Packing cameras & film for 95 degree day

jran01 · Jun 16, 2007

Hello,

I'm going to be traveling this coming Monday, and the temperatures are predicted to be in the mid-90s. I'll may have to leave my camera equipment and film in the car for several hours, so hoping to come up with a creative solution, being that the inside temps will likely be well into the 100s.

Could I bag the equipment and film in ziplocks and put it in a cooler with ice, or ice packs? Is there other options I may not have thought of?

Many thanks, Jim

Whiteymorange · Jun 16, 2007

If you do, separate the ice packs by a few layers. You don't want condensation getting on your equipment or your film. I use cheap coolers as camera bags all the time - without an ice pack. They work well - padded and unlikely to interest any thief. Who wants to steal someone's lunch?

jran01 · Jun 16, 2007

Thanks for the suggestion. Have you used the coolers, with no ice packs, in temps of this level? Does the cooler keep them at a temp within reason if so?

Jon Shiu · Jun 16, 2007

Another option would just to throw a sleeping bag, jackets or blankets over the cooler or camera bags in the morning when it is cool. Should be fine without any ice.

Jon

Roger Hicks · Jun 16, 2007

Dear Jim,

Don't use ice-packs: you don't want chilled film with moisture condensing on it. A cooler will slow down the inevitable warming up. So will packing it deep inside a suitcase, surrounded with clothes. Or a sleeping bag or blankets around the ice-box, as someone else suggested.

I've encountered significantly higher temperatures than this (110+ in the shade), and for longer periods (days at a time), including long car and motorcycle journeys, without problems in India.

Don't worry too much, is the simple answer.

Cheers,

Roger

David A. Goldfarb · Jun 16, 2007

I agree with Roger. The ice packs will just create condensation. A cooler is sufficient.

bdial · Jun 17, 2007

One of the windshield shades will help keep the heat down in the car while it's parked. Also search for shaded parking places whenever possible. If you park in relatively secure places, you can crack a window or two slightly.

mikebarger · Jun 17, 2007

trunk will be much cooler than inside the car.

Mike

Roger Hicks · Jun 17, 2007

mikebarger said:
trunk will be much cooler than inside the car.

Mike

Depends on the design (and colour) of the car, I suspect. Black trunks the wrong shape get REALLY hot.

Parking in the shade is a good idea.

Cheers,

Roger

mikebarger · Jun 17, 2007

The issue is radiant heat from the glass, a black car trunk will be cooler than being in the interior of a black car with a white interior.

For reasons other than photography our company did some testing. The glass is a killer.

Mike

Roger Hicks · Jun 17, 2007

mikebarger said:
The issue is radiant heat from the glass, a black car trunk will be cooler than being in the interior of a black car with a white interior.

For other reasons other than photography our company did some testing. The glass is a killer.

Mike

Dear Mike,

Surely this is the original 'greenhouse effect' for which global warming is named. I'm not trying to argue -- your company has done the research formally, and I haven't -- but I strongly suspect that even without a/c, the best strategy is to carry the film, etc. in the interior when moving, and transfer it to the trunk when parked.

As it is, I've seldom carried film in cars with trunks (mostly the Hindustan Ambassador) and I've had no trouble with film in cars as disparate as Peugeot 504 estate, Yugo, Maruti, Mahindra Jeep and my current Land Rover, even at temperatures well over 100F/38C. Oh: and, among motorcycles, an Enfield Bullet and a BMW R100RS. For long periods in hot climates I used to prefer Kodachrome to substantive films, but I think that modern E6 films are as heat-stable as non-substantive.

Cheers,

Roger

jran01 · Jun 17, 2007

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your thoughts. I have extra towels, etc., in the car, so will wrap on store in the trunk.

Again, thanks for all your feedback. Jim

mikebarger · Jun 17, 2007

Roger, I agree. I always carry film and equipment in the interior when traveling and don't transfer the equipment to the trunk if I'm not going to be gone for very long.

I only transfer to the trunk if I have to leave the car in the sun for over an hour.

I don't consider civil discussions of different points of view to be arguing. I've learned a lot on APUG from reading about issues with two or more sides contributing to the discussion.

Mike

Roger Hicks · Jun 17, 2007

mikebarger said:
I don't consider civil discussions of different points of view to be arguing.

Dear Mike,

Nor do I -- but I am sure that you have encountered enough thin-skinned individuals on the internet to make it worth going out of one's way to make this clear.

Most people who know what they are talking about say things like 'But of course ***** [insert expert's name here] knows more than I' or 'And of course I could be wrong.' I am deeply suspicious of those who offer panaceas. Not, of course, that I accuse you of doing so... (See what I mean?)

Cheers,

Roger

wheelygirl · Jun 17, 2007

Howdy to Mike and everyone!
Since I live in the "Valley of the Sun" [a.k.a. Phoenix, and cities all around it] and I ride the transit system [no private vehicle, at all], what I have been doing:
1.) pack my Minolta in her camera bag, and then
2.) place camera bag in backpack that is
3.) hangs from the back of my wheel-chair
4.) and avoid direct sun as much as possible!
And then there's my alternate:
avoid going anywhere between the hours of 10 AM and 5:00 PM
--pretty much I hibernate during those hours!!

Packing cameras & film for 95 degree day

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