I have been wrestling with how to protect my cameras and lenses on a car trip and not be just whistling in the dark. Trust me, I read and studied for a long while. Short of having a four-foot truck vault, I can’t see this workin.
I even purchased a VaultTek LifePod XR series with pluck foam, and a with a steel security cable. It was expensive, had a fancy lock, and a too thin (IMO) steel cable. I got it all working and everything and then had the simple true thought. I could cut this cable in a minute with a decent size bolt cutter. I even tried to buy a second steel security cable to beef it up, but after trying 30-40 websites and finding it sold out everywhere, I spent hours on the phone with VaultTek trying get some questions answered. They dropped all my calls after waiting a long while every time.
I wrote to them by email and never got an answer, so I was done with that and returned the VaultTek at once. So, here is where I have ended up.
Instead, I got a much simpler and less expensive Nanuck 920 hard case with interior dimensions of 15” x 10.5” x 6.2”. That will hold my Hasselblad X2D2 and a few lenses. I will put heavy-duty padlocks on both sides and through the steel eyelets of the padlocks run a ½” looped steel cable ties into my the body of my SUV. Will that do it?
That will work if I am in a public spot like a parking lot, on the street, and not in a large city. Probably. I also have the equipment insured. Yet, that will not work on a country road, back in the sticks, or wherever someone could have the time to work on it. I just won’t use the Nanuck for those country-road conditions, but just keep the camera and lens with me. That is too great a risk, IMO.
If any of you have something that works better, please let me know. I want to take extra lenses and leave my gear in the car if I can.
I would just insure the gear properly, and then (if I really had to leave five figure camera gear in my car) I'd put it somewhere where people don't see it, like in my trunk.
Talking security with photography and all this crap we haul around…
A few thoughts:
Out of sight, out of mind. Tinted windows, low‑key car, nothing flashy. People really do sit and watch you load stuff, and as soon as you’re out of sight it’s a smash and grab. They’ve got power tools too.
I try to keep it as minimal as I can when I am out with my gear. Stay tuned in to what’s going on and who’s hanging around. And yeah, it probably wouldn’t hurt to have a trained Doberman too.
Tina Kino wrote:
I would just insure the gear properly, and then (if I really had to leave five figure camera gear in my car) I'd put it somewhere where people don't see it, like in my trunk.
The trunk is the worst place to store valuables. I recall while living in Amsterdam some years ago every German licensed vehicle had trunk break-ins as it was known that Germans store valuables in their trunk.
Remember thieves often watch people park, especially in ‘tourist trap’ locations.
So they watch people put valuables etc in their trunk, thinking it is now safe…
I once left my Holga on my front seat. When I came back someone had obviously rummaged through my car. There were now two Holgas so I guess they took pity on me.
I always take my gear with me. Leaving gear in your car, even if it’s in a safe, just attracts thieves and they’ll smash the window just to try steal the gear…so even if they don’t get the gear out, you have a smashed window.
I remember back in the day when stealing sound gear out of cars was a big deal on the North Shore of Hawaii we used to leave the cars unlocked so they wouldn't have to do a lot of expensive damage to break in. Then we would remove the good radio from the dash and put in a cheap dummy for them to steal. Some would just leave some money so they would take it and not do damage. It was kind of an unwritten deal. It was bad at that time.
These days I keep everything out of sight and take all valuables like cameras with me. Also, I ensure everything against all loss as scheduled items on my homeowners policy.
My rule of thumb with camera gear of any kind in the car - keep it underneath a lid in the cargo space area or in the trunk directly. Never open the trunk or hood sash to fizzle at your camera gear before you leave it in the car when for example going into a restaurant or hotel. Either take all camera gear out and with you, or don't even open.
Easiest is to take the smallest and most portable camera gear with you on a trip as possible. It was one reason why I switched to rangefinder gear - lenses and cameras are smaller and still cover full frame sensor size. It all fits now in one shoulder bag which I always carry with me. With DSLR gear, this wasn't always possible.
1bwana1 wrote:
I remember back in the day when stealing sound gear out of cars was a big deal on the North Shore of Hawaii we used to leave the cars unlocked so they wouldn't have to do a lot of expensive damage to break in. Then we would remove the good radio from the dash and put in a cheap dummy for them to steal. Some would just leave some money so they would take it and not do damage. It was kind of an unwritten deal. It was bad at that time.
I remember these days in the early 90s. Had my first car which only had an empty space with black plastic frame for a radio to be installed. I never did. My car was never broken into most likely for this reason. My second car came with radio - they were much more affordable by then and no longer a reason for thieves to break in.
Full Frame insurance does not insure in stolen from a car. I don't know if there are others that have this problem. I pointed this out to the Phoblographer who recommends them and got no response. I use RVNA but the best is The Hartford but they are expensive.
Will the weather be too warm to wear a loose-fitting outer garment? Nothing is as secure as wearing one's equipment, in a way that is at least semi-concealed from view. I have never seen a Hasselblad X2D2 in the wild, or in a camera store, so, do not know how bulky it is.
As one earlier reply has already mentioned, battery-operated power tools can cut and grind just about anything, quickly. A cable and locks can deter the smash-and-grab thief, so, choose your local thief with care.
There is no safe place to park a vehicle. My vehicles have only been burglarized twice, thus far, but both times were at the police station, where I reported to work. Having worked police patrol for more than three decades, I can attest that vehicle burglaries are far too common.
Wait. We have options to choose our local thief? I choose the inept ones who have lengthy criminal records because they can't do anything without getting caught.
At the risk of making you feel even worse about things, you could look up discussions on "locking a bike." There are also "firearms" lock boxes/"safes" designed for car use. Tool boxes, too. They vary in shape and size. Anything "cabled" in is pretty easily removed. Bolted in could require them to attack the box.
And for any of these valuables, the transfer of the item to and from the secure "safe" can be an easily observed process.
If I had to worry that much about my gear, I’d either buy the smallest and cheapest camera or give up photography…
In my case, I have good specialized insurance and in general don’t worry too much. Unless people see me put gear in the car and then leave the car, nothing shows that I have something valuable in my car that others don’t.
Exception was Hawaii, which is notorious for car break-ins at beach spots.
I’ve never had gear stolen (knock on wood), but had my radio stolen in Amsterdam decades ago, my tires punctured in Zurich, my bike stolen in Austria but in the US, I once left my trunk wide open by mistake at Conowingo for about an hour and everything was untouched.
johnvanr wrote:
If I had to worry that much about my gear, I’d either buy the smallest and cheapest camera or give up photography…
Same. Or I would buy something small and light enough to have always with me, micro43, Fuji APS, Leica M, Sony alpha and a few lenses.
Unless you really need some specific, heavy gear like a 600/4, you will not see the difference.
A friend of mine went to south america with a MF and a few lenses; his wife with a XE-5. He says the difference once printed is minimal.
The best camera is the one you have with you and use without even thinking about, not the one in the car or the one you worry about.
