warzone

I’m going to NY this summer and I want to take my DSLR. Any suggestions about leaving the camera in the hotel when I don’t want to carry it?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I just leave it in the closet.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Leave it in the hotel safe, which is not all that safe, but you have a receipt for it, if left in the room even in a closet you have no proof that it was ever there.

f8lee Loc: New Mexico

Many hotels have a safe in the closet with which you can set your own code - that's what I usually use.

RWCRNC Loc: Pennsylvania

There’s a YouTube video about how unsafe those hotel room safes are. I take my iPad and camera wherever I go.

Bigmike1 Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.

I think the suggestion of using the hotel safe is the most secure. Its too bad that the world has progressed to it's present state, although maybe it has always been like this. I don't consider New York to be a safe place to go wandering around in anyway. Or maybe, being from the South I just don't trust northerners. (:

Peterfiore Loc: Where DR goes south

I use the room safe and have been doing that for what seems like forever...No issue to date.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I use the room safe if there is one or a drawer under some clothes. If it were a seedy area, maybe the hotel safe.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

I usually put my camera or my small pro camcorder in the safe if it fits.
Never think that you cant have stuff stolen from your room.
As of late I take my camera with me even for meals.

When I traveled a lot as a producer we would be setup in a ballroom.
We would come back from a lunch and a laptop on our production tables would be gone.

Of course this is a wonderful world at times. I went to the Philadelphia ballet with my wife and daughter
and left my Nikon in a small bag under the seat. I got a call from a gentlemen who said all my life
I wanted to have a camera like this. Come and pickup yours.

warzone

Thanks everyone. I’ve always believed that God protects fools and drunks. I don’t drink a lot so I’ll let you draw your own conclusions. I carry insurance just in case ;)

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

When I travel in the US, I often have two large bags that between them can have in excess of $35K in gear. However, due to their size, I can't just keep them with me all the time. So, I have two choices - lock them in the car or the hotel. Which I pick depends on where I'm going and how risky I think one is over the other.

In some cases, for example if I'm going shopping for something in a "shady" area, I tend to favor leaving my gear in the hotel room. Especially if it's later in the day and the cleaning staff has packed it in for the day. I also try to stay in nicer hotels. While nothing is ever for sure, I have found that most hotel staff really isn't trying to find ways to steal you stuff - they just want to get their job done and get home.

On the other hand, if I'm going someplace where I'm not as worried about theft (like to a restaurant where I can see the car from the window after a shoot), I'll leave it in the car. If I do happen to be in a not-so-nice hotel in a not-so-nice area, I will often keep the cameras locked in the car when I'm out rather than back in the room.

It really comes to down to which location I think presents the least risk.

I also make an effort to not make it obvious that I have camera gear - I only take it out when I'm on location and always put it away before I return to the hotel. The fewer eyes that see it, the better.

That, and I have good insurance :)

Still, in all the years I've traveled, I've been very fortunate and never had a single item stolen. (For perspective, I'm on the road for over half the year this year).

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

When traveling I keep my camera stuff and smartphone with me at all times. Either in the motel room or in my automobile trunk. And I may even carry the camera bag in with me to restaurants and the like. Yes, it is a pain to carry around when not in use but I try to avoid theft.

woodworkerman Loc: PA to FL

I like Steve's reply, but in situations where it is going to be very difficult to carry or secure my expensive equipment, I have purchased a high quality pocket point and shoot with a lot of zoom capability. I stick it in my pocket and never worry about security. It's quick and easy to use and with lots of megapixels and a good storage card, I can get photos with which I am highly satisfied. There are lots of these high quality point and shoots from which to choose that don't cost an arm and a leg. And if you use Amazon, you can get it in a few days.