How should I store film during a 3-day hot-weather road trip?
Asked 9/6/2025
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2 answers
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I’ll be doing a couple of 3-day road trips in hot, high-desert conditions in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona, with daytime temperatures around 80°F/27°C or higher and long drives between locations. What’s the best way to keep film in good condition during the trip? Is a cooler with ice or dry ice helpful, or is that unnecessary? I’m also concerned about condensation if cold film is taken out and used right away.
Originally by Peter M. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Peter M
9mo ago
2 Answers
1
Long-term storage at high temperatures is not good for film, but 3 days in 27°C heat is not going to have any noticeable effect. Fixating on keeping film cold stored until moments before exposure is not necessary – film doesn't spoil in the same way as, for example, a dairy product. Just bring your film along in your camera bag, use it as normal, and don't worry about it.
The glove compartment is often mentioned as a bad place to keep film though, and I might avoid the trunk too – it might get quite a bit hotter in those areas than in the open passenger compartment of the car. It's obviously not a good idea to store in direct sunlight in any case.
Originally by osullic. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
osullic
9mo ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For a 3-day trip in roughly 80°F/27°C conditions, you generally don’t need special cooling. That kind of short-term heat exposure is unlikely to noticeably affect film.
Best practice:
- Keep film in your camera bag or another shaded spot in the passenger compartment.
- Avoid direct sunlight.
- Avoid places that can get much hotter, like the glove box or trunk.
Using a cooler can create a different problem: condensation. If film is kept very cold and then brought into warmer air, moisture can form on it. If you do use a cool box, let the film warm up and acclimate before loading it into the camera. A simple approach is to take out only the rolls you expect to use next and keep those in your bag until they reach ambient temperature.
So for your trip, the simplest answer is: keep the film out of the hottest parts of the car and out of the sun, and don’t worry too much about active cooling unless temperatures become extreme.
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