Beats of Burden

When I travel for work I typically will schlep at least three large cases of gear with me plus whatever I roll onboard. As a frequent flyer, I do get an allowance of three free bags up to 70 pounds each, but that also means besides cases being large, they’re heavy. So every trip is accompanied by tears of self pity 😉 That is, until I met this guy who had to haul 32 of these gear bags onto his ski team’s flight, each one at least 30 pounds, each over 4 feet in length.

ACTION ITEM: Be grateful – it can always be worse

This Sounds New: Sennheiser® MKH 416

Picked this up a few months ago, and despite the cost (name brands like Sennheiser generally command a premium, but are even sometimes worth it. In the trade, we call it the “Sony Tax”), have loved working with it.

ACTION ITEM: Pay for the best equipment you can afford and you’ll only have to buy it once

Super Happy Funtimes: Video Capture Setup Time-lapse

Ever wonder what it takes to set up for a video interview? Wonder no longer – here’s the entire setup, from start to finish, in a 30-second time-lapse video shot with a GoPro camera from about 2009.

ACTION ITEM: Look at it. Look. At. It.

Customary

My clients (Kristin Poulton and Jim Barnett, both of QAD, Inc.) patiently waiting at the customs counter at Birmingham Airport (BHX).

Our gear was left on the tarmac for an hour, then another 30 minutes waiting for an agent to appear. Traveling with gear means being an exporter/importer, with all the preparation and paperwork you can imagine that entails. I’ve done it about a dozen times; Kristin and Jim have both become experts.

 

ACTION ITEM: Do not travel overseas with gear without full documentation, usually in the form of an ATA Carnet.