A stage order doesn't give you the same safety net.

Now, you may be able to add something from the grip dock during the day, assuming it is available. But that takes time, adds cost and can leave everyone waiting while it’s tracked down.

That makes a stage grip order strangely high-stakes for something that is mostly a list.

So I put together three free grip package lists you can use as starting points:

• 3-ton grip package list

• 5-ton grip package list

• 10-ton grip package list

Use them to build a stage order, review a rental-house quote, create your own gear list, compare package sizes or simply see what a more complete grip package might contain.

You do not need to own a truck - or any grip equipment - to use them.

If you are responsible for building, reviewing or submitting the order, the problem is the same: you need a reliable starting point instead of trying to remember an entire package from scratch.

Open the Free Package Lists. All three are live and editable.

Want to build your own? Customize the packages in Slater.

The lists live on Slater, a tool I've been building for freelance film crew. You don't need an account to open them or download the PDF. More on why they live there at the end.

These are practical starting points, not universal grip package standards. Every truck, rental house, market and production does things a little differently. These are what I use to build out my personal lists at different sizes.

With a stage order, the equipment waiting on the floor is the equipment you have to work with.

Who These Package Lists Are For

It is easy to assume that a grip package list is mainly useful to someone who owns a truck.

That is not the case.

These lists can help if you:

• Need to submit a grip order to a stage

• Are reviewing a rental-house package or quote

• Work from someone else's truck and want a reference

• Are building a custom package for a production

• Want to compare common package sizes

• Are gradually putting together gear of your own

• Want to learn how a more complete grip package is organized

• Need to check an existing order for obvious gaps

The issue is not whether you own the equipment.

The issue is having to anticipate what the job may require before you show up.

Anyone responsible for creating, reviewing or approving the order can benefit from beginning with a more complete list.

Why Duplicating Old Orders Eventually Fails

For years, I built stage orders the same way.

I would open a fresh Google Doc and try to remember everything the job might need.

Eventually, I got a little smarter and started duplicating old orders. That was better, but it created a different problem.

I would remove something because one production did not need it. Then I would duplicate that edited version for the next job and forget the item had ever been there.

Over time, every document became its own slightly different version of the package.

One had additional rigging hardware.

Another was missing textiles I had removed for a smaller shoot.

A third had 45 sandbags.

Eventually, it became difficult to tell which document was the actual master list.

This problem is not unique to stage orders. Whenever the job-specific copy becomes the system, information gets removed, changed or scattered until there is no longer one reliable source to work from.

The better system is to begin with a complete package and create a separate version for each production.

Start with the package closest to the size and complexity of the job. Remove what you know you will not need. Add the specialty equipment the production requires.

Most importantly, preserve the original package so it is still complete the next time you need it.

Choosing the Right Starting Package

There is no universal definition of a 3-ton, 5-ton or 10-ton grip package.

One rental house may include items another treats as add-ons. One truck may have a more comprehensive rag package, while another carries more rigging hardware.

The number is only a rough guide. Choose the package based on the actual work, not simply the number of shoot days. Build your own perfect package with these starting points.

3-Ton Grip Package

The 3-ton package is a useful starting point for streamlined shoots with a dedicated grip truck.

That might include:

• Interviews

• Short films

• Indie movies

• Smaller commercials

• Small stages or standing sets

• Jobs with limited overhead or rigging requirements

A smaller package should still be functional. It is not simply a few stands, flags and sandbags thrown together. It still covers most of the same basic categories as a larger package, but with less depth and fewer duplicate items.

Open the 3-ton grip package

5-Ton Grip Package

The 5-ton package is a stronger general-purpose starting point for medium-sized projects.

That might include:

• Commercials

• Music videos

• Medium-sized sets

• More extensive frame and rag needs

• Basic overhead or speedrail builds

• Projects that need a larger quantity of standard equipment

For many stage jobs, this will probably be the most useful package to begin with and customize.

Open the 5-ton grip package

10-Ton Grip Package

The 10-ton package is intended for larger or more complex work where you need to bring the heat.

That might include:

• Multiple sets

• Larger crews

• Extensive overhead work

• Large frames and textiles

• More involved rigging

• Several setups working at the same time

• Productions that need much greater depth across the package

A 10-ton package is not simply a 5-ton package with twice as many combo stands.

It should provide more depth across support, rags, rigging, ladders, organization and the smaller equipment that keeps everything working.

Open the 10-ton grip package

The right package is the one that gives you a strong foundation for the actual production. It is still up to the key grip, best boy grip, rigging crew and rental house to tailor it to the job’s needs.

How to Build a Stage Order From the Package

Once you choose the closest starting package, work through it deliberately.

1. Review the Work Before Cutting the List Down

Start with the creative and logistical requirements.

Review:

• The shot list

• Lighting diagrams

• Stage drawings

• Set dimensions

• Ceiling height

• Access limitations

• Overhead requirements

• Prelight and strike schedules

• Camera-movement and camera-rigging needs

• Any unusual rigging or specialty setups

The package gives you the baseline. The shoot needs tell you what to change.

2. Remove Equipment Carefully

It is tempting to start cutting the package down immediately.

Do not remove an item simply because you cannot picture using it at first glance.

Ask whether it is unnecessary because of the actual plan or whether the job has not been worked through far enough yet.

Starting with a complete package and subtracting deliberately is usually safer than building upward from a more minimal order.

As a grip, I usually find it best to carry more than I’ll actually need. There have been plenty of times when I thanked my past self for ordering extra pipe clamps or safety chains. Or an extra ladder. Grips are also helping other departments. I can usually build that reasoning into my justification for the amount of gear I need.

I usually build the first version around the complete needs of the job rather than cutting it down before production has seen the real number. Once the initial quote comes back, I can work with production to reduce the order deliberately based on the budget and the actual plan. It is much easier to remove equipment from a complete order than to justify adding forgotten items later.

3. Add the Specialty Equipment

A standard package can’t predict every single situation, especially if it’s specialized.

Add anything specific to the job, such as:

• Specialty camera-rigging equipment

• Additional speedrail

• Larger quantities of a particular textile (solids or green screen)

• Hollaender fittings

• Truss and motors

• Unusual mounting hardware

• Track, dollies or camera-movement equipment

• Additional carts or storage

• Max menace arms

• Long john silver or other crank stands

• CRLS boards

Keep specialty equipment clearly identified so it can be confirmed with the stage or rental house.

4. Confirm What the Stage Actually Carries

Do not assume the stage uses the same terminology or stocks the same versions of equipment as your normal rental house.

Confirm:

• Whether every requested item is available

• Which brands or versions they carry

• Whether substitutions are likely

• Whether carts are included

• Whether the necessary pins, fittings and accessories come with each item

• Whether your 4x diffusions are available skinned

• How additions are handled during the day

• Whether there are pull, restocking or handling charges

The goal is not simply to submit a complete-looking list.

The goal is to make sure the package that gets pulled matches the package you thought you ordered. When you receive the quote back from the stage or rental house be sure to check it thoroughly to make sure it matches your requests.

I’ve trusted they got my order exactly right far too many times in the past and didn’t thoroughly check.

A complete order should account for how the package will actually be used, moved and organized during the day.

The Equipment That Usually Gets Forgotten

The larger equipment is rarely the problem.

Most people remember the stands, overhead frames and most rags. The missing pieces tend to be the smaller items that connect, adapt, hang, or secure everything else. A complete package also depends on hardware, pipe fittings, rope, carts, ladders and other things that make the larger equipment usable.

Before submitting an order, make a deliberate pass through each of these categories.

Stands, Rollers and Casters

Confirm which stand types and heights you need, along with which stands need to roll.

That may include:

• Short and 40-inch C-stands

• Low-boy combos

• Three-riser combos

• High rollers

• High-high rollers

• Mombo combos

• Crank stands

• Specialty stands and supports

Do not assume the wheels are included. Confirm that you have enough caster sets for the low boys, combos and mombos.

Wheels are their own line item. A stand that cannot roll is a stand in the wrong place.

Flags, Frames, Rags and Reflectors

Confirm both the frame sizes and what needs to go on them.

Look at:

• Solids and floppies

• Singles and doubles

• Silks

• Open 4x4 frames

• Cutters and blades

• Wood and celo cucoloris

• Wag flags

• Grid cloth and other diffusion

• Ultrabounce

• Bleached and unbleached muslin

• Chroma / digi green and blue

• Reflective materials

• Mirrors and reflector boards

• CRLS

• LCDs

• Softbox sides, skirts and specific diffusions

Also confirm the actual overhead sizes required, whether that is 6x6, 8x8, 12x12, 12x20, 20x20 or any custom size.

“Two 12-by frames” is not enough information if one needs to be a solid and the other needs a specific diffusion.

Two 12-by frames - specify the size and exactly what goes on each.

Baby and Junior Hardware

This is where a lot of stage orders fall apart.

On a truck, you may be used to reaching into a drawer and finding the adapter you need. On a stage job, that drawer only exists if someone ordered the hardware to stock it.

Not every stage job will require every item on these lists - scissor clamps for drop ceilings, for example - but they are also included here for when building a broader grip order through a rental house.

Check for:

• Cardellinis in the jaw styles you use

• Baby and junior C-clamps

• Scissor clamps

• Baby plates

• Junior pin and junior receiver plates

• Baby and junior pipe clamps

• Baby and junior grid clamps

• Offset arms

• Double and triple headers

• Junior-to-baby adapters

• Baby pins and Norms pins

• 3/8-inch and 1/4-20 adapters

• Grip heads and lollipops

• Foam-core holders

• Platypus clamps

• Chain vises

• Specialty clamps and adapters

Do not simply write “baby adapters.” Specify the connection on both ends whenever possible.

The drawer you reach into on a truck only exists on a stage if someone ordered the hardware to stock it.

Rigging Hardware

Rigging hardware includes the clamps, fittings, plates, adapters, pulleys and connectors used to attach, support and build out a rig.

Check for:

• I-beam clamps

• Fixed and swivel cheeseboros

• Speed C-clamps

• Menace-arm kits

• Tri truss makers

• Ladder-truss makers

• Wall spreaders

• Shackles

• Pulleys and locking pulleys

• Carabiners

• Anderton pins

• Nail-on D-plates

• Specialty plates and rigging adapters

A grid clamp with a junior receiver is not interchangeable with one that has a baby pin. The attachment point, load and next piece in the system all matter.

The package list is a reminder to account for the equipment. It is not a substitute for a proper rigging plan or qualified rigging crew.

Pipe, Square Stock and Fittings

Do not simply write “speedrail.”

Confirm:

• Pipe & square stock diameter

• Pipe material

• Required lengths

• Quantities of each length

• Couplers

• Corners

• Hollaender fittings

  • Short barrel crosses

  • Swivel tees

  • Tees

  • Flanges

  • Rackmasters

• Starters

The same applies to square stock. Confirm whether the build requires 3/4-inch, 1-inch or another size, along with the correct corners, tees, couplers and reversible ears.

A pipe or square-stock build depends on specific dimensions. Ordering a pile of assorted lengths may leave you with plenty of material but no clean way to finish the build.

“Speedrail” is not an order. The fittings - tees, crosses, swivels, starters, ears - are what you also need to add.

Rope, Webbing and Tie-Downs

Because rope, straps and tie-downs are often grouped under a general rigging line item, it is easy to overlook the specific types, lengths and quantities the job actually requires.

Check for:

• Multiline rope in 50’ and 100’ lengths

• 3’ and 6’ spansets

• Hooked ratchet straps

• Endless ratchet straps

• Daisy chains

• Safety chains

• Rope ratchets

• Lanyards

A lot of stages will make you order rope as an expendable - in which case you have to make your own lines.

Sandbags, Apple Boxes, Cribbing and Lumber

These are the basic support materials used to weight, level, crib and brace equipment throughout the job.

Review:

• Sandbags and shot bags

• Ball busters

• Full, half and quarter apple boxes

• Super apple boxes

• Mini apple families

• 2x4 and 1x3 cribbing

• Camera wedges

• Crate of wedges

• Cup blocks and Basso blocks

• Pine and dimensional lumber

• Dolly planks

• 4x8 plywood

• Ramps

• Sawhorses

Pay attention to both quantity and weight. Twenty-five-pound sandbags and thirty-five-pound shot bags do not always serve the same purpose.

I usually keep lumber on the truck - I rarely order it specifically for stage jobs.

Ladders, Access, and Material Handling

The grip department often supplies ladder access for several departments, so quantities can disappear quickly.

Check:

• 4-step ladder

• 6-step ladder

• 8-step ladder

• 10-step ladder

• 12-step ladder

• Scissor lift

• Condor

• Material lift

• Forklift

• Pallet jack

Do you need one of each, two of each or several of a particular height? What platform height do you need for the scissor lifts?

Lifts, ladders and access are the grip department’s to plan - often for several departments at once.

Safety and Fall Protection

Fall protection and PPE should be worked out directly with production, the stage and a qualified safety professional. Do not treat this section as a shopping list or assume that adding a harness to the equipment order creates a complete fall-protection plan.

Depending on the work, confirm the required PPE, who is supplying it, how it will be inspected and fitted, and what approved attachment or restraint system will be used. That may include full-body harnesses, fall-restraint equipment, high-visibility vests or other stage-required PPE.

Confirm that the equipment is appropriate for the work and that suitable attachment points exist if you need to be up high. Do not rely on an unknown shared harness simply because one is available from a stage or rental house. Fall-protection equipment should be properly selected, fitted, inspected and approved for the specific work under the direction of a qualified person.

Above the perms, fall protection is not a line item - it is a plan made with production and a qualified safety pro.

Carts and Package Organization

A complete package spread across the stage floor is not an organized working package.

Confirm whether the stage package includes:

• A taco cart with flag storage

• A 4x4 frame cart

• A C-stand dolly

• A muscle cart

• A rigging cart

• A pipe organ

• Crates and half crates

• Dedicated storage for hardware

Think about how the equipment will be:

• Stored

• Moved

• Separated by category

• Kept out of the shooting area

• Made accessible to the crew

Also distinguish between the carts included with the stage package and the key grip’s personal set cart.

Carts are part of the package plan, not an afterthought.

A package spread across the floor is not organized. Carts are how it becomes a working package.

The Set Cart

Tools usually do not come with a standard stage grip package, so the key grip needs to plan for how those items will get to the stage.

One option is for the key grip to bring their own set cart. Whether that is possible depends on several things: whether the stage allows outside carts, whether production wants to pay for it, whether transportation can be arranged and, of course, whether the key grip owns one.

On many stage jobs, I bring my own seven-crate set cart and arrange for production to pick it up, deliver it to the stage and return it after the job. I negotiate a rental price with production that accounts for the cart, its tools and the expendables we expect to use.

My gear on the stage floor, seven-crate set cart on the right.

A set cart may contain:

• Hand tools

• Power tools

• Batteries and chargers

• Driver bits, sockets and extensions

• Hammers and cutting tools

• Nuts, bolts, screws and washers

• Small clamps and miscellaneous hardware

• .5 clips, binder clips and paper clips

• Tape, sash cord and other expendables

• Cuts and scraps of duvetyne

• Bleached and unbleached muslin scraps

• Furniture pads

• Foam and padding

• Tennis balls

• Kneeling pads

• Wedges, Bag-Its and other problem-solving supplies

There are a few ways to handle the expendables on the cart. They can be billed as used, or production can pay a single negotiated price that includes the cart and a reasonable amount of expendable use. Work that out before the job so everyone understands what is included.

Before the job, confirm:

• Whether the stage allows the set cart

• Whether the key grip is supplying one

• The agreed rental rate

• How expendables will be billed

• Who is transporting it

• When it will arrive

• Where it can be stored

• How it will return at the end of the job

The set cart does not replace the stage package or eliminate the need for a separate expendables order. It supplies the tools, hardware and smaller materials the key grip regularly works with, but larger items and anything not stocked on the cart will still need to be ordered separately.

Expendables

Stage grip packages usually do not include expendables, so you need to establish what is coming from the key grip’s set cart and what production needs to purchase separately.

If I bring my set cart, I may already have many of the smaller expendables we need. Depending on the arrangement, those materials are either included in the cart price or billed as they are used.

I will still place a separate expendables order for anything the cart does not contain, anything we need in larger quantities or anything too large to transport on it. A 4x8 sheet of foam core or bead board, for example, will need to be ordered whether or not the set cart is coming.

If I do not bring my set cart, production will generally need to purchase the full expendables order, including any diffusion or color needed to skin the smaller frames.

Expendables I commonly order include:

• 2-inch white gaffer tape

• 2-inch small-core black paper tape

• Double-sided tape

• #8 sash cord

• Binder clips

• .5 clips

• Bag-Its

• Marking supplies

• Screws and other fasteners

• Nuts, bolts and washers

• 4x8 white/white bead board

• 4x8 black/white foam core

• Duvetyne and muslin rolls

• Diffusion rolls

• J-Lar

• Super 77

• Mylar

• Silver and gold Roscoflex

• Heat Shield

• Color rolls

Confirm what the key grip is supplying, what production is purchasing and how materials used from personal stock will be billed or replaced.

Items to Discuss With Production

Not everything that affects the grip department belongs on the grip order.

Layout board is the main example. If the stage floor needs to be covered before load-in, discuss it with production and confirm who is supplying and installing it.

The same conversation should cover transportation for the key grip’s set cart, the expendables budget and any stage-specific requirements that fall outside the rental package.

A package needs to be organized well enough that the crew can find and use what was ordered.

Turn the Master Package Into a Real Stage Order

The free package lists solve the blank-page problem, but a master package is not the same thing as a finished stage order.

Every production needs its own version.

You may begin with the 5-ton package, remove equipment the job does not need, increase particular quantities and add specialty equipment. That customized version becomes the actual order.

The problem with duplicating PDFs, spreadsheets or old documents is that the job-specific copy can eventually become the only version you have. Items get removed, quantities change and the original package slowly disappears.

That is why I built these packages into Slater.

The complete 3-ton, 5-ton and 10-ton packages remain intact as master lists. From there, you can create a separate version for a production, change quantities, remove equipment, add specialty items and export a clean order without altering the original.

The PDFs are free and useful on their own. Slater is the reusable version for anyone who wants to manage the workflow without creating another disconnected document.

Get the Free Grip Package Lists

The PDFs are free and can be used entirely on their own.

Download them if you want to:

• Save a package reference

• Print a checklist

• Compare package sizes

• Build a list in your own system

• Review an order from a stage or rental house

Use the editable packages in Slater if you want to:

• Customize them for a real job

• Work off a template

• Create job-specific versions

• Change quantities and equipment

• Export a clean stage order

• Reuse the package without rebuilding it

Make an account when you want to keep what you built: save your version, hold onto the master packages, and pull them up again on the next job instead of starting over.

A good stage order isn’t necessarily about ordering everything under the sun.

It’s the order that gives you exactly what you need with a little wiggle room (because surprises happen on set).

Start with a complete package.

Remove equipment deliberately.

Add the job-specific pieces.

Confirm the order with the stage.

And stop rebuilding the entire thing from memory every time.

What is the small piece of equipment you have been burned by forgetting on a stage order?

Send me an email or reach out on Instagram. I want to keep improving these lists around the equipment that actually causes problems.