How to Transport Your AV Equipment

On location shooting can be an adventure. Whether your church productions take you to the wilds of Africa or across town to your pastor's back yard, it's best to plan ahead for traveling with your video production equipment.

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Imagine this exciting production scenario. You and your team just received a message from your pastor that he wants you to travel out of state (let's say someplace warm, like San Diego) to shoot video interviews with an up-and-coming youth leader. You suggested a remote production, but for whatever reason doing the interview remotely is just not going to work. So the challenge is to get you and your equipment from point A to point B and back.

The idea of protecting your gear applies if you are flying, driving, or even doing overnight shipping. The good news is that you have brand new 4K cameras that arrived last month. The bad news? Those new camera babies of yours were delivered in cardboard boxes. Not exactly travel-worthy, if you know what I mean. The good news is that there are many ways to protect and transport your new cameras and everything else you want to use for that location shoot. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about your equipment list first.

The Equipment List

Even if you do remotes all the time, it is so very easy to forget things—sometimes, very important things. I went on a shoot one time where someone (not me) forgot the camera! That said, one of the first things I use and recommend is a standard (nothing fancy) equipment checklist. Start out by doing a short inventory, including the serial numbers, of everything you think you will need. Serial numbers are important because you’d be surprised how gear disappears when you’re travelling or on-location. If you need to file an insurance claim you’ll need that information. Also, be sure to also note the condition of your gear. This will help determine what you need for cases.

Here is my typical, short “must have” equipment list:

Cameras

Tripods

Monitors

Lights

Audio Mics and Mic Lines

Batteries/Extension Cords and Power Strips

When possible, I always bring at least two of everything. If I have to take something out of a rack, I label all the cables so that when I get back I can easily reconnect that gear. There are actually a lot more things that I will usually bring that are meant more for practicality and taking care of the crew, but for the most part, I think this is a good starting point.

Soft Cases or Hard Shell Cases?

If you are bringing just one or two DSLRs or other equipment as carry-ons or when driving, then opting for a soft backpack type of carry bag will be fine. I have one bag that I use most of the time. It holds a fair number of camera bodies, lenses, batteries, two mic lines, a small mixer, and a couple of lavs.

There are several advantages to using soft-sided backpacks. They tend to take up a lot less room, weigh less, are great for mobility, cost a lot less, and can hold just about everything needed for certain shoots. The disadvantages are there, as well, such as, they provide less protection than a hard-shelled case. You also can’t really throw a lock on them. They are also more likely to get stolen if left unattended. I love my soft travel gear cases, and there is nothing wrong with backpack cases at all. But remember, there are also limits to just how much gear you can bring on a plane. For the record, I would never put anything that matters to me in checked baggage except for a tripod or light kit. If you want to go backpack-style, here are some typical soft-style backpacks/carry cases for your cameras.

Hard Shell Cases

I have found that the longer your flight, the more you will want to get hard shell cases. For light stands and tripods, I would use a tube or Portabrace-type case. Those opinions cover whether it’s a flight crossing the United States or especially for long-haul flights to Europe or Asia. For now, though, we will stick with domestic flight in the U.S. The FAA and the airlines have a whole separate list of rules and regulations for what you can and cannot check in your baggage or carry on at www.faa.gov, or check with your airline.

There are a lot of options for hard shell cases. The first category of hard road cases are what I call rock-and-roll cases. Sometimes referred to by the brand name Anvil. Think of Anvils as the road cases for big touring shows. These are the heavyweight kings of road equipment cases. The cases are made of reinforced plywood laminates and the corners and edges are wrapped in reinforced metal; they also have heavy-duty locking latches. Unless you are going on tour, you are going to buy these bad boys once. They offer the best protection and you can customize them inside and out to fit your travel needs.

On the negative side of things, these cases tend to be very heavy and very expensive. I have only seen one fail once in 20 years of travel. That Anvil fell off a plane and landed 20 feet below, crushing in the corner of the case on the tarmac. Not going to lie. It was a pretty ugly sight. But if you do decide to take the option of driving to your on-site location, you will need to rent a U-Haul due to the size and weight of the cases. Lastly, you better have a lot of storage room somewhere at the church unless you are going to use them as props for a music video.

Hard Cases, Option Two

Sad to say that for now you and the crew are not going on a worldwide tour. Not yet anyways. But not to worry. The next group of hard shell cases are sure to also fit the bill. Sometimes these are called Pelican cases, but there are plenty of legitimate manufacturers besides Pelican. There is a lot to like in this category. Hard exterior plastic with rounded corners and, if desired, a waterproof option that will make your production unit manager smile. As with the Anvils, these cases can have customized foam interior cut outs or you can just make your own.

They also have locking latches that you can tie wrap. If TSA does open the case, they will first snap the tie wrap but then replace the tie wrap and add a nice note. Be sure to leave your contact info inside the case.

There are a lot of advantages to this type of case, and affordability is a good place to start, followed up with a smaller and lighter footprint. These types of cases are also more readily available

in places like higher end photography shops, etc. Lastly, black nondescript cases are more low-key and don’t look all that interesting to potential thieves. The downside is that they are not as easy to move around as a soft case and can be kind of bulky.

The biggest and best way to care for your gear in transit is to pack it in a way that it will not move in the case. Period. Everything I put into a case is well secured and is not going to move around. I remove the lens from the camera body and cap up both ends. In the past, I have protected my contents by wrapping securely in a clean sock or small bubble wrap to keep dust away. Next, I put it in a snug pocket. Then I just repeat the same steps. Pack it right, and nothing will move around in the case. It really is that simple.

Closing Thoughts

One thing you should never skimp on, though, is a foldable equipment cart. Buy the best heavy-duty equipment cart your church can afford. Do not try to use a two-wheeler from Uncle Joe’s Hobby Shop. Trust me when I say, it will not last one trip because cargo bays in planes like to eat them for lunch. Good luck, good shooting, and don’t forget the sunscreen.

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