soundtrane Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 Hi, I am going to be working on a feature that is to be shot in the foothills of the Himalayas - read rough hilly terrain. I won't be taking my usual cart out for this one. The plan is to split the gear: 1. Main - Cantar (in KT Systems bag with pigtail cables), Lectro Six-pack [i can carry the Cantar in its pelican case, but i don't have a case for the Sixpack, it usually travels in a large Storm case with other stuff for transport. Once i am on location, it resides on my cart.] 2. Boom mics and windshields (in a Pelican 1600 case) 3. Boom poles in a fishing pole tube (quite rugged because of reinforced base (my doing) and about 5 ft) 4. Cables (mic - two long (60 ft) and two short (30 ft) and one Stereo mic cable (50 ft) ; Antenna cables (20 ft x 4) --- all in a medium tote bag 5. Peripherals - the lavs, 9V rechargeables, and other relevant small stuff - in a small Pelican case 6. My backpack (power food, jacket, etc) My question is if i can find a small/medium hand-cart into which i can pack in the cases. Obviously the wheels need to be light and soft (pneumatic, balloon-type - thinking of rocky paths that the locals use to walk). Also the cart should not be bulky in itself. Going downhill and at the end of the day going uphill! The climbs are not going to be HUGE. I am only thinking in terms of saving physical effort and time which can be used very well once we reach the location(s). Any pointers, advice will be great to have! -vin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 http://www.amazon.co...2444351&sr=1-24 .....maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chauncey Taylor Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 I use a internal frame pack, back pack when I want to get really mobile with a small kit, it sounds like you may be taking a lot of gear though, I would really lose the hard cases and get a padded fabric bag case for something this mobile, unless your really going to be in the elements. That's really nice gear- hence you will want to protect it, but you have to respect your body and get around. Just my humble opinion, I don't have a lot of experience, nor have I ever been to that location. Best of times- enjoy! Chauncey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted March 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 http://www.amazon.co...2444351&sr=1-24 .....maybe and how do i carry this cart to location from an hour and a half away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewFreedAudio Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 I would say skip the cart and pelican cases for sure. You're only adding a lot of weight and more crap to haul around. No cart will be able to navigate old, rocky paths well enough to make it worth while. Pack everything in a good backpacking rig. Strap the boom pole and blimp on the outside, the Cantar and anything else heavy toward the bottom, and lighter stuff on top. Don't take more than you absolutely need. Take plenty of batteries and power supplies (charging stations, etc.). Do you have an assistant or other people to help haul the gear or do you have to get it all? www.matthewfreed.com Production Sound Mixing for TV, Films, and Commercials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordi Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 Try this instead - It has a few different configuration options and different ways of holding / driving it. http://www.musicians...790107000000000 Or for really rough terrain... Do like Matthew suggests, and maybe visit a couple backpacking stores and look at their options for folding chairs and tables. Some are *really* lightweight and would be great to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 and how do i carry this cart to location from an hour and a half away? ...or this one? Just throwing ideas out there. http://www.amazon.com/Tipke-2100-Marine-Fold-It-Utility/dp/B00006LPPJ/ref=sr_1_4?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1332535741&sr=1-4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 ATV's ?? ones with a space for cargo, I'll bet the production will have some of them if they are at all usable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackHenry Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 Sherpas, porters or donkeys are used extensively in these regions. They will carry anything you throw at them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordi Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 That B&H hand truck will be useless on anything other than pavement or with any decent loading. It is designed with some weird wheels-fold-with-the-cart arrangement, which means small gears and cams are the only thing holding it together in the open position. In my experience, this is a recipe for annoyance and disaster, because it will invariably collapse on you when you are the farthest from the parking lot. For rough terrain, you want fat rubber wheels, not narrow hard plastic ones. I like the idea of ATVs for moving the gear. How are they getting the grip gear up there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Visser Posted March 23, 2012 Report Share Posted March 23, 2012 I always imagined that if I was going to do a lot of work on "the ranch" that I'd set everything up in a jeep and build some sort of work platform in the back that I could mix off of and not have to pack a damned thing during moves. You did say "foothills of the Himalayas", so I don't really see a lot of backpacking happening for a feature. Grip and electric are moving their stuff too. I would certainly build your rig out in a bag setup and have your utility handle a wireless bag, and then snake between the both of you - giving him something to do like minding the wireless would be a good duty for him to assume in the rough. 90% of the time you can just sit next to each other in the bed of a truck or pull your ATVs together, but for the odd time when your shooting down a deep draw between a couple of fingers and have to go man portable, you can do so without having to reconfigure anything, just pick up the bags, and go. Having a long snake would give you the flexibility for him to get down into the action with your boom and you could be comfortably up above with good sight perspective and near crafty. I think you guys are hearing Himalayas and getting the wrong idea. This isn't mountain climbing, just your average rough terrain. Scouting can select lots of spots with good backdrops that don't have to be that far off of an improved road. Although I think that any type of cart has its limits, this one seems to be the most off-road friendly that I've seen... http://www.inovativcarts.com/The-Alpha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted March 23, 2012 Report Share Posted March 23, 2012 My 2 cents: skinny everything down to the bare minimum, take the minimum backup, overestimate what you need for power, cold, wind, dust and footsoreness, and figure that whatever you and maybe one other person can't carry won't be going. No wheels. phil p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted March 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2012 Thanks everyone... I've decided i'm going skinny... no cart. yet - need to figure out a shoulder bag/case for the Lectro Sixpack... don't want to risk it being carried by its own strap. -vin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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