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Travelling with camera gear?

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hollygrove
Posts: 7845 - Karma: 93
Hey there, just looking for someone who has done extensive travelling with a head load of camera gear to give me some ideas.
I'm going to be heading to South East Asia in April when the ski season ends to spend a couple months travelling Thailand and Indonesia with some friends. I'm planning on bringing quite a bit of camera stuff for a broke 18 year old backpacking around with buddies. (Canon 60D, Tamron 17-50 2.8, Manfrotto 190XB/701 tripod, maybe another lens, 1 terabyte external harddrive) I'm trying to figure out the most practical, and safest way to travel with my gear.
Right now I'm thinking this: Have a backpack full of my clothing, sleeping bag, and then another bag with all my camera stuff + cash +passport. This second, valuable bag I'm thinking I would have on my body at all times. (save leaving the tripod at the hostel if I didn't think I'd be shooting video) What do you guys think? Anyone had any experience doing it another way? Also, what kind of bag would you recommend for the camera gear?

Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have!
Jan 3 2011 9:15PM
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Mr_Papageorgio
Posts: 1271 - Karma: 117
I'm in the same boat right now of trying to figure out the best way to travel. I'm heading to Europe after I graduate for 21 days and will be moving around a ton so i want to be light but still make sure I don't regret not having something

My plan is to bring a backpack with clothes and passport/documents like you said then a discrete shoulder day pack with my 7d, 18-135 and 50mm, battery grip, and a few batteries. I'm not gonna do a tripod just because if i really need to get a still shot i'll tell a buddy to kneel down and put it on his head or somethin haha

then again i don't shoot much video so its not as much of an object to me
Jan 3 2011 9:21PM
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jca
Posts: 4171 - Karma: 6,311
dont bother with the tripod, hard drive (use bunch memory cards), or second lens.  It's so much easier to travel with less stuff and you can get pretty much anything you need over there.  1 carry on pack is all you need (you could do it with less).
Jan 3 2011 9:39PM
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jca
Posts: 4171 - Karma: 6,311
also, it's so fucking hot that you dont need a sleeping bag, just a super thin sleep sheet to keep the beg bugs away.   What i do when i pack my camera for traveling is just stuff clothes around it.  it's nice to have a camera bag, but when your backpacking it's way easier to have as little as possible.
Jan 3 2011 9:44PM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
I brought a D300 + tokina 11-17, nikkor 28-80, 135 and 50 prime to Italy with me.

I bought a Domke bag because they look like regular day bags that people carry around all over the place. That way, people wouldn't recognize I had that much gear on me, and people at tourist sites wouldn't ask me to check a backpack. Also, it was on my side at all times, so in crowds I could wrap it around front to avoid people trying to grab it or get inside it. It also has a big strip of velcro which would have made it nearly impossible for pickpockets to get into it without me knowing.

IF you want to bring a tripod, get a heavy duty gorilla pod. I realize you won't be able to pan nearly as easily if at all, but I wouldn't want to bring a tripod if I could help it.

Watch your shit, don't get pickpocketed. Being discrete is the important point. Setting it down for a second can mean it's gone.

don't bother with a computer or externals, just buy memory cards if you can. Although, if you really plan on shooting a lot of video, I can see why you would want them.

Besides that, pack super light. I did a month abroad out of a carry-on that weighed less than AirFrance's 24 pound max. It's difficult, but worth it. make three piles - stuff you NEED, stuff that you WANT and stuff that could in any way be considered a luxury. Get rid of the third pile, bring the first and a quarter of the second.
Jan 3 2011 10:16PM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
and for a tripod, I ended up buying a spotting scope mount at REI for like 18 bucks. I don't shoot video, so I just screwed that thing onto rails and fences when I needed it.
Jan 3 2011 10:18PM
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,295
The setup of the OP looks best. In poorer, touristy countries always have one backpack and a shoulder bag. Don't ever, EVER lose the latter out of your sight. It'll get jacked so quickly. Like you said, it has all your valuables in it: passport, visa, camera gear, extra money etc.
I have a lot of experience traveling and that's definitely the best way to do it.
Jan 4 2011 2:47PM
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starsky_hucks
Posts: 394 - Karma: 62
exactly
Jan 4 2011 10:01PM
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