How to properly store camera equipment

[photojournalyst]

I've got a 95 R1100R with the touring cases only, and I travel with a fair amount of camera equipment (for work, I use the bike as primary transportation). The vibrations from the bike have done a real number on my lenses and bodies, with almost all of them going in for repair. I had a 1/4 inch rubber pad on the bottom of the saddlebag to help absorb the vibrations, with out much effect.

 

Anybody have any experience with this? It would be nice to be able to continue using the sattlebag for tranport. I went back to a camera bag (weatherproof) strapped to the back of the bike with a luggage net, which between the seat, the rubber I put in the bag doesn't seem so bad.

 

Any thoughts out there? I know that most of you (us) have travelled with equipment before, surely there is something that can be done.

 

Thanks!

[graemer57]

On my R1200RT if its a short trip I just put my camera gear in LowePro backpack and drop it in the topbox. If its a long trip I install dividers in my BMW tank bag and use that on the tank. then I can remove my gear when I stop, either to use quickly or to take indoors with me so it's not sitting around on the bike. so far no prob with lenses after around 5000 miles... well apart from the 105mm macro lens I dropped D'OH!!!!!!!!

[Boffin]

I use a layer of bubble wrap about 2-3 inches thick. I am thinking about getting some of the foam used inside camera cases and shaping it to fir the top-box, with cut-outs to take the gear. 1/4 inch of rubber is just not enough and will not stop vibration as it is too stiff.

 

Andy

[szurszewski]

I've always favored my tankbag, whichever tank bag it happened to be, for my cameras. I guess I think of the tankbag contents as getting bounced around less than the saddlebags, but that is probably all in my head. Also, as stated above, it makes it easy to carry it around with you (if you get one that makes a backpack and comes with dividers, you're practically all set).

 

Another thought I've thunk, as they say, is to go with something like a purpose-set-up RKA bag for the rear seat...

[RBertalotto]

I recently did a trip from Massachusetts to Alaska and took all my camera equipment with me (D-70, two lens, tripod, etc)

 

I bought a pelican case and this mounting system from Touratech...

 

 

This worked out great as I could stop the bike, open the cae, snap a picture, return the camera to the case and be on my way, all in under a minute.

Plus the Touratech mount allowed easy removal of the whole shebang at days end. And because it locked good and tight, I never worried about theft at gas stops and lunch breaks.

 

[Carnadero]

What about trying polyethylene foam? (the kind that's typically in shipping boxes for laptops)

[photojournalyst]

Well, there's a bit of a space issue.... I've got (for the shooters out there) to carry round 2 pro bodies (D2x's) a 17-55 f2.8, 70-200 f.28 and 300 f.28, two strobes, cords, etc. I've even found a light stand that is short enough to fit in the saddlebag. I've put that with the 300 and one body in the exhaust side case, and the waistpack (think tank) with two lenses, both strobes and one body in the other case. I love the pelican idea, but to have a pelican that all my stuff fits in would be huge. I'm leaning towards putting good foam in both saddlebags, the eggshell type stuff, over a lining of thick thick rubber, hoefully it'll all fit. A topcase would work fairly well, but I often have a rider (gf can come to some of the shoots, and I always have my gear on my because I'm on call pretty much constantly) which makes that less attractive.

 

Now, I've got about 50k on the bike, original shocks. I'm thinking that replacing those might help?

 

And thanks for all the reponses!

[Aluminum_Butt]

That's some nice gear you're toting around!

 

Just a thought. You might want to build your solution around bag liners specifically made to fit the side cases. If you were to line these with the appropriate kinds of padding and spacers, you'd maximize your space utilization, and minimize the ability of the whole package to move around inside the side case. Basically build a custom camera case that is a perfect fit for the side bag.

 

There are a lot of companies offering liners. Here's a couple:

 

Cycle Gadgets

 

RKA

 

Helen 2 Wheels

 

Kathy's

[AviP]

Any thoughts out there? I know that most of you (us) have travelled with equipment before, surely there is something that can be done.

I've been giving this a lot of thought too because I want to transport some serious lenses over long distances. Any saddlebag based solution will eventually fail because it is hard to dampen the vibrations transmitted through hard luggage. I tried various hard luggage options for a work laptop many years ago and inevitably 1000 miles down the road, the laptop would fail on some loose connection. It was usually rectified by opening and tightening connections but that is not an option with photographic equipment.

 

IMHO, the safest (and least desirable) option is a large camera backpack carried on you back. Your body will isolate the vibrations better than anything else.

 

I have carried a 50 lbs backpack (non-camera equipment) over 4000 miles and it's only been an inconvenience at rest stops. Obviously YMMV.

[photojournalyst]

For the last half of this last summer (after repair bills that no man should ever see) I went the backpack route, but the stuff gets heavy after a while, and I'm thinking of the problem of if the bike goes down haveing all that hard metal against my back. I've got a heavily padded back on my jacket, but that's not going to help a wedge of a camera.

 

I'm going to look at the soft bags, and will probably just bite the bullet and use the backpack when riding season starts next month until I figure something out. I'm open to other ideas!

[velomoto]

... but the stuff gets heavy after a while, and I'm thinking of the problem of if the bike goes down haveing all that hard metal against my back.

 

IMO a greater risk lies in the inertia of all that weight - in a crash the pack WILL want to leave your body and may move your arms into some "interesting" positions in order to do so.

 

I would expect the best location to isolate a bag from vibration (wind, road, engine) would be to attach it to the seat immediately behind the driver. I'd also expect that the heavier the bag, the less it would be vibrated.

 

From what I've observed, side bags attach to the bike's frame which provides a good conduit for vibration, are exposed to the wind and frequently the mounting mechanism is such that they will bounce around a bit in rough terrain. One final thot, if riding two up, then I would expect a trunk like that on the R12RT would be a good location as the pillion would help eliminate vibration by leaning against it.

 

Good luck!

Greg

[Carnadero]

I'm going to look at the soft bags, and will probably just bite the bullet and use the backpack when riding season starts next month until I figure something out. I'm open to other ideas!

Question: how big a case/bag do you need? If you carry a minimal amount of gear (one long lens, one body, one wide-angle) plus a few accessories (flash, a few filters), what about a back seat bag? There's a bag for my Brick that I've been giving some thought to buying, but I have no knowledge about whether it would work on a non-K machine, whether it would even hold what you envision taking along, or even if it would be sturdy enough for your use. Wunderlich part # is 8160825.

 

What I hate is that the Wunderlich catalog says that the bag is so-and-so liters but I would have preferred dimensions instead.

 

Now if you have plans to have a passenger along on your rides, then forget all of the above.

[BUMWA]

I carry Rolleis, Leicas and Olympus E-1s routinely. My only bad experience was the backing out of a Rollei 45 viewfinder diopter--but that was on my Moto Guzzi--a whole different can of worms. I carry things in a padded (Lightware or Cullmann) case in my saddle bags.

 

I have had no problems to date on the GT, but then, I had only one on the Guzzi, and that's the thumper to end all thumpers. I'm hoping the higher-pitched vibrations of the K engine don't interfere.

 

It's the vibration in ME from the bike that I worry far more about. A tripod is not an easy rider!

Happy shooting!