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Carrying Too Much Camera Gear On A Trip?


allenahale

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<p>From time to time people will ask for advice regarding what or how much camera gear to bring along on an upcoming trip. The concern seems to always be about having too much weight.<br>

I am now 63 years old, over weight as well as most likely out of shape, and I have yet to have brought too much camera gear on any of my trips (22 countries). I always carry my gear in a daypack on my back. I have been very hot and typically very sweaty but never to the point that my day let alone my trip was ruined by the amount of gear that I chose to carry.<br>

Has anyone ever had their trip ruined by carrying too much gear on their trip? How big of a problem is this?<br>

Have you ever regretted not bringing along a piece of your gear?</p>

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<p>There have been specific days I've carried more equipment than needed, and wished I'd left a lens or two behind. But over the course of an entire travel adventure I don't think I've ever wished I left a specific piece of equipment at home for the whole trip. We are quite careful though to only bring one of each size for lenses, and the same idea for peripheral stuff like filters, batteries and cards. We have developed the approach of only carrying what we think we'll use on any given day in a couple of smaller backpacks, and leaving the rest behind in a hotel room safe or a car trunk in a large carry bag. That way you're not lugging everything around because there's nothing else to do with it.</p>

<p>The one thing I have regretted carrying is a tripod (heresy of heresies, I know) when I really didn't need it. But every once in a while it is absolutely required for that great shot, so becomes worth it for the rest of the time that I do carry it.</p>

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<i>Has anyone ever had their trip ruined by carrying too much gear on their trip?</i><P>

 

That's a rather loaded way of asking the question. I've never had a trip <b>ruined</b> by carrying too much, but there have been times I would have enjoyed myself more if I were carrying less. As I've cut down the amount I carry (not just of photo gear) when traveling, the less tiring and annoying it's become to move from place to place. I rarely wish I had brought along an extra bit of equipment, but I'm very frequently relieved to <b>not</b> be carrying things I'd seldom use. I know I'll miss shots no matter how much gear I take--it's simply impossible to get every potential shot--so I don't worry about it.

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Another thought: Most of the "great" shots I've missed were missed because I wasn't ready to take them or I didn't feel like making the effort, not because I didn't have a particular bit of equipment with me. I could dramatically cut down on the number of missed shots by <b>always</b> having the camera in my hand and <b>constantly</b> paying close attention to the photographic opportunities around me. I don't do that because, while there are lots of times when I do enjoy actively searching for photos, there are times when I just want to relax and enjoy my surroundings. It's a trade off.<p>

 

It's a similar trade off with carrying photo gear. I would hate carrying around a backpack of photography equipment everywhere--it would make traveling significantly less enjoyable. Instead, I carry a camera and lens over one shoulder, and a small bag with an extra lens or two (plus other handy supplies) over the other. I know a lot of people who would be uncomfortable carrying that much.

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<blockquote>

<p>Has anyone ever had their trip ruined by carrying too much gear on their trip?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It's hard to ruin a trip unless something terrible happens. I've never sunk a canoe and had to swim to shore camera-less because I brought one lens or body too many, never missed a flight (came close) because I couldn't move fast enough for all the weight. But carrying too much has made trips more of a burden and less of a joy. And given the opportunity, I've sent lenses, etc. back with friends because I wasn't using them and I didn't want to carry them until the end of the trip.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Have you ever regretted not bringing along a piece of your gear?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not gear, but in the days of film, I have regretted not taking enough of it. However, my worst time for that was on a trip to Alaska when I was a student, and I didn't take more because I couldn't afford it.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Have you ever regretted not bringing along a piece of your gear?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Once, among many many trips, wished I had added an OM-1 with a 50mm. But circumstances forced me to only bring carry-on luggage, and I just couldn't fit it.</p>

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<p>I am a minimalist when traveling -- and at home. For me it is not so much a question of lugging the stuff, or it ruining a trip (a bit dramatic), but the fact that being loaded down dilutes my consciousness. Although I own a lot of stuff, I only use a few cameras and lenses.</p>

<p>Gearheads need not defend their decisions any more than minimalists. Carry whatever you want.</p>

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<p>Without any context of what kind of photography, OP's questions don't make any sense. So are the responses.</p>

<p>A landscape or macro photographer would consider having a tripod a must. While a street photographer would consider a tripod a drag. The former may regret not having one, while the latter may regret having one.</p>

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The M43 system I used for my last trip covered an equivalent focal length of 18mm to 300mm and weighed about as much as just my Canon 5D body. I found that this kit had a reasonably amount of performance and flexibility and I did not have the amount of back pain I usually suffer when carrying the Canon system. Did not regret the choice, especially after reviewing the images in Lightroom when we got back.
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<p>Considering that during the film days, I was using Pentax 67 equipment, what I carry now is very light, even if I have my pack loaded with all my lenses. I can clearly remember carrying that 45 pound pack on my back into the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Canyon, or up the Mt Elden trail in Flagstaff.<br>

That said, I have found when I tried to only take certain lenses, it was the telephotos that I missed. I use quality zoom lenses, that way I carry less and still have long-range, 17-500.</p>

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<p>Strange question to ask if it hasn't affected you personally? </p>

<p>No, because I make a point of not owning more than I can carry, and because each time I leave my car/hotel I make a judgment about what I'm going to need. For example if I'm walking round New York City all day, I'll take a shoulderbag full of dslr gear but no tripod since I wouldn't generally be able to use one. If I'm shooting skylines at dawn/dusk I'll go back to my hotel in time to pick up the tripod, and so on. I won't use a backpack because I want to be able to access my camera , change lenses, filters, cards etc without the hassle of putting the bag down. </p>

<p>Sometimes I need to go back to a particular spot to photograph with a tripod at a particular time of day, but thats OK. I don't do trips that involve extended remote hiking/camping where I wouldn't be able to access either my car or my hotel within a couple of hours or so.</p>

<p>All this worked just as well in the days when I travelled with two medium format systems. I rarely carried both whilst photographing and if I did need both I'd put together a composite system in my biggest shoulder-bag. </p>

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<p>There are a lot of variables to this. I have carried lenses around and never used them, and felt that it was silly to drag this lens 'round Africa for months at a time. Wouldn't say it ruined my trip, but when I go back I will rethink bringing that lens for sure. Other circumstances have been different, backpacking trips I often regretted bringing a DSLR and one small lens, as it was awkward to shoot photos, and I didn't use it much. Could of probably fixed that issue by investing in some sort of decent system for transporting it. Another side to the problem is that you are walking 20-30km/day in a rapidly changing elevation, taking boots off to cross creeks, stopping to filter water etc, and there isn't time/energy to stop for photos. Definitely agree with the poster that spoke about carrying a compact camera. Best decision I ever made. Also, it can sleep with me if it gets really cold. I would probably regret this method if I wanted to take pictures of something that was moving around...</p>
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<p>For travel I used to carry an SLR kit with four lenses (heavy, bulky) but have settled for a Leica M4-P with 35/2 Summicron, 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit and 21/4 CV Color Skopar -- compact, light and versatile, and I've never run into a situation where I needed additional lenses. RF cameras and their lenses instead of SLRs save a lot of weight and space.</p>
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<p>I posed the question because it seemed to me that many people seek advice as to what gear they should carry with them on a trip. There seemed, to me, to be a concern on the Internet about "carrying too much" My intent was to seek some real life experiences from other photographers to determine if this was a real problem and, if it were. to try to quantify the extent of the problem or to determine if this concern was more of an "urban myth".<br>

I believe that there has been some very good comments and sharing to perhaps but this issue into a proper perspective. Thank you to everyone for your contributions to this post.</p>

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<p>My last two trips -- one to Europe and one to Japan -- I took a Canon 5D and a medium wide to medium telephoto zoom. In 1987 I went to Europe for five months with an AE1-Program and a 35-105 zoom. In 1981 I went to Australia and New Zealand with the same AE1-Program and only a 50 mm lens. Got great shots each time, and had fun traveling, too. If the whole point of my trips had been photography, then I suppose I would have taken wheelbarrow-loads of gear and been happy with it, but as it was, all that extra gear would have just gotten in the way of actually experiencing where I was.</p>
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<p>Ruined, no, but I have on occasion struggled with the amount of weight that I carried (while hiking particularly) and with the bulk of large camera bags (when visiting interiors of historic buildings, for instance). I take all of this into account now. If it doesn't fit in (or attached to) a modest sized camera bag, I don't take it.</p>

<p>You'll never have everything that you could possibly want unless you hire porters. The trick is to bring a selection of gear that will cover a number of bases and then use that gear to its full capacity - without worrying about what you <strong><em>didn't</em></strong> bring.</p>

 

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<p>What I have noticed is that people's definition of what's "too heavy" varies a lot. Personally after years of carrying a substantial medium format system around, my current ff dslr and three L zooms , with a few filters, seems pretty lightweight. Some others seem to think that a dslr and even one or two lenses is pretty onerous. <br>

I am often puzzled on photo.net though by posters who are clearly going on a trip that is significant to them, want to take decent photographs, but expect to do it with one lens or at most a small subset of the lenses they have bought and use when photographing from home. For me at least the more important the trip, the more important it is that I'm appropriately equipped, bearing in mind that I don't feel the need to carry absolutely everything I have with me all the time. I guess that what I need to understand is that</p>

<ul>

<li>People go on organised trips, have no vehicle or car rental of their own and spend time clambering off buses or trains and rarely have a hotel for more than a night so never have anywhere to leave anything. I don't do that. I always have a car, a car/driver, or a city centre hotel or apartment I can access easily to change or store equipment, and my trips are organised specifically to provide that. </li>

<li>People go on trips, even potentially significant ones photographically, with other people who aren't keen photographers and don't feel able to take time to photograph as they'd like. Again, I'd find that tremendously frustrating and don't do it. If I travel, photography is a critical part of that travel and I always go with the intention of doing the best I can which may mean antisocial hours, and taking the equipment I think I need to get it done. Perhaps I should understand that its not equally important to everyone and that some people are happy to make significant compromises which affect what they want to carry, what times of day they can photograph and so on.</li>

<li>For some people the being there is more important than the photography, so they primarily hike and camp with little capacity for photo gear as well. Again I don't do that. The most arduous thing I do is walking round a city; its rare for me to be away from the car in a rural environment for more than a couple of hours or so, so for me a decision to carry a tripod (for example) is likely to be a decision for the next few hours not the next few days or weeks. </li>

<li>Finally I'm puzzled by the amount of stuff some people own- which then gives rise to the "what should I take" issue. As a travelling photographer (rather than a Travel photographer) there isn't a lot of what I want to do that I can't manage with one body ( sure I have a spare in my suitcase) three zooms a few filters and cards, one tripod and head and one bag. And that's it, permanently packed and ready to go. Owning camera gear is not a source of pleasure to me, its a means to do things, that's all, so the "what shall i take/I carried too much " dilemmas are not something I face at all. </li>

</ul>

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<p>It depends on the purpose of the trip. For general sightseeing and limited photographic ambition where the photos are for yourself a small camera may be enough. For more ambitious trips I might take more. If however you are planning a wildlife photography trip then there is no point unless you have a (probably big and heavy) telephoto of some kind. So to me the question is 'How much gear do I need today to achieve what I set out to do?'<br /> With respect to getting older and less able, that applies to all aspects of life. There are many things I would not consider doing these days which I did without any qualms a couple of decades ago, such as carrying a LF camera and gear around. I can imagine a time in the future when my current gear might need to be pruned down. But until then I choose my gear with my overall photographic purpose in mind and also my state of fitness. The camera gear I choose will be given by these considerations.</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>I only carry around with me what I am going to use that day but I like to have access to what I might use. So, when I am driving I carry the kitchen sink. When I am flying, half the sink. I have back-ups because you don't know what will happen. Can't use a backpack any more so everything gets to roll.</p>
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<p>Some people's answer to having too much or too heavy gear to carry is simply to hire a larger assistant.<br /> When my sole film SLR packed up in Mesoamerica many years ago, I do remember how much easier the rest of the trip was with my only working camera being my Rollei 35 (<a href="/classic-cameras-forum/00YZKs">link</a>). The next trip, there was a long period of contemplation of whether I should take the SLR (repaired, and a backup purchased) or not, the Rollei was so liberating, if more limited (40mm or nothing) too.</p>
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<p>First each person must make their own decision on "how much".<br>

I used less and less as i aged. In my prime as a PJ went on a shoot with another newshound. I had 2 SLR bodies, one for color,one for B/W. 5 Nikkor lenses. Filters. Film in B/W and color . The other PJ had 3 bodies and 2 longer lenses. Flashguns, spare batteries.<br>

An event happened in front of us, almost as we joined up! We both shot NOTHING! Neither had decided on color or B/W!<strong> Prepared for anything, ready for nothing.</strong><br>

My last trip to South Africa, family. I carried a few Point and Shoot Digitals. The 2 Canon Powershot, 590 and 1200 were the main cameras. An old Minolta(Konica-Sony) Dimage 600 for B/W only and the Kodak point and shoot Easyshare. Lots of Memory cards. No fuss at Airport Security. Cameras easy to carry on Beach and walks. Easily in a pocket. Safety and security concerns in a Crime Wave country. No worries if camera submerged or sand in mechanism. All inexpensive, easy to replace..the 1200 was $70 at Walmart.<br>

Street photography in Toronto.Film camera is still used. Mostly a Leica M with ONE lens. The 50mm OR the 35mm. Never both. The Digital 1200 sometimes with 2 spare AA cells. Good for 250 shots..</p>

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

<p>I have a two week river cruise in Europe coming up in April. Same problem. What gear to take? I recently just divested myself of several cameras ( I had eight, a bit too many) and now have five to choose from. Two small sensor P/S (a Samsung EX1 and a Fuji X20), two big sensor (Fuji XE1 and Nikon D300s), and a Nikon F5 film camera. So what to do?</p>

<p>Right now I'm leaning towards the Fuji X20. I don't want to lug a D300s and the heavy 2.8 zooms around, the Samsung is too limited zoom-wise (24-70), the XE1 is too new to risk, and the film camera is out. Looks like the X20 wins by default.</p>

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<p>Seeing this post made me smile. Yesterday I returned from a trip to South America with my wife working on a commission there. We took:<br /> A Wista VX 4x5,a 5x7 adaptor back, 3 LF lenses,assorted light metres loupes etc,11 film holders, changing tent, Kennett tripod, film, a Mamyia 7II + 50ml and 80ml lenses and a 5D mk II with 24-105.<br /> No regrets but plenty of bruises.</p>
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<p>This how I get my load down. When I go overseas, I need to be mobile so I don't have checked baggage. The daypack is all my stuff not b/c I am afraid of the airline losing my clothes, but that when I travel I like to see many diff places not necessarily countries on a single trip but diff towns/cities, provinces etc. Thing is when the hotel ask you to check out you have to carry your stuff b/c I don't like wasting time to come back to get it. For my camera stuff, I carry a Lowepro Photo Runner smallish shoulder bag that's it. I hand carry a tripod which is a Gitzo Traveler again for its size. I have two Gitzo but this one was specific to go light.</p>

<p>I shoot Nikon. I tend to have two kits in mind. Slow aperture b/c I just do scenics - 18-35mm and a 80-200mm. Done. No flash b/c I go alone and don't really do portraiture. Or else is is 3 or 4 primes.</p>

<p>How I use a daypack - take one set of clothes, you obviously wear one set too and buy one set there. Pack toiletries into 50 or 100ml containers, carry 15ml of saving oil and buy the razor there as razors are not allowed on the plane. Do laundry more freq at the laudromat or stay at a travel lodge which they have laundry facilities that you can use than be charged so excessively but I am not really a hotel not that I don't want it, but I rather go overseas 2 or 3 trips annually ... and the thing is they are just catering to a high priced market. I've walked to my medium hotel in Bangkok behind Shangrai-la and you see employees outside in the humid weather sitting on plastic beer crates, haha. And it's not what a typical person use anyway there - even remotely well off.</p>

<p>Did I regret? Sure, my first trip overseas myself. I took a travel pack and a daypack like many other tourists. Never used that method again. You know the story, 3 or 4 sets of clothing, full sized toiletries. Had to leave the pack somewhere and come back later to pick up after I checked-out or use the lockers where avail .. </p>

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