Look into insurance for your gear if you havent.

Not that I've had to use it but I found out today through my insurance company I can put a Personal Articles policy on my Camera Body and 2 lenses for $2.25 a month. This covers absolutely everything, from drops to spills, stolen, damaged in any way and there was no deductible. Wow what a peace of mind!!!!!

I realize homeowners and renters may cover the same but there may be a deductible, maybe not. This is what I did however and I'm happy I did. You just never know when the unthinkable could happen.

Phew ~ now I can sleep at night.

I could not agree more. I had this happen awhile back. Left my bag on the roof of the car after getting my ski gear off. I have rider on my renters through Allstate and pay $9.00 a month for ~$5000 in coverage.

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I agree. State Farm will do the same thing.

Wow !! < $20 year for $5,000 coverage REALLY? Does that include THEFT, or just accidental damage? I just added a rider to my existing GEICO homeowners policy for $7,000 coverage (theft included) and it runs me $125/year

Cody21 wrote in post #14512940
Wow !! < $20 year for $5,000 coverage REALLY? Does that include THEFT, or just accidental damage? I just added a rider to my existing GEICO homeowners policy for $7,000 coverage (theft included) and it runs me $125/year

I also find that rate a little hard to believe. I had to drop my insurance because it was simply impossible to continue paying upwards of $13/month. That was way, way, way too high, in my opinion. I'd love to find something reasonable like the $2.25/month that the OP found.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #14513471
I also find that rate a little hard to believe. I had to drop my insurance because it was simply impossible to continue paying upwards of $13/month. That was way, way, way too high, in my opinion. I'd love to find something reasonable like the $2.25/month that the OP found.

As the OP said in his other post just like this one, the $2.25 a month only covers up to $1,700.00 worth of gear.

Take Care,
Cheers, Patrick

OP mind sharing what company you are using? My gear will not fit into the coverage range that you policy does but maybe for some others it might.

just remember everyone, if you make ANY money off photos it'll be considered business and that requires a different type of policy

I happily pay approx. $10 a month to insure my gear under the Personal Articles policy. For a 50 cent premium, I could even make that "semi pro" coverage. I don't worry about leaving my gear in hotel rooms, I just lock up my memory cards in the hotel safe.

These low premiums require an insane deductible, right?

I am with State Farm. There was absolutely no deductible. Yes this is only for $1,700 worth of equipment.

For personal coverage, you should be looking in the $1.30-$1.50 range per $100 with $0 deductible and full replacement. This should cover loss, theft, dropping it in a lake, your kid dropping it down the stairs, whatever comes up...

Roughly ~$7000 coverage for ~$100/year

I haven't personally done this (yet) but a few local photographers that I know have said that you specifically want your photo gear insured under an "inland marine" rider.

CincyTriGuy wrote in post #14515701
... you specifically want your photo gear insured under an "inland marine" rider.

Had to look the term up. The explanation shows why you might be subject to exclusions on homeowner/renter insurance:
Inland marine insurance indemnifies loss to moving or movable property and is an outgrowth of ocean marine insurance. Historically, ocean marine insurance held the transporter responsible for property loss before, during, and after the completion of the voyage. In the 19th century the non-ocean portion of the journey grew as cargoes were transferred to non-ocean vessels (such as barges) and the term "inland marine" was coined. Despite the word marine, most inland marine coverages are for property on land, with property transported by water insured under ocean marine. ......Inland marine policies became known as "floaters" since the property to which coverage was originally extended was essentially "floating." The coverage has grown to include property that just involves an element of transportation. The property that is insured under inland marine coverage is typically one of the following: Actually in transit Held by a bailee (e.g. as when in storage or under repair - my note) At a fixed location that is an instrument of transportation A movable type of goods that is often at different locations
A while ago, someone suggested insuring camera gear separately from homeowner/renter insurance policies. Also, I've heard that selling just a few photos can cause your insurance carrier to classify your photo kit as commercial equipment. Most sites have little information and simply recommend contacting a local insurance broker. But, Photo.net (I'm not a member, they just showed up in a search) offers equipment and liability insurance however, they are only good in the US.

I only believe in paying for insurance when the loss would be catastrophic. For me, personally, it's not worth paying $150 per year to insure $6,000 worth of equipment. However, if I was a professional photographer and didn't have the resources to immediately replace broken or stolen equipment, I'd definitely insure my stuff just to prevent an interruption in work.

Darn, I was kind of hoping that i could find a high-deductible separate policy for only $50 a year or so. I guess I'll check to see what my homeowner's policy offers.

team haymaker wrote in post #14513848
just remember everyone, if you make ANY money off photos it'll be considered business and that requires a different type of policy

+1 Very important detail.

I just updated my inland marine policy with State Farm this week (because I moved). $15,000.00 in coverage across the globe for $288.00 a year. Well worth it IMO. This is with a $100.00 deductible. The premium drops if the deductible is raised.