Ever since I got a hold of my first action camera, I struggled to find the most convenient way to store not only the camera, but also bunch of gear that came along with it. After few unsuccessful attempts, I finally managed to find few ways which I will show you in this post. So this post is are all about storing and protection of our precious action cams.
Bear in mind, that there is no perfect way to store and organize anything. We are all different, have different tastes, preferences,needs and are attracted by different things.
Personally for me, it was important that the camera and a gear are easily accessible, tidy,safe and not expensive. Since I do not have much space in my room, I strived to find solutions that will not take half of it.
It is important that you evaluate what matters for you. Is it the money, design, function or something else? Everything can be found online these days. You just have to be creative. If you are willing to experiment and do few DIY projects, possibilities are limitless.
My priorities for action camera storage are :
- Accessibility – So that I can get camera and gear quickly
- Minimalism – does not take much space
- Safety – protects my camera and gear
- Price – I am on a budget, so I need affordable solutions
No matter if you have a GoPro, Xiaomi, SJCAM, Sony or any other camera, I hope that this short article of mine will give you some ideas and get your creative juices flowing.
Toolbox – Perfect for storing multiple cameras with a lots of gear
Since lately my collection of these tiny looking cameras increased, I found toolbox perfect for storing them inside the comfort of my home.
It looks decent and you can fit plenty of additional gear inside.
Additionally, the cameras and gear are neatly organized and quite accessible. Usually toolboxes have multiple “floors” and dividers, so you can grab what you need pretty fast. The best thing about that is that you can store ton of stuff in them. Not only cameras and basic gear, but also tripods, power banks, cleaning kits, you name it.
One additional convenience is that most of us already have a toolbox. They are available in nearly any DIY or tool shop, even supermarkets have them. I am using a pretty beaten up plastic box which my father no longer use for his tools.
So I “borrowed” one from him. Ehem, okay you got me. 🙂 I took it, but lets call it a long term loan. So dad, if you are looking for your toolbox, I don’t have it.
Problem with these toolbox is that most of them does not look stylish. I mean, take a look at mine. Its pretty beaten up. I wont lie, it even has a hole on it, which I promise to fix this weekend. If you take a better look at bottom right corner, you will see a gigantic whole caused by me dropping the whole toolbox. Luckily cameras and gear were undamaged.
Another downside is that toolboxes are usually bulky and heavy to carry around.
I love displaying my cameras in a toolbox, but I do not use it on a go.
Seriously? Oh come on? Are you absolutely sure you do not have one? Well, if you want to buy one, there are tons (and I mean tons) to chose from on Amazon. They come in various shapes, size and most importantly price.
>>> Buy toolbox on Amazon (link) or eBay (link).
I am certain that as my gears and camera collection increases, I will have to get one of those fancier, more durable ones and finally return this one to my pop.
Foam case – James Bond style
Foam cases are without any doubt the fanciest way to kill two birds with one stone. Look and functionality. The main problem with foam cases is that they are heavy and non mobile (especially the larger ones). Similar like with toolbox, they are mostly used indoors as they are too bulky to be carried around often.
Your camera and gear will look tidy and less cluttered. However, no matter how spacious these cases look, they leave plenty of room that you can not use, due to thickness of a foam. So besides their price, the biggest con is that they have lots of unused space.
>>> If foam case is something you would like to get here are some links to get them online :
Tool organizer – Great for storing cameras accessorizes
Tiny plastic tool organizers are probably the best way to organize plenty of base mounts, adhesive tapes, spare batteries and gazillion of screws. They are cheap, light-weight and easy to fit into a backpack if you are hiking for instance. The main disadvantage is that most of these toolbox are too small for you to fit your camera or any larger piece of gear.
This means that you will have to have a separate bag for the camera. However, if you hike and you have a camera on your chest or head, you can slide the organizer in the backpack, as they are not heavy at all.
I must admit, that like with larger toolbox, I already had this organizer. Well my father had it for his fishing gear, but I borrowed it 🙂 I promise Ill get it back dad, eventually!
Small tool organizers can be found everywhere, but if you prefer online buying :
If you have a tool store nearby, check it up, you might find some good deals there as well.
Action Camera Bags – Great overall
Main purpose of most action camera bags is to enable best way for you to fit both cameras and accessories in one. Since there are litterraly hundreds of types, it is very hard to classifiy them. The easiest way to somehow distinguish them is by size :
- Large
- Medium
- Small
Larger protective bags can carry out 2-3 GoPro sized cameras and lots of additional accessories, depending how you organize them. They have foam surface, so you can cut it to suit your particular storage needs.
Medium bags can usually hold only one action camera. Like bigger sized ones, they have foamy interior so its easy to customize them according to your needs.
Smaller sized bags are so tiny that most of them can fit into your pocket. While they are the least expensive ones, they are the hardest to find. Usually you have to buy a smaller sized earphone case and put some foam to achieve the look you wish. They are made to hold one camera with waterproof case on it (or two without a waterproof housing) and only few tiny pieces of gear such as screws, etc.
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These tiny fellas are best way to carry your camera in your pocket or a smaller sized handbag. You can not put much gear in them on the other hand, which is their biggest disadvantage. Also as mentioned, there are not many brands that produce smaller bags, so it usually requires some DIY work. Trust me, its worth it. I love to carry my camera in it, when I do not require any additional gear.
If you plan to use your camera under water, you should know that there are waterproof and non waterproof ones. Usually the ones that are resistant to water are more expensive and harder to find. However there are some brands that specialize in water-resistant items for GoPro, but you can fit nearly all other cameras in it. I will not pay attention to particular bag brand however. Lets leave this for some other time.
Summary
To sum up, obviously there are no rules when it comes to action camera storage. You can be creative and experiment. These are just my ideas and how I protect my cameras. For any questions, feel free to leave a comment bellow. I hope that I managed to throw some ideas with this post.
How do you store your GoPro or any other camera?
If you already have a method of storing your camera and gear, please share your way in the comments bellow. I will be more then happy to update this post with more ideas and organizing methods. Do not be shy, just click that post comment button and you are good to go 🙂
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