Keeping Your Gear Safe

There comes a time in all photographers lives where the ugly subject of insurance raises its head.
Most household insurance packages will cover a basic camera kit only. This rarely extends beyond a DSLR and a couple of kit lenses, a tripod and maybe a bag.  But we always need more gear right? A speedlight or two, remote triggers, a big telephoto lens and maybe even some video gear. That's what photographers do, right?

Insuring that ever growing pile of valuable gear will cost a packet in extended insurance premiums.  Sure, this might be worth the (considerably) added expense if travelling, but at home there's a way to protect your kit without the need for costly insurance add-ons: buy a safe!

Front end view of the rifle safe. I added shelves by simply stacking pre-cut (shelving) boards left and right with cross sheets for the shelving. A spot of liquid nails here and there is all that's needed to hold everything nicely in place.

I did this a few years ago - the problem I faced was the size of the safe. Most personal safes are small - big enough for your passport, birth certificate and the gold cuff links an uncle gave you for your 18th birthday. Just big enough for a DSLR body and nothing else. Larger safes are very heavy, cumbersome and  cost a lot of money. I found the best solution was to buy a rifle/gun safe. These measure around 30 x 30 x 120cms, are made from high grade steel with  one or two heavy bolt locks on the door, have reinforced hidden hinges and, in some models, come with a separate (ammo?) compartment and door.

Double bolts on both door locks provide a nice degree of security. The safe ships with half a dozen 3-inch steel screw bolts to attach the entire 'box' to the wall and floor. Gun safes of this size weight about 50kg so, if not secured, they are light enough to be carried off! You only need two or three bolts into walls or floor to ensure it stays put.

Close up of wooden shelving - the side panels were cut from left over melamine shelves from another project. Almost any timber would do.