Where can I store my camcorder while on coasters?

I was just wondering if anyone has some good ideas on where I can keep my camcorder when riding coaster or if they have any ideas on how they hang onto them on rides etc...? Becuase lockers at parks just cost too much money and I would rather not ride then to leave it behind in the staion as im sure alot of poeple would agree. What I have done in the past is left it in the car ride all the major rides then go to the car and get it (im never too far from the entrance) So.. I was wondering dose anyone have any other options? maybe where cargo pants and stuff it the pocktets? I would leave it with a freind or somthing but im usaly alone.... And I would take it on the rides with me and tie the bag up to my leg but sometimes ride operators tell you to leave it behind , and I dont blame them becuase its for the safty of other quest in the park.... One idea i had is to design a pair of pants I have into having a pocket to hold my camcorder safly while rideing... (one of my friends knows how to saw very well,so thats not a proplem) well any ideas or ways how you safly hang onto your stuff would help me figure out my proplem. Thanks....

Lockers are still the best option. Maybe security has a place for items like that. Taking them on the ride is not a good idea and neither is, as you said leaving it in the station.

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Off with the trims!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
Woodencoaster.com

How big is the camcorder? If it's not too large, something like a Scott eVest might be a good option.

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--Greg
"Wow, [in your life] when it rains, it not only pours, it floods the basement and causes thousands in damage!" -- Vicki Redcay
My page

I found giving the camera to the dispatcher or driver of the ride/coaster is the best way to make sure no one else takes it. Thats what I do whenever I bring mine along.

Coasterman Mike

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Total rides on Phantom's Revenge: 49
Total rides on Pittfall: 255
Total rides on Superman:UE : 633
Feel free to IM me @ CoastermanMike

Its not too big it fits in the palm of my hand without the battery conected to it and witht he LCD screen shut i would say about 5 or 6inches long 4inches wide... I like the idea of the vest ,but im concered it can get crushed or banged around if im riding a coaster with a harnest...

Giving it to the op won't work, they have a job to do and that job is not to hang onto your stuff for you.

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Does CCI know how to make a bad coaster?

I too don't like leaving my stuff behind while riding so I use cargo pants/shorts to hold my camcorder and camera. Funny thing is, I've only damaged my camera once and it wasn't on a coaster but a Kite Flyer! I made sure that I wasn't lying my leg on the camera during the ride, but somehow the shutter button got pushed inside the casing, on a Coolpix 990! Ouch!

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Karl
http://www.twistedrails.com

I hope your friend doesn't "saw" you a pair of pants. Besides using the spell check option before you post again WC (your post is a mess), I would say that having any kind of camcorder in a pair of cargo pants or shorts would be mighty uncomfortable, and could interfere with safety restraints.
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The word "definitely" is definitely the most misspelled word on the buzz.

Well I usually keep it in a backpack and leave it in the station, I don't really fear it being taken. Well just curious are you allowed to tape while on the coaster? Like Phantom's Revenge.

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The Jokes on You!! Ha Ha H***

Jokercoaster, you're being awfully naive leaving your bag at the station. My friend Matt (GoWithGravity on here) had his bag stolen with his 35mm camera in it while he was riding. All a criminal has to do is see you shooting footage, and follow you into line. As for shooting footage while riding, check with the park for their policies.
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The word "definitely" is definitely the most misspelled word on the buzz.

I have only ONE request of anyone taking pics or recording when on rides. Whether or not you are following policies or have permission, etc. is legal stuff that I am not personally concerned with (but others may differ on this). But PLEASE have a wrist strap if you are filming on ride as noone wants to get hit in the face by a camera or camcorder hurtling at speeds of up to 100 mph...

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Intamin Fan said:
Jokercoaster, you're being awfully naive leaving your bag at the station. My friend Matt (GoWithGravity on here) had his bag stolen with his 35mm camera in it while he was riding. All a criminal has to do is see you shooting footage, and follow you into line. As for shooting footage while riding, check with the park for their policies.
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The word "definitely" is definitely the most misspelled word on the buzz.

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Maybe, but theres nothing else I can do with it, and thats why they have those storage things there, they don't know whats in the backpack. Nothing happened to it and most people who visit parks are looking for a good time not stealing stuff, and theres cameras all over the place, from what I saw. So theres really no need to be paranoid about it.

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The Jokes on You!! Ha Ha H***

I think the point Intamin Fan is trying to get across is that if you leave your bag that contains valuables lying in the station, don't be shocked and stunned if one time you come back to the station to see that it's not there due to a dishonest guest in the park. Not only is it something that can be stolen when it's just lying there, a lot of times it's in the ride ops way. I can't count the number of times I've seen ride ops scoot backpacks, and cases out of the way. I'm sure it has to get VERY old for them. For those of you who leave your bags lying around the station, here's a little something else to think about: I was at an amusement park last summer (I'll leave the name of the park out to avoid starting a war) and a bunch of people ahead of us in line had left bags strewn about the station and apparently the ride-ops had just about enough of triping and dodging around them so they just started kicking the bags over into an out-of-the-way spot. I can't say as I blame them but just think; Do you really want a disgruntled ride-op kicking your bag that contains your expensive digital camera or camcorder around the station? I highly doubt it. Best bet is to either leave that bag in a rental locker, or leave it in the car. There is no room on a roller coaster for that kind of stuff. They just aren't designed for it. ;)

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Pearl Jam + Roller Coasters = Heaven on Earth. :)

I don't know how it works at parks over there, but every single park I go to on a regular basis over here has some way that you can store your bags while riding. Usually it is some simple pigeon holes or a wire basket hanging on the wall to the exit side of the station.

I have never feared for the safety of my equipment while riding. Although it is different living in a country where people will leave doors unlocked in cars not worrying at all.

That camera you described sounds like it would fit no worries into a pair of cargo pants. If that doesn't work, I suggest going out and buying a small trendy backpack and keeping it in there, usually under your towel or sweater or something. Then leave that in the station, either in provided luggage space, or if that isn't possible, towards the station wall out of the way of other people, preferably on the exit side of the ride, so you can pick it up right on your way out.

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http://www.totalthrills.com

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rollergator said:

But PLEASE have a wrist strap if you are filming on ride as noone wants to get hit in the face by a camera or camcorder hurtling at speeds of up to 100 mph...

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I agree completely. I wouldn't violate park policy on this, but if someone's going to, at LEAST have the decency to protect the rest of us. If your camera doesn't have a good wrist strap, you can easily make a very secure one from a piece of nylon rope and a sliding clasp -- I did.

(And no, just because I have a good strap, does NOT mean I break park rules and get on-ride shots with it. On-ride shots with persmission, yes... ;) )

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--Greg
"Wow, [in your life] when it rains, it not only pours, it floods the basement and causes thousands in damage!" -- Vicki Redcay
My page

What parks actually DO let you use a cam on the coasters?

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"On the East Coast we ride until we die!"
-Good Charlotte, East Coast Anthem

Since I have started taking a camcorder with me to parks:

Some observations:

I will take the camera bag and all with me on the ride whenever allowed by the park. A couple times I have had ride operators offer to store by bag in the operators control booth. (SFMM comes to mind where it happend on Riddler's Revenge and Flashback). Since I am usually at the park with a friend, if the operator informs me that policy will not allow me to take the bag onto the ride, we will split up and ride single, with the other person holding the camera equipment. With multi train operation the second person may have to let a couple trains go through (Be polite, let other fill those seats) in order to perform the swap while the train is being flush loaded. (It helps if Rider 1 sits on the side nearest the queue gates) On flat rides, this means Rider 1 has to 'accidentally' walk to the ride entrance gate, get the gear, then exit the ride. It usually works, and typically everybody involved is understanding.

Now if you DO take a camera bag on a ride, be aware that sooner or later the shoulder strap WILL fail. It is best to grip the bag by a handle that is sewn on and not clipped on. This may cause you to have to ride awkward, but at least you know where your $1,000 purchase is. I have seen, and I have tried threading the shoulder strap around the lapbar, OTSR whatever. Just recall what I said about shoulder straps. Don't put all your trust in it.

Plan B: For the realy cameraphobic park, or the park with a lot of intense rides, is to make two cycles of the park, one with camera, then, preferably right after a major meal while letting food digest, take a walking tour of the park, merely shooting video. Even though I enjoy shooting video, I usually can't wait to ditch the camera outift in the car (hardly ever in a park storage locker) and feel much releaved to just be able to ride.

Now as for shooting video while on rides. At most parks this is a no-no. Although I found Disney parks to be very coaster friendly, while some traditional parks to be very coasterphobic.

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David Bowers
Mayor, Coasterville

Jokercoaster, your mindframe of "most people are visiting looking for a good time" is exactly the mindframe of many of tourist who've gotten ripped off. They forget everything they've learned about safety in their everyday lives, and criminals take advantage of that. Consider that the average ride last about 2 minutes, which is ample time for someone to steal your bag and get out of the park.
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The word "definitely" is definitely the most misspelled word on the buzz.

When I had my camera at places I feared to lose it, I not only put the supplied wrist strap on, but, I also twisted it many times just so it wouldn't slide off.

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