How I Store my Photo Memory Cards while on a Photo Shoot

There is nothing worse than damaging your CF cards or SD cards during a photography trip or a once in a lifetime vacation. A good photo memory card wallet can help to keep your photos safe on the memory card.

What to Look for in a Memory Card Wallet

Durable – made out of a hard plastic material that will protect the CF or SD cards when bumped or dropped
Waterproof or at least seals tight to protect the cards from moisture or rain
Small enough to fit in a jacket or pants pocket
Holds enough memory cards for a day or two of photography
Holds the cards secure so they don’t move around inside the memory card wallet.

After trying several models of photo media cases to store and carry my CF and SD cards, I tried the card wallets by Hakuba USA, inc. I really like Hakuba’s photo card cases.

Habuka makes a green case for CF cards and a blue case for SD cards. The cases are made out of hard plastic to protect the cards from bending and breaking. They also come with plastic inserts that keep the media from moving around inside the case. The CF card case holds 4 cards and the SD card case holds 8 cards.

The cases are small enough to fit in an inside jacket pocket or pants pocket. The plastic clasp securely closes the case and it seals tightly to protect from rain and moisture. I’ve taken these cases around the world without any damage to the case or the photo media cards.

Tips for Managing your SD and CF cards

Once you’ve filled a memory card, turn it over in the card wallet so the label is facing down. Keep the cards that you haven’t used with the label facing up. This is a quick way to tell which cards have been used so that you don’t accidentally write over them.
Don’t format your SD or CF cards until your photos have been backed up in two places. This will ensure you don’t lose your photos if your backup fails.
Format the memory cards before your photo shoot. This will save time in the field when you switch memory cards.

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