How to Have Complete Equipment Kits

No more missing items in your grip package

Picture this nightmare scenario: you arrive at the shoot only to realize that you forgot to bring a vital item. You curse and shake your fist at the heavens, but it's no use. You messed up. The equipment kit was incomplete.

Or, if not you, someone else messed up, leaving you with an incomplete equipment kit that you forgot to check. But don't be too hard on yourself. Luckily, there is a trick of the trade to ensure that this never happens in real life. Here is Cheqroom's number one tip for keeping equipment kits complete. ☝🏼😏

Prefer watching a video? Here you go! 🎥

Number one tip for keeping equipment kits complete

The carabiner method

Credit where credit is due: our awesome customers brought the carabiner method to our attention.

We tried it, and it’s true; plus, it’s amazingly simple to boot. All you need is colored plastic containers and carabiners with matching colored tags that snap on and off easily.

This is how it works:

1. When someone enters the gear cage to pick up the equipment kit, they check the tags first.
2. Kits without a carabiner tag are complete. Grab one, run out the door, and get that work done!
3. Kits with a carabiner tag are missing one or more pieces of equipment. The missing equipment can be found in plastic containers labeled with corresponding numbers and colors. Take the equipment from the containers, add them to the kit, and remove the carabiner tag. You are now good to go!

Et voila, this system is straightforward and foolproof. ✅ You can follow the same method when dropping off equipment.

For example, if you have used a kit’s batteries, place them in the charger upon returning to the gear cage and place the charger in an empty container. Attach the container's number to the kit, and poof! Your work is done!

All you need to do is get those colored containers, tags, and carabiners, communicate the new method to your team, and relax!

Bonus tip for keeping your video shooting equipment kits complete

You can always add another layer of certainty with an equipment management tool like Cheqroom. As you're adding items to your gear inventory, you can group equipment into kits for easier check-outs, reservations, and audits.

Typically, you would group items that are always used together. For example, an interview kit may include a camera, microphone, SD card, and necessary cables. Similarly, a camera kit may consist of a camera, batteries, cables, SD cards, and a gimbal.

That way, when you need a certain kit for a project, simply reserve the entire kit, stop by the gear cage, pick up the right kit, and you can start shooting. If a kit is unavailable because it’s being used by someone else, you won't be able to book it.

If not all items have been returned, the kit will be marked, or flagged, as 'incomplete', alerting the next person who wants to book it.

This also offers an extra layer of security, as you’ll be able to trace the kit back to the last person who used it. Hold every user accountable, one complete kit at a time.