gear safety on trips

[Sibil]

I often end up taking more gear on trips than I would need/want to carry around when leaving the hotel. I'm not sure if the extra gear is safer left in the hotel room, or carried in the car out of sight. In similar situations, what do you do; extra gear left in the hotel room or car?

[RikWriter]

I don't leave ANYTHING valuable in the hotel room.

[scotteisenphotography]

I'd rather leave my gear, hidden in my room, with the do not disturb sign on the door. In the car it's much much more vulnerable

[Odie23]

My train of thought says that there is less of a chance of theft from the hotel room than the car. The sheer number of folks who walk past the hotel room vs. walking past the car is greatly reduced therefore so is the risk. You know in a hotel that there will be someone who enters your room and will see your stuff, so don't keep it out in the open. IMHO locked up in the hotel room out of view is the safer way to go.

Odie

[hollis_f]

Check with your insurance company. Often your policy will only cover stuff left in a hotel safe (which are normally too small to hold anything bigger than a 50 1.8 ). My policy does cover me for stuff left in a car as long as the car is locked and the gear is in the boot ('trunk' for our USian readers) and not visible from the outside.

So, even though I agree that hidden in a hotel room is probably less likely to get nicked, I'll normally take all my gear out with me and leave it in the car.

[PhotosGuy]

There were times that I didn't have a car & I asked the manager to lock it in his office when I had to go out without it. Usually, it all went with me when I wasn't in the room.

[tvphotog]

Insure everything before you leave your house.

Check with hotels before you travel and book in ones with the largest in-room safes. Don't be afraid to ask for the interior dimensions. Hoteliers have had far stranger requests.

Leave what you can in the safe, the most valuable lenses and body that you won't use that day, and take the less expensive stuff and check it with the concierge for the day.

[single_track]

TV on, Do not disturb sign on door, Gear in safe if there is one. Safest in the room.

[TonyFarlie]

What fits in the hotel safe goes in there, the rest goes into my locakable suitcase (except that which i want to take with me of course :) ).