How do you organize your gear?

I've had a lot of trouble trying to organize and store my camera gear while im not using it. Right now i just have my camera and lenses in a camerabag and accesories are always scatterd about. I need a good way to keep my cameras, lenses, tripods, and other accesories stored and where i can find them. Any sugestions?

Scattered about the floor of my home office seems to my organizational strategy. Sorry to be so cheeky, but I was just looking around and thinking to myself, "Man, it's time to get organized!"

I've got a bookcase devoted to camera gear. On each shelf I've got 2 large plastic bins with lids. In my 1st camera bin I've got bodies, batteries and chargers. In the 2nd camera bin I've got lenses and flashes inside ThinkTank modules. Bins 3 and 4 hold cleaning supplies, cables, portable hard-drives, etc.

All in all it has been working fairly well. In the long run I'd like to move towards one big pelican case with foam inserts for the camera gear and then another smaller case for the cables, drives, etc.

I feel your pain. My approach has been to get more bags and backpacks which has worked fairly well, but now I have THEM scattered all over my den. I guess that takes me to the next level of organization need. Perhaps a new house with a dedicated room with special built cabinetry.

The stuff I use on a regular basis stays in a larger bag or pack, which I change now and then depending on upcoming plans. That's more of a "stock bag" for lack of a better term. It goes in my truck, and I pull pieces from it into a smaller bag for use on specific shoots. No sense packing it all if you don't need it at the moment, but need it more or less handy. I keep a standard filter set in a small drawstring bag and a set of tools and accessories (level, release, batteries, cards, cleaning gear, etc) in another. Those move with me on all shoots, no matter which bag I'm using.

That only accounts for a very small fraction of the gear, though. Between us, my wife and I could probably stock a small camera store. All the gear not being carried or stowed in the stock bag goes into cheap filing cabinets and office supply cabinets. You know the kind. They have locking metal doors and movable interior shelves. The doors and locks provide a small measure of theft protection, while being more useful for dust protection. Here is an example of the type of cabinet I'm talking about. While looking for a link, I found this countertop model that looks like it would be really useful for smaller accumulations.

I keep most of my gear that I'm not using on a day to day basis in my ThinkTank Airport bag with the tripod next to it on the floor in our "gear" room (this room also keeps our rockclimbing and assorted other "gear" so it's got lots of stuff. The equipment I use only infrequently is kept on a set of shelving and I wish I could say it is stacked all neatly but it's not. The camera and lenses and gear I use almost every time I shoot is kept in my backpack so it's always available. Not the best way of keeping things but I rarely have to hunt too far for what I want.

Thanks for the advice everyone! This really helped a lot. Now time for the hard part, actually organizing the gear

I have a lot of stuff, and organization is a key thing for me. My "fist line" DSLR kit (D300, 11-16mm f2.8, 17-55mm f2.8, 70-200mm f2.8 VR) is kept in a bag on top of my nightstand in my bedroom, except in winter when it stays in my car at all times. My lightweight travel kit (D80, 18-55mm VF & 55-200mm VR) is now in my car. My four powerful monolights are out on the garage floor, along with battery packs. My light stands are in the guest bedroom, along with my 10 Nikon SB-28 flash and CyberSync triggers. My 4x5 camera/lenses are in my hall closet, and the upstairs hall closet is stuffed with things I don't use any more such as the Bronica ETRSi & 4 lenses. I think that's most of it, but I see there is a Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens and SB-800 flash sitting here on my desk, in the family room. Oh, there's also Nikons 50mm f1.8 & 85mm f1.8 sitting on the rear seat of our family minivan, along with Nikon 28mm f3.5 shift lens. So yes, it's important to keep all your gear organized like this.


Kent in SD

What is this organize of which you speak?



Bruce

Bruce, it's what I do when I run out of excuses not to, or I run out of space on the floor.

Most folks would call me the furthest thing from organized, but somehow the habit stuck with camera gear. Too many hikes back to the truck for a forgotten piece? Too much improvisation for missing gear? Too many trips to the chiropractor from packing unnecessary gear? Whatever the cause, the lessons have stuck after 40 years of shooting.

Today I was working on an industrial contract, part of it shot from the vantage of a quarry face AFTER scrabbling up half a dozen terraces to reach the right spot. No excess gear and no critical piece left in the truck. Next I was lifted 80 feet in a hoist for higher vantage shots of some critical events with no chance of a reshoot and darned little time between them. Several lenses had to be close at hand for quick changes, yet secure from falling on the workers below.

All the hoist work was done while wearing a safety vest, hard hat and climbing harness for attachment of a safety line. All good training for nature walks and fast-evolving natural action. All possible because at least in my photographic gear, organization is the supreme rule.

During the last few years, I have pursued a (Zen??) "less is more" approach. I have winnowed my gear down to 4 lenses (2 get frequent use, one less often and the last seldom). I keep all the gear that I use (or think I will need) on a regular basis in my bag or in my vest, to avoid getting to my destination and discovering the item is not with me. My other stuff all fits in a large, plastic storage bin with the exception of a tripod and monopod. The storage bin keeps it clean, dust free and dry.

A small chest of drawers has worked for the miscellaneous stuff, though they're overflowed. An old dresser might work well, but I haven't gotten that far yet. Most of it manages to stay somewhere in my office.

File cabinets are great, especially the locking kind. We also bought a small vertical gun safe for less money than the file cabinets. But of course that's all for the stuff that gets occasional use. Everything else including accessories is in bags ready for use.