photosarah Loc: East Sussex, UK

Hi, I'd be so grateful if any of you can suggest ways to store camera and lenses and ancilliary equipment in a chest of drawers safely and without scratches. The only place I have is a c-of-d in my study, so please don't suggest other places. At the moment I use a wooden drawer divider with ready-made partitions, which are not always the right size, and I protect the gear from scratches by putting down some bubble wrap. It's not ideal. But I don't want to wrap items individually either. Any better ideas? I have 2-1/2 drawers available in the chest, and I've attached a bad photo just to give you an idea of what I am doing.

Photo of drawer divider (with gear removed)

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

If all it is for is storage, you got it with the bubble wrap. Only other thing is to check Home Depot or Lowes for the grey foam type sheets and line the drawers with it with Elmers glue. But thats going a bit far.

Who's scoring you on the neatness ? Bubble wrap is fine.

Sarge69

photosarah Loc: East Sussex, UK

Hi Sarge, thanks for your reply. By "storage", I didn't mean "putting away items not regularly used". I am hoping someone can suggest a better system to hold my frequently-used camera and lenses to stop them rolling around when the drawer is opened. The problem with the drawer divider is that most of my gear doesn't fit into the slots so just sits balanced on top - hence the bubble wrap to protect it from getting scratched. Obviously, I could wrap each item in bubble wrap and just place it in the drawer, but they would still roll around and I don't want to have to unwrap a lens or camera every time I want to use it. I'm not concerned with how it looks - just need some practical ideas!
PS How's your new home?

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

I'm not in the new home yet. I'm here at my uncles and getting stuff finished up like winterizing this home for use next year, getting his car serviced for the winter, change of addresses, heating oil on automatic, phone service cut off on the 29th, his flight to florida on the 30th, cable box turn in and payment, cleaning the fridge of food, cabinets of canned goods and more. Not an easy task but I should be able to pack my car and leave by Saturday or Sunday latest for the 2 1/2 day drive to Fort Myers, FL

Thanks for thinking of me.

Sarge69

photosarah Loc: East Sussex, UK

Festina Lente Loc: Florida & Missouri

I think you may be over-thinking this.
As long as it is a cool dry place that is not subject to rapid changes in humidity you should be fine.

photosarah Loc: East Sussex, UK

Hi Festina Lente, thanks for your reply. I am obviously not making myself clear! What I'm asking is: whether anybody has some nifty way of putting their lenses (which roll) and their cameras in a drawer so that they don't rub together, or roll around when the drawer is opened and closed. They are quite dry and safe where they are, it's just that my equipment doesn't fit into the slots of the drawer divider thing I have - for example, my (new!) 28-300mm lens just sits on top of the longest slot because the slot isn't wide enough for the lens to fit into it - and it crossed my mind that some clever UHH-er might have found some way of putting all their equipment into a drawer so that they don't damage each other. What I'm looking for is like a camera bag in a drawer with padded slots for the lenses and cameras. I could probably make that (with some effort), but then I'd have a drawer that can only be used in the future for camera gear. I don't want a permanent alteration of the drawer. Don't some of you UHH-ers keep your equipment in a chest of drawers when it is not in your camera bag?

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Hope you don't take this as rudeness, but another vote for you're overthinking the problem while ignoring the obvious. You have a REMOVABLE drawer divider and can't put a 4" object in a 3" hole. Do a Google search for ADJUSTABLE drawer dividers, and you'll find lots of options.
http://www.organizeit.com/bedroom-drawer-organizers.asp

EDIT: Yes, I'm a bit out of sorts today, 'cause I just forgot I was preheating my breakfast skillet on high and destroyed my favorite 10" KitchenAid skillet. Warped the heck out of it, and now my eggs run to the side. :oops: Good luck!

photosarah Loc: East Sussex, UK

Hi OddJobber: not rude at all, thanks for the tip re Google. I'll follow that up. So sorry about your skillet: I know how I'd feel if I ruined mine!

:cry:

Festina Lente Loc: Florida & Missouri

OK. Get a piece of polyethylene foam sheet about 1" thick. Cut it into strips and make your own custom drawer dividers using some hot melt glue.

As for me, I keep my lenses in microfiber bags and I don't open the drawers so quickly that anything really moves and bangs together. What I store is constantly changing, so anything resembling permanent (or static) dividers seems futile.

Most of my gear came in or is now stored in small cases and padded bags, and that is how I carry them in my camera bag most of the time. I have labeled many of the cases with a tag to remind me what is inside however.

I hope that helps.

Pepper Loc: Planet Earth Country USA

Get some 1 inch foam, cut some slots about 2 inches wide far enough apart to keep your lens separated. They won't roll and you've spent a couple bucks and invested twenty minutes.

joe west Loc: Taylor, Michigan

i use a craftmans 16 drawer tool box, with padding in each drawer

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That was my first thought - that gray or black foam material they sell to line the drawers of toolboxes. Imagine trying to work with wrenches that scratched! :D

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

How about some "pick & pluck" foam? The stuff you find in gun cases... I don't know how expensive it is but you could fill a drawer with the stuff and then pluck out a space for the 28-300 and another space for your flash and some little spaces for the wireless flash triggers. I got some gun cases at Gander Mountain for about $20 each and customized one for lenses and another for flash units.

LouEllen

I had no idea people store their gear like this. I keep most of mine in a large camera backpack. The rest is usually on shelves in my small studio. I do have a couple extra chest of drawers stored away. I think I know a new use for them. Thanks!

Lou Ellen