Travelling light- what kit would you take?

jeff127

jeff127

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Hi guys,

I'm after a bit of advice on what equipment you would take with you on the following trip. I have done a search of previous threads on here but wanted to double check my plans because I don't want to make a mistake!

Over the summer I'll be travelling for roughly 10 weeks:
USA- NY, San Francisco and LA. 8 days
Fiji, 1 month (the purpose of the entire trip is to carry out some work here)
NZ South Island, 7 days
Australia- Sydney, 4 days
SE Asia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, 27 days.

I'm going to be backpacking so the less stuff I can take, the better!

Kit available:

40D
10-20
30 1.4
50 1.8
100 2.8
70-200 2.8
24-105*
Flash: 580EX II
Tripod: Redsnapper RS283

As for what photography I'm interested in- pretty much everything and anything: landscapes, streetshots/candids, architecture, night photos and basically anything that looks interesting! :D

I haven't bought the 30mm 1.4 yet, but I plan to buy it in the next week or two and use it as the primary lens.
*Also important to note, is that the 24-105 is not mine, a friend has offered to swap it with my 70-200 for the summer. I used to own the same lens and know it is good but would be very reluctant to travel with someone elses kit so don't plan on taking up the offer.

My current plan is to take:
40D
10-20
30 1.4
100 2.8
+some form of light tripod/stability device

Does that sound good? I'd absolutely love to bring the 70-200 with me but it is a massive weight to carry around and I don't want it to be burden. I'm going to be on my own for much of the trip so photography will be a focus but even so I don't want to have so much kit with me that it becomes hassle.

Any input would be massively appreciated!


Thanks,

Jeff.
 
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I would go light as possible, probs just the 10-20mm and 24-105mm and possibly even throw in a 50mm or 30mm for low light/discreet shooting :)

As for tripod then use something small if you have to like a Joby Gorillapod or even the Velbon CX Mini.
 
mastertrinity said:
I would go light as possible, probs just the 10-20mm and 24-105mm and possibly even throw in a 50mm or 30mm for low light/discreet shooting :)

As for tripod then use something small if you have to like a Joby Gorillapod or even the Velbon CX Mini.
Click to expand...


If I was to choose 2 from your list it would be the 24-105 and the 30. But I would probably take more than that myself ;)
 
Can't help with Canon gear, but as a guide I mainly used my Nikon 24-120 lens in the USA which covered most things. So something in that range should suffice. Do tele converters fit any of your lenses? if so you could possibly just take one lens and use a TC for more scope.
Realspeed
 
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It all depends how important the photography is to you.

I always say the same thing-The discomfort of lugging the gear about will soon be forgotten.The memory of possibly once in a lifetime missed shots will last a bit longer.

Looking at what you have available I would be taking the 10-20,24-104 and the 30 F1.4.Possibly take the 50 instead of the 30 to save a little weight.
Minimum would be the 40D and 24-105L.
That's quite an heavy tripod you are going to carry.Might be worth looking at spending a few pennies on a lightweight CF alternative.

Alternatively-pick yourself up a GF1+14-45 lens.Throw in one of the pancakes and you have a great lightweight combo.You could also pick up a cheap lens converter and also throw the 10-20 onto the GF1.If you add in a Joby gorrillapod slr zoom you have a lightweight package that delivers great quality and even Hdef video.If you pick it all up second hand you could sell it when you get back and lose virtually nothing.I've just had some 18x12" pics printed from the GF1 and the quality is really very very good.
Cheers
Gary
 
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i would take the 24-105L, 30 F1.4 prime as a bare minimum., i would also took a 70-200mm if it was the F4 version as the f4 version is lighter then your 24-105L nevermind the 70-200mm f2.8 you have.

As others have said, buy a light tripod or go without it. Just try and lean on something for stability if u dont have a tripod.
 
Definitely a wide angle and maybe the 30 and 100 primes. Although I'd consider buying the 15-85? :)
 
take a 1.4 or x2 converter. its small and you will kick yourself for not having it.

fill everything with helium, then weight wont be a problem :)
 
Given the list of locations, I'd probably leave 30+50mm (weakest part of the kit). Probably you could leave macro if you get some extension tubes, but that's as much as you could leave without seriously compromising your setup. It looks like you will need proper hold luggage, so it shouldn't be a problem anyway, and then get a rental car to make sure your life is public-transport-free.
 
30/50 the weakest kit?

I'd have said that they were probably the strongest as they give good image quality (especially the 30, I can't speak for the 50 but it has its fans...) and low light and limited DoF opportunities which are must haves that the other lenses just can not match IMVHO.

When doing a bit of travelling myself recently I took a GF1+20mm f1.7 and LX5.
 
If you take everything, you'll wish you left some at home.
If you leave anything at home, you'll wish you'd taken it. That's the way it goes unfortunately!

Personally, I'd not take someone else's lens for backpacking. I'd be amazed if you did not leave it unattended numerous times during the trip \ fall asleep on some of those long journeys. Unlikely anything will happen, but I'd not risk someone else's lens (if they are happy with that scenario of course, by all means take it!).

The scenery is NZ south island is truly breathtaking. I would undoubtedly take the 10-20 for this. I found the 70-200 f4 was also great for some different landscape shots (but it's a lot lighter than your f2.8).

Keep in mind SE Asia is generally pretty hot, so lugging a lot of gear is not that enjoyable. The South Island of NZ should be cooler, but possibly steeper!

One thing missing of your list is a compact.

You trip sounds amazing, you'll meet loads of great people. My word of caution, whilst travel is Thailand is excellent, and arguably better than the UK, things will slow down quite a lot in Laos and Cambodia!

Enjoy!
 
I think he meant 30+50 for are the weakest in terms of their ability to cover the subject matter on a travel trip.

Have being playing with the thought of a G3+20mm ... bought a 35mm nikkor to see how i get along with just that lens... if it works then i might make the jump :D
 
vrapan said:
I think he meant 30+50 for are the weakest in terms of their ability to cover the subject matter on a travel trip.
Click to expand...

It depends on what and how you like to shoot but they aren't "standards" for nothing :) and the op does state that the 30 may be the primary lens.
 
I like your list. I'd be tempted to chuck the 50mm 1.8 in as well as it weighs so little and for me 30mm to 100mm would seem a big gap.

The main thing I'd add is several batteries and tons of memory cards :)
 
Thank you so much to everyone who has replied! I'd like to say it's been useful, but it's only made me more confused as to what I should bring. :LOL:

I've got an exam soon but will reply individually later. In the mean time if anyone else has any recommendations feel free to share.


Thanks,

Jeff.
 
I've been planning for a backpacking trip, my kit list is looking pretty similar to the one in your original post (albeit for FF rather than cropped) wide zoom, fast mid prime and 100mm and a lightweight tripod.
 
How did your trip go? What did you decide to pack in the end?
 
Interesting subject but for 10 weeks backpacking the last I'd want to lug is 3-4 kilos worth of photographic gear.

I have a K-5 which is lighter and smaller than the 40D and 3 pancake lenses to go with it. Which in all will probably weigh less than your 70-200 2.8 alone and only a tiny bit more than your 40D.

I am saying that because I went for 3 days in the South Downs cycling and what I hated was having the 10-20 zoom to carry. Wouldn't even think of getting my 50-135 or anything on that size.

So maybe you should consider picking up a GF-1/GX-1 the 14mm and a maybe a zoom.

Of course you might be a tall strong guy and not care about an extra kilo or two but I definitely do.
 
I love taking pictures but I'm aware of how much of a nerd this can make me look to others so the last twice I've been abroad I've taken a GF1+20mm f1.7 and an LX5. I sometimes carried both and sometimes just chose one depending upon what was planned for the day.
 
I'd take the 40D, the 24-105, and the 70-200 if I could, a superb travel combo. Forget the tripod and the flash (that's what f1.4 is for)

However, if you don't want to take your mate's lens, I'd take the 10-20mm, the 35mm 1.4L and the 70-200. I find that in reality my style is not UWA, so if I could only take 2 lenses it would be the 35 and the 70-200.

But seeing how you have not yet bought the 35mm f1.4, don't buy it, instead buy the 24-105 second hand on here, there are plenty of sellers between 5-600, and then sell it when you get back.
 
If you really want to travel light then sell the 24-105 and buy a 15-85 and forget the rest.
 
jeff127 said:
40D
10-20
30 1.4
50 1.8
100 2.8
70-200 2.8
24-105*
Flash: 580EX II
Tripod: Redsnapper RS283
Click to expand...

I'd recommend Jeff,

40D, 24-10, 70-200, 50 1.8, flash and Tripod.

Take the 10-20mm on a coin toss.
 
Really depends what you want to shoot I spose, personally I'd go with the 10-20, 30 1.4 and 24-105.
 
How did it go?
 
Thanks for the interest and help guys, I had an amazing trip!

Your responses were very useful, it is true that everyone has different interests. In the end I decided to take:
40D
10-20
50 1.8
100 2.8

Literally as soon as I got to NY (hadn't even changed the time on my watch!) I headed to B&H and bought a 30 1.4, took pics with it for a day but decided it was a lot of extra weight compared to sticking with the 50 1.8 so I returned it and replaced it with a GoPro- the whole reason for the trip was to do some underwater work in Fiji and it turned out to be an interesting but good choice.

Was I happy with the lenses I took?

Yes, from the ones I had available I wouldn't have changed much, it would have been nice not having to change lenses so often but I like UWA, needed something reasonable in low light and with some reach so overall pleased. Looking in Lightroom:
10-20-> 1770 photos
30 1.4-> 116
50 1.8-> 754
100 2.8-> 405

There were situations where I would have liked some more reach for sure. Maybe I should have more strongly considered buying a 70-200 f/4 second hand for the trip or as Tom suggested, taking a 2x teleconvertor, but I don't really regret the choices!

Tripod wise, I didn't want to buy an expensive lightweight one just for the trip and there was no way I was lugging the redsnapper round, so didn't take one at all. In hindsight I have one of those cheap and nasty £10 tesco style ones which is light so I could have taken it for as long as I could bare to carry it then donate it to a hostel/someone.
There were situations where I would have dearly loved one but in the scheme of things these were few and far between. I managed to make do with walls/rails etc almost everywhere. I knew I'd have to make sacrifices in what I could take!

Lewis have you been on your backpacking trip or are yet to go? Let me know if you want any advice and I have a few links that may be of use.

Thanks again for all the help it was really useful! (y)


Jeff.
 
Glad you had a good trip. I'm still a few weeks away from mine.

I think I'm pretty much decided on kit (and I don't have any money to buy more):

5D
17-40mm
50mm
70-200 (I'm borrowing my Dad's f4 version as its lighter than my f2.8 version).
I'm going to try and get hold of a Gorillapod rather than taking a full tripod, I know I'll miss not having a tripod, but I don't want to carry it either.

Any extra advice would be appreciated!
 
Those sound like great choices! Where are you going?

Not related to photography gear:
I'm not sure how far into deciding what else non-photo you're planning on taking but I'd advise packing as light as possible. On my trip I took 2 t-shirts and 2 shirts and met many people who regretted bringing lots of unnecessary stuff!

A page I found really question what was worth bringing was this one, useful to use if not just as a checklist and the website as a whole has some great info.

Bag wise, my initial plan was to have one pack that everything including photo gear and a small thin foldable day bag would fit in to. This was a nice thought but there wasn't a single time I didn't have the day bag out too, as it made plane tickets etc much more accessible and there was no way my camera stuff wasn't staying right near me while travelling. I stored my 10-20 in its lens case, I made a sleeve out of bubble wrap for the 100mm, and just wrapped the 40d and 50mm in bubble wrap and I kind of wish I had just taken my proper photo bag with me.

Hope thats of some use, have a wonderful trip!


Jeff.
 
My travel kit for trekking overseas, is Nikon D200, 18-200VR lens and Sigma 10-20, I have made many a tripod out of old sticks and a few reusable cable ties.
 
jeff127 said:
Those sound like great choices! Where are you going?

Not related to photography gear:
I'm not sure how far into deciding what else non-photo you're planning on taking but I'd advise packing as light as possible. On my trip I took 2 t-shirts and 2 shirts and met many people who regretted bringing lots of unnecessary stuff!

A page I found really question what was worth bringing was this one, useful to use if not just as a checklist and the website as a whole has some great info.

Bag wise, my initial plan was to have one pack that everything including photo gear and a small thin foldable day bag would fit in to. This was a nice thought but there wasn't a single time I didn't have the day bag out too, as it made plane tickets etc much more accessible and there was no way my camera stuff wasn't staying right near me while travelling. I stored my 10-20 in its lens case, I made a sleeve out of bubble wrap for the 100mm, and just wrapped the 40d and 50mm in bubble wrap and I kind of wish I had just taken my proper photo bag with me.

Hope thats of some use, have a wonderful trip!

Jeff.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that site seems really useful! I'm going to Costa Rica, but travelling all over when I get there, I'm used to packing light for trips around the UK, but this is my first backpacking trip.

I've got a mid sized rucksack (within carry on limits) that I'm intending on packing everything into when I'm there and a foldable holdall to check in on the flights with my clothes etc so that my main bag will be small/light enough to check in.
 
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