The ultimate guide to creating an efficient equipment packing list

If you work in video production, this scenario might sound familiar: You arrive at the shoot location, only to realize you've forgotten a crucial piece of gear. That means that someone has to either fetch it or rent it very last-minute, causing delays in production. 🥴

But also the other way around, where, after a tiring shoot, you pack everything, only to notice way too late that you’ve left something behind on set. However, by using a packing checklist, you can ensure that NO GEAR IS LEFT BEHIND!

I am Oswaldo from Cheqroom, and down below, I'm going to walk you through the process of creating an equipment packing list. Are you more of a visual learner? You can watch the video here:

If you prefer having an actual paper that you can take to the gear room to tick the boxes while packing the equipment, we created a packing list template that you can download right here!

Equipment inventory list

Let's start with the basics. Everything starts with an equipment inventory list. If you don't have one, start there. Once you have your inventory list, you can identify what you need to pack for each shoot.

How to create an equipment inventory list?
✏️ Read more in the blog post here.
📹 Or watch the video here.

Equipment reservation process

The second step is knowing what you need to pack. Luckily for you, we came up with an easy 3-step equipment reservation process. 😏

How to book gear in 3 simple steps?
✏️ Read more in the blog post here.
📹 Or watch the video here.

Equipment packing list

Alright, now that you’ve got all of the above covered, it’s time to get our hands dirty!

Let’s say you have a reservation for a shoot that’s coming up, and now is the time to start packing your equipment.

To begin, open your equipment inventory list (see above if you haven’t done so yet) and add a new checklist column by clicking on insert and selecting checkbox. Bring the checkbox column to the front, so that you can easily check the name of the item and check the box.

If you have multiple identical pieces of equipment and need to ensure you get the exact one you booked, you may want to move the serial number column to the front. 👇🏽

Now that the day has come to pack the gear, you can go and filter on all the upcoming checkouts, by selecting the right date. If there are several checkouts that day, you can filter on the name of the person or a project name, for example.

Okay, great, that was step one! Now that you have the packing list for the project, you can start checking the boxes as you are packing the gear.

However, searching through the list for each item, perhaps at times even having to check every serial number to ensure you've chosen the right one, can be a true pain in the 🍑 when having a lot of gear.

In the end, you might even tick the wrong box and miss something, and all the rows and columns just kind of blend into one blur.

That's why using spreadsheets for your grocery list might be more suitable. 🥴 However, for equipment, it’s best to use inventory software to ensure no gear is left behind. 😉

No gear left behind with inventory software

With Cheqroom, you can automate your processes and ensure that all necessary equipment for your shoot is available at the right time.

For instance, when you're preparing for an on-location shoot, you simply take your phone out of your pocket, open the Cheqroom app, find your reservation based on your project, and start scanning your items.

Once you’re done scanning, Cheqroom will tell you if any item is missing. That means no delays in your productions due to forgotten equipment. 😏

Similarly, when the shoot is over, and you're packing up to return the gear, use your phone to scan the items. This way, you’re sure everything made it back into the truck before heading back.

If you're interested in how Cheqroom can save you hours of tedious, manual work, check out this video:

No more leaving gear behind or delaying shoots. With Cheqroom, all the gear you need for your shoot will be in the right hands at the right time. Give it a try, and request a demo now!