? for onsite guests about storing gear in the room while not in use

[2Tiggies]

As the title says

I take most of my gear with me and do use what I take - but I don't use it all every day so I pack according to what plans are. Where do you secure your lenses and more valuable gear while not in use? I usually keep the lenses in the room safe. I have a completely full cover insurance on my camera and related equipment, but obviously don't want the inconvenience of having to make claims and be short of a lens (or more) .

I've never really given it that much thought except that I am going to be renting a walk around lens for the next trip but not from the first day. So I do need to bring the one I usually use but it's likely to spend the rest of the trip locked in the room. Do you all use the safe, with its limited capacity? Do you feel quite safe doing so?

 

[toomanycars]

As the title says

I take most of my gear with me and do use what I take - but I don't use it all every day so I pack according to what plans are. Where do you secure your lenses and more valuable gear while not in use? I usually keep the lenses in the room safe. I have a completely full cover insurance on my camera and related equipment, but obviously don't want the inconvenience of having to make claims and be short of a lens (or more) .

I've never really given it that much thought except that I am going to be renting a walk around lens for the next trip but not from the first day. So I do need to bring the one I usually use but it's likely to spend the rest of the trip locked in the room. Do you all use the safe, with its limited capacity? Do you feel quite safe doing so?

I take a pelican hard case, padlock it then take a laptop cable and lock it to something not easy to remove. Then I cover it with dirty clothing.

 

[2Tiggies]

Thanks The dirty clothing is a good idea

 

[toomanycars]

Thanks The dirty clothing is a good idea

It works great if you have teenagers, no one in their right mind would touch their laundry.

 

[2Tiggies]

It works great if you have teenagers, no one in their right mind would touch their laundry.

I have an apprentice teen (11) - judging by what has happened to the house between when I cleaned it before work this morning and half an hour after her return this evening ...... I'd say we qualify

 

[cobright]

I use a netbook and a couple webcams to set up a motion sensing surveillance system with YAWCAM software.

You can use a smartphone left in the room to do the same thing. Just put a sign up in the room alerting everyone who enters that they are on camera.

I get a txt with pics every time the maid enters the room.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

Im one of those guys that feels the need to trust people. I leave EVERYTHING out in the open. Except cash, pins, and identification. Anything else that can get stuffed in the safe I'll put in. But theyre so small it doesn't leave a lot of room.

Knowing that theyre are bad people at the Happiest place on earth leads me to believe that there are more good people. Anything of value I leave in the open, the thought behind that is this....

It s in an open, uncluttered space, in such a manner that I will not forget I put it there, like right next to my laptop and tablet. Most thieves at Disney go for small items, they'll see $400 but only take $20 of it, badgering is the way to steal, that's why I don't leave pins out. I figure all those pins on ebay gotta come from somewhere....

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I just leave the equipment I'm not using that day in my rolling camera bag in the closet. Or if I've pulled something out I may place it in a drawer. I do not go to any lengths to conceal or lock it up. I also will leave it with Bell Services if we check out early and want to head out to a park for awhile. Our cash and credit cards we aren't carrying are my main concern to lock up - far more easy for someone to take a little that might not be noticed and more negotiable too.

 

[cpbjgc]

Any equipment not going with me goes in the safe.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

THe safes at POFQ are tiny... I couldn't put a lens in there if it was empty, let alone a laptop

 

[2Tiggies]

THe safes at POFQ are tiny... I couldn't put a lens in there if it was empty, let alone a laptop

You're right and as you can see by my Ticker we are at POFQ and not for the first time by any means, so I am aware of the microscopic safes! Although I did manage to get my spare lenses in there last year, the exception being the Tokina UWA which is too large. The laptop usually gets locked in a suitcase which is then locked onto 2 more. Would be a bit difficult getting 3 of them tied together out the room unnoticed. Aside from the few valuables we have there, I do confess to leaving everything out in the open and have never had any issues. Trouble is it all depends who you have servicing your room. Most of the Mousekeepers are great and there is nothing to worry about. It only takes one exception to make you think "I should have ..."

Thanks for all the advice. I was keen to see what everyone else does with their camera kit and there are some good suggestions in here

 

[jimim]

Im one of those guys that feels the need to trust people. I leave EVERYTHING out in the open. Except cash, pins, and identification. Anything else that can get stuffed in the safe I'll put in. But theyre so small it doesn't leave a lot of room. Knowing that theyre are bad people at the Happiest place on earth leads me to believe that there are more good people. Anything of value I leave in the open, the thought behind that is this.... It s in an open, uncluttered space, in such a manner that I will not forget I put it there, like right next to my laptop and tablet. Most thieves at Disney go for small items, they'll see $400 but only take $20 of it, badgering is the way to steal, that's why I don't leave pins out. I figure all those pins on ebay gotta come from somewhere....

Same here. My stuff is out. Never had an issue. If u want to rob me I usually have a Mac and iPad out. I keep my gear not being used in its bag in the closet. I have never ever had one issue in over 15 years of being onsite. Only thing in the safe is my wife's jewelry.

I would never even thought of setting up cameras in a hotel room.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[mom2rtk]

This thread is a good reminder that I need to come up with a better plan for our next trip. I tend to just leave my things buried in my suitcase, but honestly, if a housekeeper is dishonest, I'm sure that's the first place they would look.

Those who lock a laptop or other gear to a piece of furniture, what sort of bag and cable lock do you use?

 

[Pixel Dust]

We also use the suitcase for things that don't fit into the safe. However, we use a luggage lock on it. That won't prevent someone from taking the whole suitcase, but they won't know if they are getting good stuff or a suitcase of dirty clothes. I would rather not leave the temptation out in the open.

 

[Tuffcookie]

I put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. I do not mind making my own bed. I prefer that no one enters my room when I'm not there. If I need dirty laundry taken away or need anything I can always call Housekeeping and they will deliver it to my door.

TC

 

[zackiedawg]

I generally leave most stuff 'in the open' and don't make any real concerted effort to conceal it. I always bring my camera backpack stuffed to the gills, and that means there are usually a dozen or two lenses lying around on shelves or counters, in the camera backpack which is open, I sometimes take only one camera body with me to the parks so the other is sitting on the table next to my open tablet hybrid, I bring a couple of watches with me, but only wear one, so the other is usually sitting in the dresser next to the TV, my car keys are usually there too, since I don't drive my car much on Disney property, just electing to take the busses or boats. It's pretty much been my travel policy and default behavior for 30 years, at Disney, on cruises, and traveling to hotels all over the world. I'm either trusting, naive, or just don't really think about it too much. I'm sure if I ever got robbed, I might consider changing my method, but knock on wood I've been lucky, and even if I got robbed in a hotel in Croatia one day, I'd still likely consider Disney to be safe by comparison, and would likely still leave some things of value lying around in the open.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

Temptation or not, bad people will find a way to take something if they need it or want it. Most car thieves don't steal a car unless its been "requested" at least in high end vehicles, and they can get them without flinching an eyelash. These people are in your room for as long as they want, burying items in your dirty laundry or under 3 suitcases is just extra work for you to hide it, and or for the thief to steal it IMHO. Why go through so much effort? I just leave the room tidy and insure all my valuables...

 

[traylorc]

Temptation or not, bad people will find a way to take something if they need it or want it. Most car thieves don't steal a car unless its been "requested" at least in high end vehicles, and they can get them without flinching an eyelash. These people are in your room for as long as they want, burying items in your dirty laundry or under 3 suitcases is just extra work for you to hide it, and or for the thief to steal it IMHO. Why go through so much effort? I just leave the room tidy and insure all my valuables...

Agreed....if folks want to steal something bad enough they will. I have all my photography equipment insured, so if something were stolen I'm covered.

Fortunately I'm a pack mule when it comes to hauling around my gear...so not much equipment is left in the room. I suscribe to that theory that when visiting WDW the piece of photography equipment you need the most, was probably left back at the room.

 

[wekhogan]

I put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. I do not mind making my own bed. I prefer that no one enters my room when I'm not there. If I need dirty laundry taken away or need anything I can always call Housekeeping and they will deliver it to my door.

TC

I do the exact same thing. It drives my husband crazy, but I don't like strangers in my stuff. I wasn't paying attention one day, tho, and we almost ran out of TP. I had to go hunt a extra roll down from the lobby bathroom. Thankfully it was a small hotel and the rolls were stacked in a side table and not locked into one of those institutional wall-mounted things.

 

[2Tiggies]

Agreed....if folks want to steal something bad enough they will. I have all my photography equipment insured, so if something were stolen I'm covered.

Fortunately I'm a pack mule when it comes to hauling around my gear...so not much equipment is left in the room. I suscribe to that theory that when visiting WDW the piece of photography equipment you need the most, was probably left back at the room.

I have mine all properly insured as well but it is more the inconvenience of suddenly not having it that would be a pain.

I am also a bit of a pack mule but I never take everything with me

So many ways to approach this, all of which are valid. Now I'm actually more unsure of what to do now than I was when I posted this thread