Traveling With Cameras

 

When you are serious about photography, you accumulate a significant amount of equipment.  When you travel on a long trip, the big question is what equipment do you need to take.  The short answer is ‘a lot’.  So, how do you select, pack and carry all this equipment?

 

Depending on your destination, you might have to decide which lenses you need but you will need most of your equipment on every trip so let’s look at the stuff you should consider packing:

That’s a lot of equipment.  Some would argue that additional items are needed while others would argue that the list can be shortened.  I’ll discuss the need for each item another time.  The important thing is to make your own list and figure out how to pack it all.   You need a camera bag that will hold one camera and several lenses and you will need a packing system that will hold almost everything as carry on luggage.

 

In the field, my primary bag is the Lowepro Orion AW.  It has a built in hip belt and shoulder strap to carry it on your side and an attachable daypack that lets you carry it as a backpack.  I can usually get most of my camera equipment in these bags.  On flights, I usually pack the camera bag/backpack inside roller board luggage that is small enough to carry on a plane.   This gives my heavy camera gear wheels to help lug it through airports and gives me an empty bag at my destination to store souvenirs and other items that I don’t want or need to carry on the next leg of my journey.   I typically leave this bag at a hotel to be picked up on the way back.

 

I also use a hard Pelican case, as my personal item (in airline jargon), to carry my laptop, remote hard drives, adapters, chargers and a second camera.  The tripod, cleaning supplies and spare batteries are kept in my one checked bag with my clothes to minimize problems at security checkpoints.    This combination of bags  (1 checked bag, 1 carry on bag and 1 personal item) is allowed on most flights as long as they don’t weigh carry on bags.  For extra insurance, I wear a photo vest when I fly so I can load the pockets with carry on items to reduce the weight of my carry on luggage when necessary.  This is not normally necessary if you explain that your carry on luggage contains camera equipment.

 

There are several advantages to this luggage combination, in addition to those already mentioned.  My camera bag is ready to go on a moments notice.  I can grab the lower bag to carry limited equipment on my side or I can grab the upper and lower bags to make a backpack if I need to take more stuff.  My travel tripod can be strapped to the bottom of the bag too.

 

The hard Pelican case contains things I use when I’m not taking pictures such as my laptop and battery chargers so I leave it in my hotel room.  It is very durable and more tamper resistant that other types of luggage and can easily be chained to furniture and hidden for extra security.

 

My checked bag is an Eagle Creek rolling duffle without a telescoping handle.  Getting rid of the handle and associated frame makes the bag 7 pounds lighter allowing me to put some of the heavier but less valuable equipment, like the tripod and tripod head, in the checked luggage.

 

Finally, I should note that I am not sponsored by any bag manufacturers.  I have mentioned the bag names so you can find them and evaluate them for yourself.  Hopefully this information will help you come up with a system that works for you.

 

May your travel and your photography both be rewarding!

 

                                                            Roger Nelson