Europe, 3 week trip in May-Suggestions/Feedback

Hi, I was hoping to get some feedback from fellow travelers about the

gear I am taking.

 

First, let me explain my trip: I plan on going to Europe in May for

about 3 weeks, for my honeymoon! We will be "backpacking", we will be

going to 5 major cities Rome, Florence, Cinque Terra area, Venice and

Paris, spending about 3-5 days in each city. I will have a big hiking

pack on my back when on the move (to/from Paris to Venice etc.) and

my daypack/camera bag (Lowepro Orion Trekker) in the front. The

hiking pack will have clothing etc. My daypack/camera bag will have

camera equip and other stuff (journal, snack, jacket etc.) The

daypack/camera bag (Lowepro Orion Trekker) has two sections: a padded

camera bag section, and a non-padded daypack section.

 

The gear I plan to take: Digital Rebel with 2 or 3 Batteries, the

battery charger, Sigma 18-125mm 3.5-5.6, Canon 50mm f1.8, about six

512 CF cards, RC-1 remote, Polarizer, and an Ultrapod II (small table

tripod). Also, my wife will be taking a Canon A80 for a P&S, she will

have three 256 cards.

 

One 512mb gives me about 156 shot on the Rebel at Large/Fine Jpeg

setting. 156x6 cards= 936 shots. This equates to about 39 rolls of

film. This is probably enough for 3 week trip, and I can transfer

images at cybercafes along the way if needed.

 

Just wanted some feedback in general about the trip and equipment I

am taking. The Sigma 18-125 is equivalent to 28-200 on the Digital

Rebel. It gives me decent enough shots for a "hyperzoom". Less

fussing with gear while traveling. In low-light the 50mm will be

helpful. I have a Canon 28-105 3.5-4.5, but it won't be wide enough,

about 45mm on the wide, so I am leaving that at home.

 

 

Any suggestions or comments will be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Amol Kumar

We did 3 weeks in England and Germany mostly two years ago shot 85 rolls of 36 exp film between the two of use. Here's the notes I wrote up after getting back there will be quite a bit that applies to your trip. BUT we were in or own car but then your equipment is lighter and more compact.

 

Mark Wahlster Camera Gear List

 

Canon 200EG Backpack

Worked great easy to carry and with the small polaroid waist bag I took for when I wanted to be able to change lenses with out having to drop the pack I couldn?t have made a better choice

 

T90 body #1144989 w/Command Back 90 & Optech strap

Never used the Data back I did have to tighten the lens mount (which should have been done before the trip but was put off) I shot over 40 rolls on one set of Alkaline AA?s and The camera performed flawlessly from warm sunshine to sub freezing temps and even in very damp conditions a couple of time I did have twice that it had moisture condense on it from cold to warm room but no problems. The wife liked the distinct sound the T90 makes as she could always tell where I was .

 

AE-1P body #3377813Chr. w/A2 Winder & Optech strap

This was Audreys body for the trip it worked flawlessly using only one set of batteries. She shot approx 32 rolls of color print with it.

 

AE-1P body #1906576 Blk. w/sport grip & Optech strap

Used this body for B&W and a couple of times I wanted to go as light as possible (family shots in Germany) Had a weird problem between this body and my 24mm f2.0 nFD the camera would jam the first couple of frame after switching to this lens but then work fine. Used it with out a winder and accept for the 24mm f2.0 problems it worked great. I would have rather had a B screen in it, then the C.

 

DEMI S camera 30mm f1.7 #102059 w/wrist strap

Can?t say enough about this little camera quiet quick and got 72-75 frames per roll shot 9 rolls with it used Superia 400 print to make up for any exposure mistakes with the Selium meter. Tokk photo?s by just sticking it up through the sun roof and thru airplane windows all the stuff that was just P&S type shots and also got some great shots with it of family and even the country side. When in doubt I bracketed both focus and exp with a half frame it like a digital so cheap.

 

19mm f3.8 Vivitar lens #98071469 w/rubberhood

Should have left this one at home the few times I could have used it it was to slow and as a result only got used about a half dozen times not worth hauling it around. I was only keeping this lens for this trip as my Canon 20mm f2.8 is a much better lesn I just didn?t want to add that much value to the travel kit plus the Caon is much larger using 72mm filters compared to the Vivitars 62mm.

 

24mm f2.0 nFD Lens #15445 w/ BW-52C hood C-52 cap

Most of my interior shots of everything were with this lens just fast enough with 400 ASA for even Churchills bunker and some of the castles. Had a problem working on the AE-1P body but once I knew it was doing that I worked around it. Used it some with filters for high contrast and darkened skys around castles and churches. About ? of my shots were with this lens.

50mm f1.8 nFD Lens #2393601 w/BS-52 hood and C-52

Used this one a few times for landscapes and dark interior shots of the castles, but mostly for indoor family shots as well as coping the 20-25 old photos I reshot out of family albums used it with my FD-15 extension tube it was just the right magnification for the 4X6 sized prints and only two came out with movement blur even though I was hand holding at approx 12? with a shutter speed of 1/30-1/45 and F2.8 to f4.0 for most of the shots I used a wood meat tenderizer hammer for a monopod which helped a lot.

 

28-70mm f3.5/4.5 Tokina SD Lens #8778770 w/rubber hood & cap

Audreys bread and butter lens I was going to take a second one of these for my main lens but instead went with the 35-105 which turned out to be a great choice. Audrey really likes this lens and her photo?s show just how good this lens really is. She is really learning how to work it well.

 

35-105mm f3.5 Macro nFD Lens #323578 w/BW-72B hood C-72 cap

This was the work horse I did half of all my outdoor stuff with this lens and really appreciated the added focal length compare to my 28-85 and almost never missed the wider side between the two. At times it was a touch slow but the framing made up for it in the long run when you can not move your position (like on a cruise ship on the Rhine) and shooting slides the zoom was so nice to be able to compose for just the subject. With cars or people every where on the first floor and TV antennas on every 800 year old roof the zoom was a must. A bit big on the T90 but paid off Glad I took it.

 

200mm f2.8 IF nFD Lens #10986 C-72 cap

All can I say is had I not taken this lens over 1/3 of my photos would have been less then I wanted the focal length was perfect in so many places from Castles to the Rhine to the few People shots I took to a whole roll of film shot at a water front of birds and saling/fishing boats I wouldn?t even think about going to England or Germay again with out this lens. For those times I wanted to be able to use filters with B&W I had to change to the 75-200mm f4.5 That the wife carried and the lose of speed with a red filter was missed. Wish I had bought at least a dark yellow and 25A red in 72mm but I just didn?t have them and they were so expensive in England I had to pass. The wife got madd at me cause when I used this lens I kept telling her about those who said I didn?t need it drove her a bit crazy!

 

75-200mm f4.5 nFD Lens #194627 w/BT-58B C-52

Audreys long lens for the trip not used too much but used a lot on the Rhine as a 200mm was required to get good framing on the Castles and Churches we passed. I did use it with some 1600ASA Neopan and a dark red filter to shoot the castles against the skyline as I only had a red filter in 52mm. It performed very well and is very lightweight so it wasn?t too much of a weight penalty when not being used.

 

 

FD-15 Extension tube w/caps #n/a

Used only twice once for a few flower shots and then for family photo coping which it was well worth having as the photo?s are one of a kind and a scanner was not available so the only way we were going to get such important photos as the formals from Audreys Mom and dads wedding was to use a camera and reshoot the photo worked great nice sharp corner to corner.

 

Tokina 7element 2X Doubler #841931

Only used a couple of times for Bird shots a few were good most there just wasn?t enough light but it did get used and I did get four new speices to add to our photo list as a result of having it. Worked much better with the 200mm f2.8 then the 75-200mm f4.5 due to speed.

 

Canon 300TL Speedlite #n.a

Used only for family shots as no where would allow it (churches and such) But again for those very important shots it worked great although for the family stuff so would the 011A which is much smaller.

 

Canon 011A Speedlite #na.

Not used once but would have done the job of the 300TL had I not taken that flash along.

 

Velbon 343E compact tripod w/case

This little tripod worked great a bit on the small size for when I tried using a 200mm f2.8 with a 2X on it but it sure was better then hand holding. On the Rhine river it worked great with just the 200mm f2.8 and at less then 2 lbs it was weight well used. I also used it for sunset photos and night shots I can?t recommend this little travel pod enough best $money I ever spent on a tripod.

 

Cabelas 8X21 Compact Camo Binoculars w/case

Should have left these at home did look through them once

 

Changing Bag Only used once but it saved a $10.95 euro roll of Provia 400 I really needed so it was well worth having it along and had something less gone wrong it could have been invaluable

 

Polaroid Black Belt Bag used this as a large front pocket on a vest would have been as a place to drop a lens during a change or to carry my film pouch and a cuple of short lenses weighed nothing and folded to twice the size of a snot rag a very good item to have when carring main gear in a backpack

 

 

Filters: 52mm

? Green 1 (11)

? 8 Yellow 2

? Dp. Yellow 15

? Orange 15

 

? 25 Red 1

Tiffen 81A Audrey used this a couple of time when the light really sucked

Canon Sky 1A never used

Vivitar VMC UV Haze never used

Hoya Diffuser never used

? NDX2 never used

Moose?s Warm Polarizer used only a couple of times would have been used a lot if it had fit my 35-105

 

Filters: 72mm

Tiffen UV Haze never used

Phase II Polarizer used a half dozen times but a pain in the butt on the 35-105 with the hood

5-6 Spare lens caps used once and a while to cover for a cap I couldn?t find but eneded up not losing a single cap on the trip.

 

3) Spare Battery cases full (6 AA?s each case plus a couple of misc. batteries in each) changed batteries in the 300 TL twice but everything else ran the whole three weeks on the new batteries installed before we left.

Amol

 

I think the only suggestion I might make as regards kit concerns the 50mm f1.8: on a

DRebel that might be a bit long. Have you got a 35mm f2 or 28mm f2.8? In the locations

you're going, they might be more useful - 55mm and 45mm equivalent FoV. But I think

you're right to take one fast, light lens.

 

The other thing to say is, you're packing a lot in to this trip, and it's your honeymoon!

There is a view which says that your attention should be on your wife during this holiday.

Unreasonable I know, but some people think this ;)

 

Seriously, even in May these places will be very busy, there will be a lot of tourists, and

really memorable images may be hard to obtain. Perhaps the best way to approach this

trip, photographically-speaking, is to regard it as a reconnaissance visit? Come back

another year and spend more time in each of these cities, and look to get the great shots

then.

I have traveled through Europe with a hiking pack and an Orion Trekker as well. It is not the world's best combination when both bags are full; the Orion Trekker does not strap onto the pack well and really throws off the center of gravity. I recommend packing lightly enough so that you can fit the Trekker into your larger pack for traveling on the train. If you're planning to take more than 4-5 outfits, you're overpacking. Better to do laundry several times during the trip than to walk through Europe with pounds upon pounds of clothing on your back. You might also want to have some sort of ready bag to hold the camera while you are walking around with your big pack on; that way you don't risk losing shots by having to take off your pack and unstow your camera every time you're lugging everything around.

4-5 changes of clothes? Heavens. In summer in European cities Amol's not going to need a lot of different types of clothes, so I'd say he only needs one set on, one set off.

 

I can travel indefinitely in summer with two pairs of zip off trousers, two long sleeved shirts, a jacket for when it gets cold, and maybe a technical light wicking short sleeved shirt which squishes up tiny, for when it gets hot. One pair of casual but sturdy walking shoes.

 

Presuming you're not taking a tent or sleeping bag Amol, and are not travelling with kids, and are not going to any formal functions like weddings, or doing anything technical like mountian climbing, you should then be able to dispense with your big pack.

 

I fit my clothes and washbag together with my Lowe Nova 2 camera bag with D70, three lenses, four filters and cokin adaptors, batteries, charger, flashgun and extras, plus a light travel tripod (full size) inside my daypack, which is a older North Face Big Shot (38 litres, 2300 cu in). I always have room for a water bottle, lunch, guide book and other miscellaneous stuff too, like swimming kit and a small umbrella. Sometimes I do this with hiking boots (on my feet) and a spare pair of causal shoes in the pack. It weighs about 7-9 kg depending on how much food and water I have with me, which allows me to travel on aircraft without checking anything in.

 

I understand you have a very expensive set of luggage there and probably don't want to not use it. However when it's 80F and you have to hump your packs from your hostel to Gare St Lazare through the tiny turnstiles of the Paris metro, you might wish you'd packed lighter.

 

Also, when you're checked out of your hostel but still have 5 hours to kill in Rome before your onward train, it's nice to be able to take your whole kit with you, rather than have to leave some of it behind the concierge's desk and worry about whether it'll go AWOL, or have to mess around with left luggage lockers at railway stations.

Photographically, I find Venice and Paris more interesting than Florence and Rome (which are nice places to be, just with less photographic potential). When in Venice try and visit Burano. In Paris, go to Versailles after looking what people like Michael Kenna have achieved in the gardens there. From Florence take a day trip to Siena, its not far,

 

In Paris and Venice at least there's a lot to be gained from managing the public transport system well, which basically means getting a multi-day tourist ticket the minute you arrive. It covers all the waterbuses in Venice and all the Metro/bus services in Paris.

 

In the Cinque Terre, get a train timetable, and expect the villages to be busy with Italian tourists at weekends and school trips in the week. Its the season for the latter, and it makes the trains crowded. The Cinque Terre is visually dramatic, but it is no longer isolated our tourist free. If you're going to walk in the Cinque Terre, I hope you like hills. Riomaggiore is the most interesting village, and the most classic view is about a half mile west of Manarola along a level path.

 

Do you need to carry a backpack in the cities? You're generally only a minute or two from a cafe/shop for refreshments and its such a pain to have to take it off every time you want to photograph. If it rains you get on a bus/waterbus/or go in a cafe. Why not a small shoulder-bag or even just a strap with the polariser in your pocket?

Amol's not travelling in summer, he's travelling in May. That ought to be pleasant & dry

but it could be wet and cold, especially in Paris which is further north and west. Weather in

Europe isn't as predictable as it is in the US

 

Although having seen today's forecast for Augusta that might not true anymore!

Amol,

 

I don't know if anyone has addressed this but parts of Europe are full of petty theft. I did a similar trip with my wife and we got hit twice, once in Rome, once in Paris. We ran into several people during our trip (mostly in Italy; Rome, Florance, and Venice) who had run into similar problems. We were lucky and we recovered our stuff quickly (I fought with a Gypsie in Rome (Forum)and my wife realized what was happening on the Paris subway), but you don't want to take too much stuff. I tell you these people are very good and very fast!

 

It's also probably a good idea to disguise your camera backpacks, at least don't make it too obvious. I had a small monopod that was strapped on the outside of my bag, likely the reason I drew attention to myself.

<p>To a European, it sounds like you've got things about right on the camera side -- although something a bit wider would obviously be helpful for city shooting (I find a 35/f2 on a film SLR body to be a good setup).</p>

 

<p>My main comment would be about how this gear fits into your overall packing strategy... I've often done the trail pack on the back and day pack on the front combination. It works, it leaves the hands free, and it keeps your important stuff in front of you where you can see it. It's also *really* hot and occassionally awkward and tends to lead to both you and your partner being hot and sweaty (not in the good way) and rather ill-tempered.</p>

 

<p>Since this is probably not the effect that you want on your honeymoon, let me ask if you've considered wheeled baggage as an option. I am particularly fond of Timberland's approach with the <a href="http://www.timberland.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1873481&cp=1779791.1761084.1813519.1817214&parentPage=family">26in Wheeled Backpack</a>. It gives you an extra backpack that can be detached and used as a daypack if you want, and the entire thing can, in fact, be used as a pack (although personally I'd only go there in an emergency). The main thing is that the wheels are large roller-blade wheels with steel supports, so you have good clearance, good mobility, and a really well-built assemblage for getting around on even the roughest roads (I used mine in Costa Rica).</p>

 

<p>*Do* pack as lightly as possible. It's always tempting to think: "Oh, I'll need this in case we..." And, of course, half your stuff comes back unworn. It's worth remembering that Europeans tend to dress a bit better (or, if you're American you might say less practically) when out and about. That shouldn't deter you from brining comfortable shoes, but it's worth keeping in mind when deciding between, say, a shirt with a collar and shirt without.</p>

 

<p>A random short-list for travelling might be:</p>

<ul>

<li>2 collared shirts (1 short-sleeve, 1 long)

<li>2 t-shirts

<li>3 pairs of trousers (1 jeans, 2 nicer than jeans... linen or khaki would be good)

<li>1 pair comfortable, casual shoes (or even hiking boots)

<li>1 pair dressier shoes

<li>1 sweater

<li>1 rain jacket (a shell is ideal since it's light and small)

<li>1 umbrella (for Paris)

<li>Socks and Underwear as appropriate

</ul>

 

<p>If you really want, then 1 pair of shorts. But these would be the first things I'd ditch since you rarely see shorts in Italy or France. In fact, you can't visit many of the greatest monuments (i.e. churches, galleries) wearing anything that comes above the knee. So why bother? The only caveat to this is that Rome can get horribly hot, so those trousers where you can zip off and then reattach the legs might be a good compromise.</p>

 

<p>Expect to do some rinsing or washing as you go. If it's your honeymoon I'd imagine that you must be staying in at least a couple of hotels that would offer this as a service.</p>

 

<p>Try to get outside of Florence at least one or two days. Rent a car if you have to. Many people prefer to stay outside Florence (e.g. Castellina in Chianti if you want to hang out with the Brits) and then just drive in for the museums and shopping.</p>

 

<p>Figure that you can also top-up your clothes with a few choice purchases in Italy and France. Many nice pairs of shoes/sandals to be had in Italy. Light sweaters and trousers in Paris.</p>

 

<p>HTH</p>

It might have been said above, but spend $40 on a Pac-safe, It a Stainless steel mesh bag that you can lock to a bed frame or other fixed Item where your gear will be safe. If you google it you will find dealers,REI carries them. I have been to all those cities and you will be in photographers heaven.Many of the photos in my PN portfolio are from these locations.Have a great time and be glad you are not in Rome this week.

Hello Amol,

 

I've done LOTS of extended treks around the world, including several across Western Europe.

 

Photographically, your gear sounds good. I'm glad to hear you're not trying to bring a zoom or telephoto. You may never use it. If you can, I'd bring a portable storage device for your images. As you well know, digital shooters shoot much more than film shooters. As such, a comparison of digital capacity to the film equivelant may not be appropriate. Also, if you can manage the weight, try to bring a bigger tripod. I shoots lots of landscapes and it is a HUGE tool for me on my trips.

 

In my humble opinion: PACK LIGHT! You'll be amazed how much things add up. To test it, pack your bag now. See how much space you've got (leaving some room for purchases along the way and for packing on the run) and walk around the block. See how heavy it gets.

 

Laundry-mats are pretty scares. I found it most convenient to wash things in my room and hang dry them. If you can, avoid bring lots of things made of cotton. They take FOREVER to dry. AND FORGET JEANS! They are VERY heavy and NEVER dry out. I have lots of very comfortable polyester and fleece (synthetic materials) clothes. They dry overnight, are comfortable, don't keep perspiration next to your skin and they don't wrinkle easily. Perfect for travelling!!!! You can by lots of expensive high-tech clothes at your local outdoor outfitter. But you can also find synthetic material clothes (not necessarily intentionlly designed as outdoor/travel gear) in department stores and retailers much cheaper. I'll typically bring two everyday shirts. I'll wash one and hang it up at night before I go to bed. In many cases it'll be dry by morning, but just in case I'll wear the second one.

 

Also, IMHO Rome is great (lots of history) Florence took us only a day to see, Cinque Terra is fantastic but getting too touristy, Venice took us only a day to see, Paris is nice but watch out for LOTS of doggie poo all over the place (all over France).

 

The Lake region of Northern Italy is one of my favorites; Lake Como, Lake Guarda, etc. FANTASTIC for a honeymoon! And I also liked Austria and Switzerland.

 

Have a great trip! Western Europe is a wonderful place.

 

David.

Tom

 

While I agree May's not technically summer, I was in Paris last weekend and it was 20C (68F). That's unseasonable for the beginning of April but is about average for May. All other points on Amol's itinerary will be generally warmer.

 

I agree, it could nevertheless get cold, and if he's hiking the Cinque Terre he'd be advised to bring a jacket because that can be quite exposed along the tops if the weather turns. I personally use a Columbia Titanium fleece jacket which has some kind of clever waterproofing and is smart enough to dress me up.

 

So I don't really think he needs to bring more than what I listed above (Jon and David seem to suggest much the same as myself - I also rarely pack cotton clothes any more), or as others have suggested, a waterproof shell and some other midlayer.

 

I'm not a 'pack light' fanatic, by the way: my last two trips (to Madagascar and New Zealand) saw me packing almost 20kg - but including sports, camping and photographic equipment. But from hard experience I now only take what's strictly necessary for a given trip: and from what we can tell from Amol's outline, he doesn't need very much.

 

My first international trip (to Malaysia) was much less pleasant than it should have been because I totally overpacked and then had to hump it all around for three weeks. Halfway through I caved in and mailed a whole lot of stuff home at great expense.

The best advice I can give is less about photography than travel basics. Go to the library or bookstore this weekend - borrow or buy "Europe Throught the Back Door" by Rick Steves. Read it cover-to-cover as many times as you can before your trip - have your bride to be read it too.

 

I read the words "big hiking pack" and cringed- one of the most important things you will learn from the book is how (and why) to pack light. Experience has taught me it is true.

Travel as light as you can. As far as camera equipment goes adapt to the lenses you bring.

I recently went to France with a 20D, just a 20mm lens and an I Pod to download my

digital images from the two 512 CF cards. I got some great shots out of the 500+ images I

took. I never missed my telephoto or wide angle zooms because I had no choice. I plan on

on going back with just a 35mm RF, 35mm and 50mm lens to do some more photography

in the near future. Don't fret about your lenses. Worry about composition and exposure.

Get real familiar with your equipment before you leave so the mechanics of taking a photo

come naturally. Your choice of lenses seem perfect to me for your trip.

Hello Amol,

 

I have toured Europe many times from the late 1970's up until the latest trip, a year ago May. These trips have been by back-pack (like you plan), a nine month bicycle tour through eleven countries to the latest by train and small back-pack, through the cities in Italy you mention.

 

I cannot comment on the camera kit you are taking as I believe that is a personal thing dependant upon your style and amount you are willing to carry. But on all my trips I took the minimum for ME, someone else may have more or less.

 

This included, 2 Minolta SRT bodies, Weston Master light meter, (For film I prefer as manual as possable, no battery finding problems etc.) and three primes (35mm, 58mm, 135mm - standard kit). On my last trip I also carried a 24mm. No flash, I don't really like to use it and 99% of the places where it is most useful you cannot use it. No tripod, you can almost always find some other way to support your gear and again the places where they are most useful (Museums, churches etc.) the guards usually don't allow you. The film I thought I'd need (always took more than I actually used so next time might re-assess that as well, maybe not...film is light.) and a couple filters for color and B/W. All fits in a small beat-up LowePro bag that I can fit in my backpack when traveling and carry across my should/chest when wondering around the town.

 

As far as the back-pack goes, this is something that I learned from mountaineering for a good portion of my life, take the pack that is half the size you think you will need and leave home anything that does not fit.

 

Set everything you plan to take out on the floor, leave anything that you will not use EVERY day and then eliminate anything that is not necessary for survival. Be BRUTAL! Remember, you have to carry all this stuff with you almost every day and almost everywhere...if it's heavy, trust me, it gets to be a real DRAG! The train travel will be a drag, the crowds will be a drag, the churches and museums don't like big packs...a drag! On my first trip i sent over half my stuff home after the first couple weeks, couldn't carry it any more. That was in 1979 and about six years ago I finally opened the box...shows how important that stuff really was.

 

The best advice I can think of beyond that, is mentioned above, by all means read Ricks books and look up his website. He has the most useful info for traveling Europe light and still be in style.

 

Most important of all, have lots of fun!

I have one bit of advice (urging) and it has nothing to do with the gear you're packing. Make sure you go out to the countryside. The big cities are great, especially Rome which is non-stop history and fun. But, for sheer beauty, there are few areas more eye-opening than Tuscany and Normandy. The people are wonderful, and the local color is fantastic. Don't cheat yourself. Rent a car and get lost!

If you haven't purchased the CF cards yet, you might consider just getting 2 CF cards and a portable hard drive like the iPod, X's Drive, Tripster, etc. For the $200 you'd spend on 4 CF cards, you can get a 40GB+ hard drive. This will give you the freedom of essentially unlimited storage space, even if you want to shoot RAW.

 

On a recent 3 week trip, I took just over 3000 shots. I kept one card in the camera, and one in the X's Drive. Fill a card, dump it to the drive, format the card that was in the drive, and keep shooting.

 

I would also recommend the "Smart Care" shirts & khakis from Nordstrom's. 100% cotton, and they look great even three weeks on the road. Slip a couple inside a 1- or 2- gallon ziplock bag, squeeze the air out, and throw it in the pack. You'd be surprised how much better you get treated when you don't look like a backpacking tourist.

<i>...when you don't look like a backpacking tourist.</i><br>

<br>

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Hi Amol,

<p>

About packing, I only skimmed through the responses, so forgive me if someone already included this, but the best advice I ever heard about packing was: "Lay out everything you think you need, put half of it back and take more money." Seriously, I've travelled a moderate amount and _never_ have I wished I'd brought more stuff.

<p>

My wife and I were traveling light in Europe last summer and had a wonderful time in the Cinque Terre...here's my site with some photos and a bit of a trip report with a few hints sprinkled through that you may find useful: <a href="http://www.duke.edu/%7Eahh2/Europe2004/all/it/it2/index.html">Cinque Terre 2004</a>

<p>

Have fun!

Hi,

 

Lots of great responses. Keep them coming. I am happy to hear that my camera equip sounds about right.

 

Aaron or anyone: At the Cinque Terra we will be staying in Riomaggiore. I noticed that you were there and had dinner at La Lanterna, how was the price in Euro or/& USD? And about how much is it to rent a boat for a couple hours? Thanks.

 

 

I will be packing light for the trip, thanks for the suggestions, I think I've got the clothing part taken care of... maybe, what to you think:

 

3-4 Pants (Cargo Style made from Nylon/Polyster, pretty light, dries easy, some convert to shorts, all Khaki colored)

 

1 Shorts for sleeping (and if necessary swimming, I am not a big swimmer)

 

2 Long Sleeve Shirts ("Tek" No-Collar, made from Polyster, "Wicks away moisture" quick dry, and light. Color: 1 Black, 1 Blue/Gray)

 

2 Short Sleeve shirts (Collar, made from Cotton & Nylon, nice dress shirts, Color: 1 Khaki/Green, and 1 Blue/Black)

 

1 plain white Hanes shirt for sleeping or wearing under collared shirt.

 

5-7 Underwear and Socks (means I'll have to do laundry at the end of the week.

 

1 pair of Brown leather sandals (fisherman sandals), I'll be wearing hiking type boots when traveling with the hiking pack. Sandals for daily use at a city, stowed in pack when on the move.

 

1 rain jacket (shell style)

 

My Orion Trekker will fit in to my hiking pack, if I need to travel quickly, without taking being able pictures of course.

 

What do you think about my packing list of clothing?

 

Thanks for the responses,

 

Amol

Amol,

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I have been to Italy and France and roughly my itinerary was similar to yours though much more tightly packed. On my last europe trip I had Canon 17-40 L lens on Digital rebel body. This was the lens I used most often. I also had canon 50 with me. Though I didnt use it all that much. However you may take it along as its not a very heavy lens to carry.

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I am assuming that you will be travelling by train while in Italy. its much more convenient and easy than driving. My suggestion would be to keep the backpack in train stations. Most train stations all over europe, even the smaller ones, have baggage storage facility. Taking pictures with a heavy backpack may not be such a good idea.

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My pictures of Europe are here:

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<a href=http://www.poptechnologist.com/gallery>http://www.poptechnologist.com/gallery</a>