Question? Storage of Equipment

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Nothing special I store most of my stuff in my think tank case... My big glass sits in the Tamrac bag pretty much year round. The only time I do something for humidity is if the equipment was out in the rain... I dry it off with a clean towel.. and let it sit on my desk to air dry, if I have a lens coat on it that comes off and sit until completely dry than get put back on. I have central A/C so the humidity in the house is alway under control.
 
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I store my camera bodies and lenses in their protective cases, each one having a small silica gel sachet inserted in the case.
All my photographic equipment stored on two shelves in a cupboard in a bedroom.
I live at a high altitude so humidity is not a significant problem for me,
Gavin
 
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Many years ago I made a storage case. I got the box as a DIY kit (!) from a DIY store for 8GBP - and yes, it is cardboard! Very decent and strong coated cardboard, but still cardboard. The box sits on a rack in my study and I don't have to move it to access the contents.

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Got an insert for a trolley case - could not believe how cheap it was (then) probably around 25GBP

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It was not very full back then when the pictures were taken but it is now, and as I've been shooting FF from 2010 the lenses are bigger and heavier!
 
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dabhand16 said:
Many years ago I made a storage case. I got the box as a DIY kit (!) from a DIY store for 8GBP - and yes, it is cardboard! Very decent and strong coated cardboard, but still cardboard. The box sits on a rack in my study and I don't have to move it to access the contents.

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Got an insert for a trolley case - could not believe how cheap it was (then) probably around 25GBP

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It was not very full back then when the pictures were taken but it is now, and as I've been shooting FF from 2010 the lenses are bigger and heavier!
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Nice work.
 
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I use a Nanuk 963 as a storage shed, essentially. It's a roller case and I have used it on outdoor location portrait shoots when using my 'studio' lights but as it fits my 3 profoto lights, both active-use camera bodies and all of my (still used) lenses its homebase storage for my gear that has glass in it. I tend to pull what I need for any shoot and transfer to a backpack or camera bag (of the millions I think I have :D ) as to what's needed on any given day, of course. I'm going to get a carryon sized Nanuk for the long lens and D6 should we ever get to a place where I'll get on an airplane again. The cases are really great -- think, someone has truly improved upon Pelican including eliminating the finger losing process of opening and closing the cases LOL

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I use plastic drawers, lens cases on shelves, and a roller case. The problem with humidity and mold growth was managed in part with the use of the DampRid desiccant product.

A few weeks ago I bought a whole house dehumidifier and after one hour of use it had removed 2 quarts of water from the air and the house humidity level was 60%. Now I run it whenever the indoor humidity goes above 50% and this is going to be more effective than relying on desiccant.

Above all avoid leather or cardboard around lenses as they provide a host substrate for spores.
 
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I live in an old stone farmhouse in deepest Cornwall in the UK which can get very wet & damp!
i learnt the hard way a few years ago i lost around £1500 worth of gear having fungus growing inside a few lenses and a camera body, i sent the lenses away to be cleaned but they couldn't be done because the fungus had etched the glass making them an uneconomical repair!!
I now keep all my equipment in airtight plastic boxes with silica gel packets inside and a dehumidifier in the room over winter! and make sure they are dry before i put them away if I've been out in the rain
 
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Ruggard Electronic Dry Cabinet ( EDC-120L) ... front door opening, slide out shelves (actually seldom used). Seals and keeps humidity levels where I want it and keeps out the dust and that gets me to make sure my gear is cleaned off before I put it away when I get back from the field. Got it in July 2020 and so far very happy with it. No digging through multiple bags to find what I want to take out for the day or week.
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I use a combination of things for storage, the most commonly used gear is in my camera bag, the big glass in the the Nikon case it came in, and lesser used stuff goes into a Pelican case with dividers.
 
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I use a Peli Case 1610 as central storage at home and as main transport case for pretty much everything that has directly to do with cameras and lenses. In here the bodies and the lenses are separated just to use the space more efficiently. Other stuff like LED lights, batteries, chargers, Arca bits & pieces I just keep in boxes in a draw and take them out as I need them. When going shooting I fill one of my backpacks (a small and a big Lowepro) with what I (believe I) need, which doesn't work all the time ;).

When going big - e.g. visiting my friend in the NP for a week or two - I usually take the entire Peli with me in the car. The backpacks go separate, filled with other stuff. They get emptied on site and loaded with the gear need for going out depending on what we do.

Up to now I was lucky enough not to have any issues with humidity or fungus related damage.



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For those who want to go this way, just a few comments on the case:

  • The big lens is the 500 f4 G with reversed hood. The case case would be wide enough to take the lens with TC and body attached.
  • It is quite deep, so that a lot of things fit in underneath the other gear, e.g. filter boxes under the 500 f4, TC's and macro rings under the 500PF, spare batteries, remote control, DR-6 etc. underneath the bodies,...
  • Despite living in a not so critical environment in terms of humidity I usually have the flap of case layed down but not closed when at home, just to be on the safe side.
  • I can't tell for other brands, but on older Peli versions the breathing valve needs a bit of attention. It happened to me some time ago that I opened and closed the case at about 2800m altitude. When I came back down again it took me an hour to get hands on my gear, because the valve was blocked and I had a considerable presssure difference on the case - unfortunately in the wrong direction :D. At least this provided evidence for it being really, really proof .
 
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Primary ie static storage is relatively simple to solve. Secure as well and well sealed from the elements is a wall-mounted steel gunsafe (10 rifle capacity). I glued thin layer (3mm thick) of high impact synthetic rubber on to all the shelves and inner walls. The floor is now padded in 11mm rubber matting and I also cut out sections to pad the floor of the wardrobe surrounding the safe. The heaviest, widest lenses stand upright on the floor section. I added a couple of extra wooden shelves coated with the same 3mm rubber. The tripod heads, filters, all accessories are on shelves in a separate inbuilt wardrobe.

I try and remember to oven dry the silica gel every few months. It's in a 1litre steel can, perforated, screwtop. These cans are a useful gadget, which are sold as complete unit by gunshops. The industrial spec of this rubber is SPX33 - high impact rating: as used in gym mats, playgrounds, also nonslip bathroom matting etc. Some years back, I bought a big roll from the local manufacturer. Yes, all the high impact rubber sheeting is to minimize damage if a lens falls, or more likely I drop it. Sh1t happens!

Bags/storage/carrying in the field is a longer story - deserves a different thread.... My current setup follows from a even longer quest for impossible, as the perfect camera bag is an illusion!. I mainly switch between a Mindshift Backlight Elite 45L, or fStop Lotus depending on how much gear I'm carrying. I also have a f-Stop Sukha as backup solution for its max capacity to fly with maximum gearload. Far away in high rainfall places such as Angola and Congo basin, I have 2 different volume Pelicans because tents leak, vehicles breakdown in floodplains etc; and sometimes I carry a compact kit in a canoe (makoro or piroque) which hippos dislike.

Dust is a big factor in many parts of Africa especially in rustic bushcamps and on dirt roads. If shooting from a vehicle I have the big lens rig (400 f2.8, TC+ D850) in a Lowepro Lenstrekker which is quick to access. This is also useful if hiking a long way.
 
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gordon_g said:
Nothing special I store most of my stuff in my think tank case... My big glass sits in the Tamrac bag pretty much year round. The only time I do something for humidity is if the equipment was out in the rain... I dry it off with a clean towel.. and let it sit on my desk to air dry, if I have a lens coat on it that comes off and sit until completely dry than get put back on. I have central A/C so the humidity in the house is alway under control.
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I agree with Gordon.
 
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Interesting discussion. I keep my cameras in a pelican case. The case is in the house and I put some silica gel packs in it. I also leave the case open for air circulation. Another consideration no one has mentioned is relative humidity where you are. I am outside of Atlanta GA, fairly humid most of the time. I have friends in S. California that complain about high humidity when relative humidity hits about 10%. How humidity is handled is very dependent on your location.
 
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For the stuff I still use, I keep them in Pelican wheeled cases. For the cameras and lenses I no longer use, like my film Hasselblads, I keep them in a safe. I'm going to put them up on eBay next week and I hope nothing has happened to them during storage.
 
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gordon_g said:
Nothing special I store most of my stuff in my think tank case... My big glass sits in the Tamrac bag pretty much year round. The only time I do something for humidity is if the equipment was out in the rain... I dry it off with a clean towel.. and let it sit on my desk to air dry, if I have a lens coat on it that comes off and sit until completely dry than get put back on. I have central A/C so the humidity in the house is alway under control.
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Ironically here in Boise, Idaho at our place when our highest humidity issues pop up are usually during the times when the AC is not on ... hence why I went for the Ruggard for convenient storage and humidity control.
 
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i bought a weatherproof case from harbor freight for storage at home. there's a slightly larger wheeled version but this one stacks a little better and i don't need the mobility.

edit: i've never tested the weatherproofing of this case and don't intend to. i doubt it's really weatherproof.

www.harborfreight.com

4800 Weatherproof Protective Case, X-Large, Black

Amazing deals on this Weatherproof 4800 Case X-Lg Black at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
 
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Ken Miracle said:
Ironically here in Boise, Idaho at our place when our highest humidity issues pop up are usually during the times when the AC is not on ... hence why I went for the Ruggard for convenient storage and humidity control.
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we don't have that issue most of the time, in the summer it humid but the A/C takes care of that. In the winter with heat it's too dry.. :) At least that what my legs tell me almost daily.

EDIT: Will that Ruggard case fit a big prime? I see they have a bunch of sizes... interesting.
 
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gordon_g said:
we don't have that issue most of the time, in the summer it humid but the A/C takes care of that. In the winter with heat it's too dry.. :) At least that what my legs tell me almost daily.

EDIT: Will that Ruggard case fit a big prime? I see they have a bunch of sizes... interesting.
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Probably not a big prime ... the biggest lens in there is on the right on the top row a Sigma 60-600 Sport. I do not have a big prime only the 500pf. You would need one of the larger sizes if you went that route.
 
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