Reliable & Redundant Storage in the Field

[padams]

I've been searching for a reliable and redundant solution to storing my RAW files while in the field. The issue I'm trying to solve for is that I fill up my handful of CF cards each day and need to off load the files to hard drive storage at the end of each day shooting.

I used to use a single external hard drive attached to my Macintosh laptop until one day that drive failed and I lost yesterday's shoot. I've looked at the wolverine, and HyperDrive, but they both use a single hard drive - which is just too risky if you don't keep files on your CF cards.

Searching for something better I came across a portable storage device from ACARD that writes your files to two 2.5 inch hard drives (these are the ones that go in laptops) using what's called a RAID 1 mirror. The device is tiny and light, so it fits nicely in my bag.

Now I have a tiny device that provides me with fully redundant hard drive storage that I can take into the field.

Full write-up is here: http://www.oncefuture.com/padams/weblog/?p=278

[jjj]

Looks very useful. Though it's more like $120 in UK!!  
I tried to find a way of mirroring two external drives a while back with no joy.
Saves time compared to manually copying to two drives, but I'll still use another drive to archive to in case of loss. But it'll still save me time/effort.
I'd still like to find a way of mirroring my external destop drives, any suggestions.

[stever]

this does not really address all of the issues of backing up in the field
- if the device electronics fail or it is damaged, lost, or stolen, it's gone

in addition to my laptop, i use a portable usb powered drive and a hyperdrive which are carried separately - the hyperdrive can download images from card if the computer fails

[joedecker]

I've been searching for a reliable and redundant solution...

Nifty gadget, but I'm more paranoid.  I backup separately to a Colorspace Hyperdrive and to my laptop, and don't plug in both at the same time (which probably saved a whole Patagonia trip, an electrical short in the hosteria I was in took out my laptop power supply).  In the field, I have redundancy since I don't ever clear cards in the field, and backup to the Colorspace, back at base I can do the backup to the laptop then clear the cards.

[jjj]

this does not really address all of the issues of backing up in the field

What does?

if the device electronics fail or it is damaged, lost, or stolen, it's gone
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=198139\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Uh, the same problem as any back up device, so do we even need to mention it?

[jjj]

Nifty gadget, but I'm more paranoid.  I backup separately to a Colorspace Hyperdrive and to my laptop, and don't plug in both at the same time (which probably saved a whole Patagonia trip, an electrical short in the hosteria I was in took out my laptop power supply).  In the field, I have redundancy since I don't ever clear cards in the field, and backup to the Colorspace, back at base I can do the backup to the laptop then clear the cards.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=198148\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I'm sometimes away for 5 weeks+ at a time.  So I have had to carry desktop drives to back up onto. Last year I carried 2x 500G 3.5" drives as well as my 2x80G 2.5". Hopefully with laptop drives now at 320G, I may be able to get away with a smaller load. I also have a Creative Zen Vision W, which has a compact flash slot so I can empty cards in field if I want. Though never needed it yet. It tends to be used as a mini portfolio otherwise, very handy for showing people examples of my work. Paid for itself there.

[stever]

iii -- sorry if i don't see exactly what your're getting at with the last 2 posts with respect to the original post

[BernardLanguillier]

Nikon D3 with 2 CF slots writting in parallel to matched sets of 32GB CF.

No HD in the field anymore for me, that's way more risky that the CF themselves.

Regards,
Bernard

[jjj]

iii -- sorry if i don't see exactly what your're getting at with the last 2 posts with respect to the original post
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=198215\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Well if you actually read the quotes they are in response to, then you may understand I wasn't responding specifically to the OP itself. Duh!
Try reading posts in context, then you may have a clue.

[eleanorbrown]

On important trips (such as the ones I have upcoming to alaska in a few weeks) and antarctica next winter, I always have two separate self powered back up devices--in my case it will be a Mac Book Air with small 250 gb portable firewire/usb drive for holding files (since the computer drive isn't large enough for my back ups) and a Sanho Colorspace 0- 250 gb drive.  If one back up device fails I'll always have a seconds working device for back ups. Eleanor