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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Best Cinematographer's Vehicle

Not sexy, but after extensive research I find that to haul gear in a not enormous vehicle, the winner is the Dodge Grand Caravan (Chrysler Town & Country, same car). With a ramp on the side door, you can roll in a junior, roll it to the back and then roll a senior in right behind the front seats. With room to spare for extra gak. Not sexy but extremely functional and practical.
 
You'd be surprised at how much gear you can fit into a Prius, and the tank fills up for ~25-30 dollars.
 
Landrover Discovery hands down. Comfortable, Great fold down seats for lots of gear, excellent off road. Reliable as. - Comfortable for clients.
Series 4 if you have the dosh or a used series 3 for a better deal.

2RphqN
 
Fergus Cahill said:
Landrover Discovery hands down. Comfortable, Great fold down seats for lots of gear, excellent off road. Reliable as. - Comfortable for clients.
Series 4 if you have the dosh or a used series 3 for a better deal.

Hey, agree about the Disco. I have a 97 series one that is amazing and will never sell. Incredible seats. Drives like a sports car. Stay away from series two. Later ones are great.

2RphqN
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Nice!
 
Dan Kanes said:
sprinter 118 parks like a boss anywhere, anytime.

better turning radius than some sedans I've driven (looking at you Infiniti)

Ford Raptor is a beast. I hope they make the concept Ford Bronco actually (I'd totally get that)

Scott - would love to see what you come up with ! Sounds amazing.

2016-Ford-SVT-Bronco.jpg
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Dan, 118 Sprinter is a great vehicle, but hard to find in good enough condition to put an expensive conversion on.

Go on Ford build it- Transit Van, 130wb, med roof, 3.5L eco boost, 8600GVWR, 3.73 rear with factory limited slip!, 6speed as base vehicle. Add whatever Ford goodies you like and then imagine Raptor transfer case, front end etc, with a high enough lift to use 33" rubber. Voila! Modern MiniMog (kind of haha), that you can stand up in, Ford worldwide service, fairly economical and very reliable. Outfit it Expedition style and adios Long Island.
 
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Joel Voelker said:
Toyota Land Cruiser. Or Sequoia.
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I did a bunch of research on this very topic not too long ago. My conclusion was to either go with Toyota Land Cruiser or Lexus GX / LX SUVs. They will last forever (250K+ miles with proper care), need almost no repairs and retain excellent resale value. Land Rover unfortunately is still plagued by lots of issues which require expensive repairs every now and then. With the Land Cruiser and the LX, both share the same chasis designed with the Australian outback in mind. These vehicles also have good towing capacities. My favorite feature of the Lexus which I ended up going with is 120v AC outlets, which make it really convenient for .R3D offloading.

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Prius, tesla, or Chevy bolt or volt.... Over time the savings can add up and charge off house power
 
Gene Sung said:
Hey David,

As you know my P.O.S. Corolla blew up, so I inherited my wife's late 90's Subaru Outback. I'm a bit surprised at just how much gear I can fit into it, definitely a lot more stuff than our new Prius.

Size wise, it's between a Prius and the mini-van you listed. It's still a normal car which I like, but you can fit way more into it than the average hatchback. The car does not look that big, but the hatch back space is pretty massive.
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Over here they also had good reputation as country cars in the 80's. Who knows what they are like now. In the far country side Ford Falcon, and Holden (GM) Commodore (Opel Omeg like). Where the only normal normal car choices for servicing and reliability. So tough feild.
 
Dan Kanes said:
sprinter 118 parks like a boss anywhere, anytime.
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The extra 18 inches in length for a Sprinter 118 vs. Transit Connect would definitely make a difference in parking in San Fran; where there actually is NO parking. LOL
 
Matt Hall said:
If you decide to look into vans, Mercedes Sprinter is apparently the standard. About $36,000 new, but if you can find a nice used one you'll save a lot. This is actually something I've been looking into as well. Tried to talk my wife into getting one with removable seats, but she's not going for it ;)
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I love my Sprinter van! Highly recommended but parking is a little tricker. I never seem to have a problem but then I'm not is a big city like SF or NYC where it's not as auto friendly.
 
my medium height roof on my sprinter makes it so i need to park it in my warehouse with my other gear, but it can easily park in any regular spot designed for a car. being able to stand up in the van and work has been amazing for me and my crew. I sell it as a 1 TON G&E vehicle, but it has also been used as a camera truck, or a prop van on indies as well. it also is a huge help for when my family needs anything large moved around. very happy with the purchase.

http://www.coderedpicturecompany.com/the-vans.html
 
My sprinter is a do everything vehicle. It's used as a camper when I put in the portable bunk cotts, always moving stuff with it, set pieces, building material etc. it's been a mobile dressing and make up room, with porta potty, and of course and camera and light grip truck. Standing up in it is awesome. I've customized mine with some shelving and a "gear box". I've got it set up as the 5 passenger model but the 3 passenger bench comes out easily. I've also got another van that's is just dedicated to being a 1 ton G&E van.
 
I have a Ford Flex. Drives like a car, good milage and all wheel drive but with height from ground clearance. I have a 6x10 grip/lighting trailer but leave it a lot because I can fit so much in the Flex.
 
If you are hauling gear, anything equipped with less than a cargo partition is flirting with serious injury. Talk to any career photog in news or owner operator with 20 years experience and they will have a horror story for you. Here are my two.

1. I'm a 20 something broke kid in my old beater Buick. I prep and checkout an ARRI III package from Birns. Load sticks and block batts in truck. Load ATA cases for mags, lenses, body, aks in back seat. Cases tetris stacked to the headliner. Panic stop on freeway, corner of ATA case impacts the back of my head. I'm knocked out and come to with a bleeding head, and minor collision.

2. My dad rolled his Ford Explorer (SUV) in a Vermont snow storm. The cargo area was loaded with two 21" CRT monitors, computer tower and large SCSI array. He was in a washing machine with all that shit impacting his head, arms, chest, legs. He broke several ribs, head trauma and spine injury in two locations. 12 months of recovery and disability. 17 years later his back is permanently fucked, but he is walking.

My wife drives a jetta wagon, I don't want luggage and groceries in the back seat with the kid. The car has the OEM cargo / pet partition installed. If you go SUV install a cargo cage. If van, get a proper cargo bulkhead. My current van has a partition from Ranger Design, they crash test their products and I feel much safer with their bulkhead vs my previous van with a weather guard partition. But they are all good products.

Every week I walk on sets with someone hauling kit in a way that makes me cringe. Be smart out there.
 
david_winters said:
If you are hauling gear, anything equipped with less than a cargo partition is flirting with serious injury. Talk to any career photog in news or owner operator with 20 years experience and they will have a horror story for you. Here are my two.

1. I'm a 20 something broke kid in my old beater Buick. I prep and checkout an ARRI III package from Birns. Load sticks and block batts in truck. Load ATA cases for mags, lenses, body, aks in back seat. Cases tetris stacked to the headliner. Panic stop on freeway, corner of ATA case impacts the back of my head. I'm knocked out and come to with a bleeding head, and minor collision.

2. My dad rolled his Ford Explorer (SUV) in a Vermont snow storm. The cargo area was loaded with two 21" CRT monitors, computer tower and large SCSI array. He was in a washing machine with all that shit impacting his head, arms, chest, legs. He broke several ribs, head trauma and spine injury in two locations. 12 months of recovery and disability. 17 years later his back is permanently fucked, but he is walking.

My wife drives a jetta wagon, I don't want luggage and groceries in the back seat with the kid. The car has the OEM cargo / pet partition installed. If you go SUV install a cargo cage. If van, get a proper cargo bulkhead. My current van has a partition from Ranger Design, they crash test their products and I feel much safer with their bulkhead vs my previous van with a weather guard partition. But they are all good products.

Every week I walk on sets with someone hauling kit in a way that makes me cringe. Be smart out there.
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exactly why i opted for a commercial work van with a partition and back up camera
 
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