Car Camera Storage?

[BillBaileyImages]

My current approach is to keep the film and A12 magazines with me whenever I exit my vehicle. The camera bag is only left in the truck when parked in my locked garage.

 

[Don_ih]

Take no chances when traveling with stuff you tote and be aware of everything going on about you.

Oh, chances are no one one would try to steal from me. Not really any guns here, you see.

And it would take a lot to surprise me, in any case.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Try to look poor. A fancy car attracts attention. In some neighborhoods, smash n' grabs happen almost instantly, even with occupants still in the car. I know people who took only a couple minutes to get their name on a restaurant waiting list, and by then, all their baggage was gone, including the expensive camera gear. Someone else was followed an hour home and relieved of their fancy new DLSR there at gunpoint, along with the Lexus they had been driving. No difference in rural areas - ya gotta be aware of your surrounding and who might be following you. But statistically, the risk is much higher in certain cities.

I dealt a lot with contractors needing replacement equipment. Those big truck lock boxes attract thieves like honey does bears. Another fellow just put his tools in the back of his funky old pickup, then threw a filthy old blanket and some branches over that. Nothing was stolen, even though he parked in the same lunch parking lot where dozens of trucks got broken into every month.

I'm primarily a large format photographer, so can't just keep everything in a little bag around my shoulder. So far, however, I've never had a travel incident with respect to equipment loss. My idea of a camera pack is a real backpacking pack - a distinctly used one. My older brother, however, tried to look like a pro photographer, drove a bright Porsche, and used shiny Halliburton cases, and lost everything twice.

 

[Don_ih]

Most tools that get stolen here get stolen from construction sites. I had all of mine stolen from a lockup once - I know lots of people who had all theirs stolen. All kinds of heavier equipment gets stolen from construction sites, too. That's all getting more difficult with the newer security systems (cheaper than security guards, don't hide like security guards do).

 

[DREW WILEY]

I was in charge of one of the biggest pro tool selections in the US. About 30% of the business was theft replacement related. But the activity goes well beyond jobsite theft. Entire truckloads get heisted, and the amount of internal theft in distribution warehouses and certain kinds of retail outlets is immense overall, and it's mainly staff or night management involved. Who guards against the security guards? We had a police Sergeant monitor things instead; but he turned out to be a thief too! Only a very small percent of power tools have tracking monitors, and they don't make much difference anyway. There are entire retail outlets as well as online stores which only sell "hot" stolen equipment. Yeah, they get busted and someone goes to prison, but then another similar outfit pops up almost immediately. As long as there is a drug epidemic, there will be a theft epidemic. The whole point is to be a hard target instead of an easy one.

The main local camera store was emptied out over a three-hour period one night (it took the police three hours to respond to the alarm, "conveniently" after the burglars had already left). They knew what they were doing - went for all the classic old Nikon and MF gear first, then just some of the digi cameras second, then some of the lighting etc. But on the street, it's anything newish and electronic that gets grabbed. I doubt they'd be interested in running off with a big bellows thing and heavy wooden tripod; but they sure might snatch a DLSR from some tourist taking a picture of strange me, darkcloth n' all. But once on the trail, no worries. The activity of thieves is fairly predictable.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

My current approach is to keep the film and A12 magazines with me whenever I exit my vehicle. The camera bag is only left in the truck when parked in my locked garage.

Too much trouble; it's too heavy to carry around for no purpose.

 

[BillBaileyImages]

Keeping my film--exposed, unexposed, and loaded in Hasselblad A12 magazines--keeps my images AND film safe from heat that can build up in my vehicle. Works for me, but large format would be a different story. I had 4x5 and 8x10 film holders that weighed the proverbial "ton." No longer shooting LF because of the weight of that kit. Love LF, but at 79, my legs don't feel stable enough to lug my gear around. Yes, I have a jogging stroller, and it works well for my reduced-weight setup. Different strokes, eh?

 

[DREW WILEY]

Besides picnic coolers, now there are portable insulated bags. I have one which accepts about a dozen 4x5 holders nicely, and another big enough for a number of 8x10 holders, plus a small one for roll film. If in a big cooler as well, they're reasonably protected from heat.
One problem with picnic coolers is that, even if ignored by human thieves, plenty of bears recognize what they are. So I keep all of that hidden under some jackets or whatever. Since there isn't any food smell, critters probably won't bother it. My truck AC no longer works, so I don't travel through desert accept in cooler weather, or at night. Our Central Valley here in CA is darn hot right now; but it can be crossed morning or evening in two or three hours on the way toward higher elevations

 

[BillBaileyImages]

I have a great refrigerator/freezer in my truck, and there are times when the film and magazines live there. So many options

 

[MurrayMinchin]

On a trip a few years ago we pulled onto a side road and then into a small parking spot at a trailhead. There was a couple there who had just come back to their car, a side window was shattered, and everything was gone.

Ever since then I've intended to get clear protective film installed. Might discourage the quick smash & grabbers.

 

[BillBaileyImages]

The clear protective film will definitely help, and all the other suggestions on this thread will need to be considered. Sad, but true 🫤

 

[BobUK]

A thing often mentioned in camera magazines, was not to permanently leave cameras in a glove compartment, or tucked under seats.
The constant vibration could possibly loosen parts, screws etc..

 

[DREW WILEY]

I think most of us have loose screws in our own heads, going rough places with fine equipment. If the front shocks on your 4WD get worn out on a trip, what does that do to your camera equipment? - I bring along a lot of bubble packing.

 

[BobUK]

Abridged qoute................ If the front shocks on your 4WD get worn out on a trip, what does that do to your camera equipment?

It gets sold to pay the mechanics bill, unless you do your own.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I've mistakenly popped the trunk by hitting the remote button release on my fob in my pocket several times in malls, on the street, and in park parking lots. I returned later with the trunk about eight inches open, but nothing was missing. I've been very lucky.

 

[lenspeeper]

Never kept in car when I am not in it. It is much too hot here. Easily well over 100F in an unattended car.

ABOUT | JEFFREY GLASSER

http://wwwsculptureandphotography.com/

I left my Noblex 135 in a bag under the driver's seat and forgot it was there. The heat destroyed the drum mechanism and $360 later I have the camera back and it works fine. It was an expensive lesson. Never leave the camera in the car unless you live in a very cool climate.

 

[Don_ih]

I've mistakenly popped the trunk by hitting the remote button release on my fob in my pocket several times

I've accidentally unlocked the doors, set off the alarm, and started my van remotely the same way numerous times. But it's always been while working, so hasn't mattered much. My keys often get crushed in my pocket when I'm working. Destroyed 4 flip phones that way.

 

[BillBaileyImages]

With technology helping those thieves, they don't even have to break a window to get in to your vehicle. You press the lock button on your key fob, the thief intercepts and copies your signal, and now they can open your door . Since there is no evidence of a break-in, insurance may or may not cover your loss. Yikes!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

In Japan I had no problem leaving gear in my car (not Summer months!). In Canada? Never. It's become a haven for thieves.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

With technology helping those thieves, they don't even have to break a window to get in to your vehicle. You press the lock button on your key fob, the thief intercepts and copies your signal, and now they can open your door . Since there is no evidence of a break-in, insurance may or may not cover your loss. Yikes!

So does that work on electronic garage door openers that are built into the car;s electronics with a visor button?

 

[BillBaileyImages]

Just a guess, but probably. The fact that you're home, and not in a parking lot, at least reduces the odds of a smash-and-grab thief tracking you your garage. Thieves: you can't cure stupid, but there are smart ones.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Smash n' grab is the routine here. They've even pop the trunk with at a gas pump. The bolder ones even do it to police cars. Needless to say, those are parts of town you want to completely avoid.

Out car camping you gotta be careful too. Yogi Bear types will rip doors off or car roofs apart to get to food inside. So pay attention to those warning signs. I try to avoid boom-boxish, smoke-filled formal campsites anyway. The black bears are conspicuously obese, and have dull fur due to their junk food ways.

 

[Pieter12]

I've accidentally unlocked the doors, set off the alarm, and started my van remotely the same way numerous times. But it's always been while working, so hasn't mattered much. My keys often get crushed in my pocket when I'm working. Destroyed 4 flip phones that way.

Have you considered keeping your keys in a different (say shirt) pocket?

 

[Pieter12]

With technology helping those thieves, they don't even have to break a window to get in to your vehicle. You press the lock button on your key fob, the thief intercepts and copies your signal, and now they can open your door . Since there is no evidence of a break-in, insurance may or may not cover your loss. Yikes!

Modern proximity keys always transmit a signal. Thieves can capture that signal whether the fob is in your pocket or on your kitchen table, and duplicate it to open your car. They sell cases that block those signals, you just have to keep your key fob in the case when it is not in use.

 

[Don_ih]

Have you considered keeping your keys in a different (say shirt) pocket?

No.