Film storage while traveling under non-ideal circumstances

[chris_williams19]

<p>First off, I would like to say that I have been a long time reader of the forums here on photo.net and I have always been impressed with the knowledge of folks here. Secondly, I have poked through the archives and found a similar question but the answer, while valid, is not entirely relevant to my situation.</p>

<p>The question is simply put: How concerned should I be when traveling about keeping my film cold? </p>

<p>If I were traveling under ideal circumstances and be able to afford hotels with mini-fridges in the room, this would not be an issue. But since I travel in places that are often hot, sunny, without air conditioning and I spend much of the days outdoors, how much is this damaging my film?</p>

<p>Generally I shoot anything from Ektachrome to Velvia to HP5 to Tri-X (the latter two I get developed as B&W slides) and nothing higher than ISO 400. Normally, I keep my film in my freezer at home and only pull out what I need for a particular day of shooting. But when I go abroad, I usually bring 40+ rolls of film along and often times, that film won't see anything cooler than the inside of my backpack for upwards of a month.</p>

<p>I will note that I in the past I haven't seen anything wrong with the film when it comes back from my local labs but I might be missing something if I don't know what to look for.</p>

<p>So, what do the folks out in photo.net land do when faced with film storage on the road under non-ideal circumstances?</p>

<p>Thanks for your time and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.<br>

-c</p>

[randall ellis]

<p>Unless you are traveling for more than a couple of years or so I wouldn't worry about it at all. Film is not nearly as fragile as people seem to think. I've got film that has lived years outside the cold (our house stays at about 80F year 'round) and it's never caused any problems. Have a safe trip!</p>

<p>- Randy</p>

[JosvanEekelen]

<p>I guess it depends on the time and temperature. I only experienced problems once on a 3 week holiday in a hot climate (Yemen) with Kodachrome slide film that was past its expiry date. During the same trip I had no problems with fresh (Kodachrome) films. During almost 30 years of travel in sometimes high temperatures I never saw problems on trips lasting 3-4 weeks. But YMMV.</p>

[gary_watson]

<p>If it's too hot for you, it's too hot for film. Simply put, you're not likely to choose to hang out in a car trunk in high heat, right? Provided it's fresh, film is usually tougher than we think. 40+ rolls doesn't pose huge storage issues, either. If your pack gets hot, unpack the film. I was shocked years back to find out how my big frame pack held heat when I fished out a very warm pair of socks from deep within it. Make sure that's not your film.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>Well, don't bake the stuff. Leave it in the hotel room instead of the car, and it will be fine.</p>

<p>If you order expensive film from Adorama it's not shipped in a refrigerated truck, but I don't see anybody complaining...</p>

[stephen_schoof1]

<p>Use common sense to keep it as cool as circumstances allow and you should be fine. I have never used coolers or refrigerators while traveling and have never had noticeable problems with slide film.</p>

[mauro_franic]

<p>Simple rule. Keep the film in a bag with you - if you are ok, the film will be ok too. That means not leaving it in the car. Tri-X you can even leave in the car.</p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>That stuff probably baked in a connex at 120F for a week before it got to you. Or, froze. I've never had a problem. </p>

<p>In a bag; in the shade; basic precautions. You've probably been doing the right thing all along.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>Don't refrigerate your film on the road. Condensation is a greater danger than short-term high temperatures if you refrigerate open film or open cold film in humid weather. I put film in an insulated picnic bag, which keeps film relatively cool all day and keeps it from getting too cold if I bring it into an air conditioned room. Film would have to be too hot to touch (60C) for a week or two before temperature alone would affect it.</p>

[ken_cope]

<p>Unless you are in <em>really </em>extreme heat (i.e. when you're having to take special precautions for your own health), I wouldn't worry even for a trip of several weeks.<br>

Just take the obvious precautions mentioned by others...avoid intense sun, car gloveboxes, keep the film in its manufacturer's sealed packing until needed, just common sense really.<br>

I've just been given some film, several years past its date, which someone had forgotten and left in a garage in all-year-round heat and cold, and a couple of test films seem fine.</p>

[chris_williams19]

<p>Thank you all very much for your comments and suggestions! I do try to make sure I am reasonably cautious with the care and feeding of my film while traveling so it is reassuring to know I have been on the right track all along.</p>

<p>Cheers!<br>

-c</p>

[william_markey]

<p>On hot Alabama days when my film is traveling in a car trunk, I put the film in a small, insulated lunch box with a plastic bag of ice in it (not touching the film--film on one side, ice on the other side of the lunch box). The ice bag keeps the inside of the lunch box a bit cooler without keeping the film at refrigerator temperature. This has worked well so far.</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

If you're mailing it back for processing don't put it in a mailbox that will sit in the sun for long periods of time. Take it to a post office or find a box that will be in the shade most of the day.

[JAPster]

<p>You could carry along a mid-size styrafoam cooler and some of those freezable gel-packs. Freeze one of those, wrap it in a dry towel, and put that in the bottom of the cooler. Then put your 35mm film in, perhaps set it inside a tray that sits on top the towel. Throw in a handful of those silica gel packs to reduce moisture. Keep the lid on tight except when fetching new film or storing the shot film. This method, of course, assumes you have access to a freezer to freeze and refreeze the gel packs as you stay onsite for a shoot.</p>