. I'll still have to deal with the vacuum cleaner in the closet but I might be able to get all my camera gear as well as my JOBO 3010, Beseler base and other stuff in there.

    Thanks for the ideas!

    Scott

  10. #10

    Re: Photo Gear Storage

    Scott,

    Here's a suggestion for the cat problem:

    Butter the cats' back. Here's the logic: Since a cat always lands on it's feet and buttered bread always lands on the butter side, buttering his/her back and giving it a toss should drive it crazy. Won't know how to land. Up? Down? Will confuse the little fur-bearing pig.

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