PROTOTYPE In build, UK

HARKNESS

H-RIG.01^™ folding production cart for photographers and crews

Ready for the next {{nextWord}}.

A production cart that folds flat into a car boot. I'm a photographer and videographer, and I'd had enough of flimsy trolleys, two or three trips to the car and a bad back.

Made in the UK. Prototype 01 is in development.

H-RIG.01 prototype drawing folding from open to packed

Deck82cm

Packed≈45cm

Bed96×50cm

StatusIn build

Sizes from Prototype 01. May change in the finished editions.

Transmission 001 · concept footage

Black edition.And the little one.

One for the big days. One for when you're travelling light.

Not just a trolley

You've never looked after a trolley in your life. This one looks after you.

It becomes the hub of every shoot. Kit close, a coffee, everyone round it looking at the images. Buy it once, like a good lens.

Cheap trolleyPro cartH-RIG.01 Looks likeA garden trolleyEquipmentNothing else on set On the dayIn a cornerBy the truckThe hub Into the carYesNeeds a vanFits your boot Weight15–19 kg26–59 kg≤18 kgtarget WheelsSkinnyBigSand, mud, kerbs, lifts Later onThat's itA few accessoriesAdd-onsplanned Over the yearsBuy anotherLastsWith you for years

Listed weights of popular trolleys and pro carts, checked Oct 2026. H-RIG.01's weight is a target until Prototype 01 is weighed. Add-ons are ideas and might not make the first model.

Your base, whatever the location.

{{w.t}}...

The story · born from

Cheap carts.

Flimsy carts.

Skinny wheels.

Carrying it all.

And a bad back.

+ a love of old sci-fi films

So I built my own.

01Cheap carts
02Flimsy
03Skinny wheels
04Carrying it all
05A bad back
06So I built my own

“This year my back put me in hospital. Years of lugging cases, stands and sandbags from the car to the shoot, and back again. I had an old trolley. Honestly, I was embarrassed to wheel it in front of clients. Everything else I found was flimsy, or heavy and made for vans. So I built the one I wanted. One that folds into the boot, takes the knocks, and looks like it rolled off a 1979 sci-fi set.”

Brett HarknessPhotographer and founder, UK

And Ross

My long-suffering assistant. He's pushed more kit down more garden paths and through more London hotel lobbies than anyone should.

Somewhere between the car park and the third floor we'd always end up having the same conversation. Why isn't there a cart that's actually fit for purpose? One that makes you smile when you wheel it in. One that feels like part of the team, not another thing to lug about. I'm the one building it, but plenty of Ross's ideas from those conversations are in this cart.

The day job

Still on shoots most weeks.

Portraits, commercial jobs and video, mostly on location. That's where every idea on this page gets tested first.

See my work @brettharknessphotography

Black-and-white 1970s-style scene: grips push a rickety equipment trolley past a sci-fi set

Black-and-white 1970s-style scene: a crew wheels a makeshift cart down a studio backlot

Production carts were born on the film stages of the 60s and 70s. H-RIG.01 rebuilds one properly, in the North of England, UK. Reimagined scenes, not archive photos.

from the sketchbook

On paper first.

Two levels. Chunky tyres.
Handle packs away.
Must fit the boot.

The brief I wrote myself on the first page. Everything since has been about keeping those four promises.

Concept to finish

From a kitchen table to your boot.

Brett in the shed holding one of Prototype 01's chunky wheels — 01In build nowPrototype 01Cut and drilled by hand in the shed, UK. Here to prove the fold, the hitch and the wheels.

02NextProduction sampleMade properly in black aluminium alongside the fabricators, then tested hard.

Concept: Series 01, black edition, at a forest shoot — 03The goalSeries 01Built to last, folds flat, your name on the plate.

Stages 02 and 03 are concept renders. The finished cart, its features and sizes may change as it's built and tested.

How it folds

Set to packed.

100cm→45cm

01Flip 4 catches, lift the tray
02Fold the front frame flat
03Tray back on, low
04Handle down, strap it

Sizes from Prototype 01. Photo is a concept image. Final fold and fit may change.

The folded rig sliding into an everyday car boot — No van needed. Fits an everyday boot.

No tools.No faff.No second trip.

In the boot. See you at sunrise.

R&DIdeas and possible upgrades. They might not make the first model, or might not happen.

The future files.

What's on the drawing board next. None of it is in Prototype 01, and some of it is closer than you think.

FC-01Concept

Quick-release wheels

Push-button axles. The wheels come off in seconds, so the body packs lower and you lift it in two lighter pieces.

FC-02Concept

Folding wheels

Wheels swing up on arms beside the base. Nothing to lose, nothing to carry separately, and it packs lower.

FC-03Coming soon

City RIG-01

A smaller, sharper size for headshots and city jobs. Built from the same parts once Series 01 is out.

FC-04Concept

Pop-out side tray

A small tray that slides out from under the top tray, for a laptop, a coffee or the client's phone.

FC-05Concept

Lock point

A strong, low-profile loop on the frame to chain it to something solid, and a pocket that keeps the padlock with the rig. Secure, without looking like a pit cart.

FC-06Concept

Roller shutter sides

An optional extra: hard roller shutters on all sides in place of the canvas, like a van's. Roll them up to work, lock them down when you walk away, and clip them off so the rig still folds flat.

FC-07Concept

Lockable base box

A padlock goes through the hasp on the lid. Locked, the box can't be opened or lifted off its rails. Unlocked, it slides out so the rig still folds.

FC-08Concept

Captive straps

Two thick webbing straps fixed under the base for good. Fold it, pull them up over the top, feed through the cam buckle and pull tight. Flip the buckle to undo. When you're working, they tuck flat under the base, buckle clipped to a keeper so nothing dangles near the wheels.

FC-09Concept

Magnetic buckles

The same thick captive webbing straps, with a magnetic buckle instead of the cam. Bring the two halves close and they click shut, one-handed. Slide to open.

Al 13

The aluminium factor

Strong but light.

StrongTakes the cases, the stands and the sandbags. Built for proper kit.

LightLighter than steel, so it's easy to push and easy into the boot.

Won't rustRain, sand, salt air. Made in the UK, so it has to cope.

Prototype 01 is built on a steel donor base to prove the design. The finished rig is planned in aluminium. The final weight will be confirmed once we're working with the factory.

Black edition with the awning up at a forest shoot

Forest. Black edition, awning

Raw edition on a warehouse video shoot with a monitor arm and light mast

Warehouse. Raw edition, monitor + mast

Headshots. Black edition, office

H Field RIG-01 on a beach with a family under its awning

Beach. H Field, awning

FUTURE RIGCity RIG-01The smaller rig for city work. 60 × 50 cm, same fold, fits the lift.For: office headshots · corporate portraits · hotel shoots · events · studio days in townAfter Series 01 · grey or slate blue

City RIG-01. Office headshots, slate blue Future rig · concept

Concept images · not the final product

Wherever the shoot is.

Portrait shoots · offices · schools · film sets · commercial jobs · video · photo · location · studio

Security

Turn your back. It's still there.

Lock the rig. A coated, braided steel security cable loops through the frame to a post, a railing or the van.
Lock your cases. Run the same cable through the handles of your kit cases on the rig. Lenses, drives and the bits you can't replace stay put.

Possible upgrades, so they might not all make the first model. Anything can be cut, but it stops the grab-and-go.

Built-in tracker pocket. A possible upgrade, so it might not make the first model. A hidden slot in the frame for an AirTag or similar. If your rig goes walkabout, your phone knows where.

Possible upgrade

The range

One cart. Your finish.

Same cart, five finishes.

Prototype

Square tube, olive canvas, amber. Where it starts.

Black

Round black anodised tube, black canvas, bronze.

Raw

Distressed aluminium, tobacco waxed canvas, aged brass.

Desert

Gunmetal tube, sand canvas, copper, balloon sand wheels.

H Field

The leisure line. White tube, stainless fittings, sea-blue canvas, teak tray.

Second size: City RIG-01

Coming soon

City RIG-01.

Made for the city. Office headshots, hotel suites, a studio in town. Same two decks and the same fold, cut down to 60 cm long so it rides the lift with you. Bags strap on top, a case rides underneath, stands sit in the side tray.

Deck60 × 50 cm

LevelsTwo

GoesIn a lift

FinishGrey or slate blue

Goes where the big one can't

LiftsOffice floorsHotel corridorsTown studiosBlack cabs

A city day Camera bag · one light · two stands · laptop. Headshots done by lunch.

Your name on it

Sizes from Prototype 01. The finished editions will be close, but may change a little depending on how each one is built.

Engraved data plate. One per cart.

H-RIG.01Brushed alloy · signal orange

H Field RIG-01White · sea blue · yellow

City RIG-01Grey or slate blue · amber

Extras

Grow with the rig.

Start with the cart. Add what you need as your work changes, so the rig grows with you.

Add-on ideas. How each one fits is still being worked out.

Shelter Rain, sun, the lot.

01 Rain coverClear PVC hood, zip on the open side.

02 AwningFour poles, one canopy. Shade for the crew.

03 Umbrella clampA brolly or scrim on the handle.

Power + light Shoot past sunset.

04 Power stationBattery on board, cable to the monitor.

05 Light mastTelescopic pole, warm LED panel.

06 Monitor arm7" monitor on a corner spigot.

07 Cable reel + tapeOn the handle, always to hand.

Terrain + security Grass, sand, lunch breaks.

08 Big wheelsBalloon tyres for beach and field.

09 Tow strapFor the long pull across a field.

10 Lockable base boxLock the gear in at lunch.

On set The little bits that matter.

11 Side shelfLenses and batteries on the open side.

12 Drive walletUnder the comp tray. Never left behind.

13 Slider mountA camera slider on the tray edge.

14 Cup holderCoffee next to the bottle cage.

15 Name plateEngraved data plate with your name on it.

16 Client brandingYour brand on the side for a show or a hire. My H stays on.

17 Personalised canvasSide panels in your colour, with your name or initials on.

H Field RIG-01 cart on a British beach with a family under its awning

H Field RIG-01. Concept.

H Field RIG-01, the leisure line

Not behind a camera?
Doesn't matter.

For life's little adventures.

Same cart, same fold, same car boot. The shade awning is built in. For days out on the beach, in the forest, on the festival field.

Beach · forest · festival · camping · picnic · dog walks

SeaSandForest

Field-only extras

Sand wheelsOptional balloon tyres for soft sand.

Built-in awningStandard. Sea-blue canopy for the family.

Cool-box cradleHolds a cool box at hip height.

Parasol holderClamps a beach umbrella upright.

Wetsuit railDries on the way back to the van.

Board strapsBody boards and paddle boards ride on top.

Sand pegsAnchor the awning in the wind.

Dog-bowl hookWater bowl for the walk.

“Finally.”My back

“Two trips? One.”Ross, my assistant

“Who's the new crew member?”Every client, probably

H-RIG.01 shipping crate, lid off, cart packed flat inside

Delivery

Ships in a crate.

Packed flat in its own numbered crate, straight from the North of England, UK. Built hard, built in the North.

H-RIG.01SERIES 01

Made to be kept,
not replaced.

No.yours53°N · UK

Maker's plate. Concept, may change.

Field testers wanted

Put it to work.

A few more prototypes are coming, plus a City RIG-01. They need real jobs, not just the shed. Photographers and videographers, I'd love to hear from you.

Apply to test

P-01Full sizebeing built
P-02Full sizeyour shoot?
P-03Full sizeyour shoot?
C-01City RIG-01your shoot?

FAQ

Fair questions.

Tagged, like everything else in the shed.

Where are you up to?

Right in the thick of it. Prototype 01 is being built in the shed, factory talks are under way and I'm working with fabricators on the aluminium rig. The list hears first. Day-to-day on Instagram at @hrig01.

What will it cost?

Not cheap. The best things rarely are, but it'll be with you for years. The price isn't set yet, factory talks come first. Add-ons are extra, and the list hears the price first.

How heavy is it?

Being worked out with the fabricators now. The aim: light enough to lift into a boot on your own.

Only for photographers?

No. Shoots, yes, but also markets, beaches, riverbanks and festivals.

Will it fit my car?

Folded, it's only about 45 cm high, so height isn't the issue. The footprint is roughly the deck, 96 × 50 cm, which fits most everyday boots. Tell me your car and I'll check.

Ship outside the UK?

UK first. Further afield? Register and tell me where.

Incoming transmission · UK

Follow the build.

H-RIG.01 is still in development. Prototype 01 is being built and tested in the UK now, so there's nothing to buy yet. This is only registering interest. Leave your email and I'll keep you posted on the build, and tell you first when it's ready. For the shed notes as they happen, follow @hrig01 on Instagram.

Don't panic. You're not buying anything, just asking to see more.

A Harkness production H-RIG.01

Designed byBrett HarknessBuilt inthe North of England, UKLocationUKInspired byAlien · Blade Runner · 2001

Built because I needed it.
It'll be with you for years.Brett

Real photos of the rig are coming soon. H-RIG.01 is still in development, so designs, features, finishes, sizes, weights and prices may change before anything goes on sale. Most images are concept renders; the shed photo is real.Privacy. If you register, your email and answers come straight to me by email. I only use them to send H-RIG.01 updates, never share or sell them, and will delete them whenever you ask: hello@hrig01.com.© 2026 Brett Harkness. All rights reserved. H-RIG™, H-RIG.01™ and the H mark are trade marks of Brett Harkness. Designs and images may not be copied or reproduced.

H-RIG.01 · In buildRegister interest

No worries. Carry on having a nose round.Plenty more of the build to see.

Cheers. Your back says thanks.Got your answers. I'll keep you posted on the build.

Your back called. It needs help.

H-RIG.01™ folding production cart for photographers and crews