LF Film Holder storage

[bill_taylor2]

I just picked up a pretty cool product at Office Depot. It is a 3 Liter plastic

box made by Reallyusefulbox.com. It holds 11 double sided Lisco style film

holders. They seem to be very tough and lightweight. The top clips into place

and makes a stackable unit. They can stand a little spashing, but they are NOT

watertight. I got the clear ones, but they come in colors too. Pink, Blue, etc.

 

The 3L size seems the best for LF field use. From the web site it looks like

the 9L size would hold about 30 - 33 holders in "long shoebox" fashion.

 

Up until now I've been using an insulated softside lunch bag, but this has

potential for being more sturdy overall. It doesn't have a place for straps,

but if you aren't carrying it very far, it has more capacity and offers much

better protection.

[pvp]

I got a couple of ammo cans at the local surplus emporium. Washed them out well, sprayed some new paint on the outside and voila. One ammo can will hold 25 double3 sided 4x5 holders, standing vertically inside. Sorry -- I can't remember what the original ammunition caliber was. Bigger than 50 cal., maybe 20mm.

 

Not particularly good for carrying very far despite the handle on top, but top honors for protection of the contents...

[big toys are better]

I'd aim for light colored insulated fabic or hard coolers/lunch cases since they will keep the film cooler and protected from light just in case you have a light leak. Some of the coolers are perfect for 4x5, 5x7 or in rare cases, some work for 8x10. I use both the hard and soft style depending on the film formats carried-- some work for both my 4x5 and 5x7. 8x10 is rather dedicated for that purpose.

 

IMHO, a clear sealed container is just about the worst possible thing to have black film holders sitting within on a sunny day. I'd recommend one of the refrigerated coolers if you live in a warm climate and leave your film stuff in a closed up vehicle for any length of time.

[kmcgrew]

My favorite film holder transport has been to put the film holders themselves into Ziploc bags and then put the sealed bags into a six-pack cooler with some blue-ice on the bottom. That keeps the film cool, dry, and has a handle for carrying.