Travelling with luggage or backpack?

<p>Hi guys, i'll be traveling to a 20 day trip to Japan in early May and i have doubt. At first, most of my transportation in Japan will be by train and i'll be sleeping in hostels / friends house, i'll be doing a lot of street photography/landscape/portrait photos. My gear (i'll buy this new body and lenses in Japan) will be Nikon D800 or a Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Tokina 16-28mm F/2.8, Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8, Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 and, maybe, a 50mm f/1.4 lenses (ok, i know that's a lot of glass and i should carry/buy less lenses). Plus, Benro C0681TB00 Tripod with B00 Dual Action Ballhead and UV Protector, Circular Polarizer and ND filters. A macbook pro 15" will also travel with me and will be carried with the camera/lenses trough the travel and city walks/hiking-trekking. Should i travel with a backpack, maybe a travel pack with 70l+10l (Deuter Quantum 70+10 or other similar, the attached daypack is dispensable i guess, then, i'll choose a multi-day backpack) and a daypack (Kata Bumblebee PL-220 / Crumpler The Sinking Barge Deluxe / F-Stop Loka pack with medium pro ICU) for camera / lenses / food / jacket or should i choose a trolley luggage (Deuter Helion 80)? Do you guys would rather choose to travel with backpacks or with luggage?</p>

<p>First of all I would not wait until I was in Japan to buy all of that equipment unless you are certain that the warranty will still cover you at home. For an American, it could be disasterous. </p>

<p>Then there is the issue of trying to learn new equipment while you are on your trip. I would never embark on a photographic trip with a camera I have never used. That is a recipe for disaster as well.</p>

<p>You are going to be a very tired puppy. If I were going on your trip and wanted full frame I would take something like a D700 or D600. A couple of lightweight zooms and 'maybe' the 50 1.4. </p>

<p>Finally. You are going to be staying at hostels with nearly $7000.00 worth of equipment in your backpack? Gasp. No offense but if you don't even know what brand of camera you are going to buy you do not need a $500.00 tripod. </p>

<p>The first thing you should take on your trip is a workshop on travel photography, a serious working knowledge of your equipment and gear appropriate to the jpb.</p>

<p>My first trip overseas by myself was in 2004 to Japan which I spent 21 days and covered cities from Sapporo to Beppu (Hakata). I also bought my Nikon D70 body in Sapporo but I took my 50 and 85 primes with me. First off, Japan isn't the cheapest and second I got a lemon so I had to send my D70 back to Tokyo for warranty. The warranty is international that you can send back overseas for repair provided you pay the return postal which they quote you (before they go ahead with the repair). The warranty isn't international that you can just have it repaired for free in your own country.</p>

<p>Re: baggage. My first trip and I hated the bulk, like many I travelled with a travel pack with a clip on daypack. My 2nd trip to Japan and other trips from then on I can now travel with just a daypack.</p>

<p>First luggage or backpack. If you are following a tour or if you are just staying in a few big cities then luggage might be ok. B/c you are not moving around that much. The airport express trains are equipped to handle luggage (as too the cheaper airport train). Once you get onto the normal subway trains and even the bullet trains you only have overhead compartment. IME I had to detach the daypack off the big pack and the big pack just squeezes in. When you are going in the train stations they have a lot of stairs to get to the train platforms so a luggage isn't suitable. Not too bad with big hotels but with hostels you might find the terrain might be up hill a bit and not that smooth to use a luggage.</p>

<p>Ok for my IMHO ...The first trip I hated the weight and bulk esp by the time after day 14. I in fact lost my 100% cashmere scarf probably on the train or that I forgot to take it. Over the days I was talking to myself quietly how I could drop the size down. JPN hostels don't allow sleeping bags due to bed bug risk, they provide you sheets and duvets. For toiletries you can get the plastic bottles like 50ml and pour shampoo and liquid soap into them and buy travel size deodorant etc ... use shaving oil .. you might need to buy the razor blades or disposable razors in JPN due to the carry on restriction unless you gonna put your daypack into cargo hold. I use face towels .. they are also faster to dry. Wear one set, May should be very warm so you don't need a big jacket but have a light jacket for rain maybe .. carry one set of top/pants there and more underclothing and maybe buy one set there .. Done correctly your pack could be less less than 10lbs not incl camera equip.</p>

<p>Be aware that the visitor attractions generally speaking doesn't allow you to use a tripod. But you can use it in the city outside like at a vantage point. Also with the bulk if you carry that much stuff, 10am is generally the checkout time and around 2 or 3pm is the checkin time ... you need to carry the stuff with you or pay for lockers. And if you are seeing more than a few diff places ie transiting to different cities think about your stuff amongst Japanese crowds on public transport. You may skip the morning rush hour but you may well still have to stand until you get to a main station and most people get off. When I was there in 2004, it was easier not to sit down b/c due to the hassle of getting my big pack off/on even when there was a vacant seat. RE: some of the hostels I used, there if a fair bit of walking from the train station esp in the smaller cities/towns. Maybe 15mins? And that you need to navigate a map or GPS ....</p>

<p>If you are considering a Nikon or a Canon you may not have any equip now. Seriously buy at home, might be cheaper, you get warranty too. Learn it. Re: hostels, it's not uncommon dSLRs in hostels. They have iPhones too. I met a French photographer there getting his street photog stock images .... Just ensure that you take it all out with you always now I dunno about the laptop. I never carry one. I only carried one when I went to a hotel which they have a in-room safe but I had real work to do.</p>

<p>Are your accom booked? Places can get very busy you know .. esp with Kyoto with the highly recommended hostels on Lonely Planet Book. Consider booking out at least 3 months out. Unlike hotels hostels don't get cheaper nearer to the date you plan to stay. Learn some Japanese, not even the Police speak English. For hostels have the hostel name written down in Japanese, likewise the address and their phone number. One time the taxi driver had to ask the police station. Also get the rail pass if it is beneficial to you if you are doing a lot of train use. The rail pass doesn't have to begin from day (1). If you plan to spend a couple of days in Tokyo first and the a few days at the end of the 20 days. You can simply just use the cheaper airport train to the city ... wait a couple of days then exchange the rail pass just before you plan to use the $$$ trains then the pass expires ... you then just pay for the local subway trains each time ... and again pay for the cheap airport train to airport to depart the country..... So if you are there for 20 days you may find that a 14 day pass is sufficient. The weekly pass in general is about $400US the longer 2 or 3 week passes are slightly cheaper per day.</p>

After years of traveling, most of my travel is now done with a 35-liter backpack and a very small Domke camera bag (I can squeeze in a DSLR and two small primes). My serious camera gear is limited to a single DSLR and two or three small primes. After a few weeks, even this lightweight setup starts feeling a bit heavy.

 

If you plan to carry around a 70-liter backpack and 10-liter daypack with a laptop, camera, and several big lenses, I hope that you are very strong and fit.

<p>I have a bad back from carrying a 50lb Domke bag on one shoulder for the past 40 yrs. I think a soft rolling bag is a great idea for travel. I would also think of getting and investing in a PacSafe mesh bag protector that you can attach to a welded bed frame or something solid. I use one when traveling and have never had a problem. </p>

"I think a soft rolling bag is a great idea for travel."

 

A soft rolling bag is great if you will have reasonably-smooth, reasonably-clean surfaces to roll it on most of the time. Doesn't work well in dirt, mud, snow, or more than a centimeter of standing water. Carrying a big, heavy bag up and down all the (often crowded) stairs you'll encounter in Japan would be challenging.

<p>This is a hoax, isn't it? </p>

<p>Regarding backpacking: 70L is big and heavy, but it really depends on your physique, of course. I say a safe bet would be 25-33% of your weight to start with...</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Sleeping in hostels is asking for trouble with expensive camera kit unless there is some way the hostel can provide secure storage. I am not saying that Japanese people are dishonest, like other nationalities some are honest others are not. No doubt there will be many other nationalities staying at the hostels.</p>

<p>I would not buy and use new kit abroad on an important trip. I went to Arizona/Utah from my home in Scotland with my wife a number of years ago. She bought me a new light meter which I was delighted with and I used it all the time. However, I made a silly mistake and ruined 24 rolls of E6 film which had to be discarded. Granted, things are not so bad nowadays with the advent of digital but please don't learn this lesson the hard way. </p>

<p>You seem to be intending to carry a lot of kit and I suspect that by the time you arrive home you will be exhausted! Forget the computer, leave it at home, you don't actually need it until you are editing the trip in the comfort of your own home. Invest in 2/3 high quality lens' and move away from or nearer to the subject as required. I use mainly prime lens' but that is a matter of personal choice.</p>

<p>As far as a tripod is concerned in the UK I bought a Manfrotto 190 series tripod fro under £200 (about $150?) and it works a treat even with heavy medium format kit as well as Nikon digital. Go for a carbon fibre model which are light in weight but steady. </p>

<p>Maker your mistakes at home, we all do that! Buy your new kit at home and enjoy using it prior to your trip to Japan. </p>

<p>Post some of your images when you return and let everyone know how you get on. I would love to go back to Japan I am green with envy! </p>

 

<p>If you staying in the big cities you could use a suitcase, local Japanese do that too. Many tourists do. You'll be a nuisance. You could roll it down a big street cross a road at the pedestrian crossing and go into a hotel. Hostels may not be that bad either if you they are centrally located but if they are located away from the real financial centre CBD you can have more of a walk, more of a uneven terrain maybe inclined passages. In train stations you may need to look for the escalator when the door barges up and people pour out like human tsunami. The escalator might be at the other side, there are more staircase entry/exits than escalators. IMO people should only carry a 35L pack or one of those small rollers that air crew wheel along. Some Japanese workers wheel those along in the (real) city I guess businessmen/women. But they don't travel as much as you. Your issue would be when you venture outside the real city. 70L, or max generally for airlines 20kg (40lbs) what you gonna take on holiday man. Maybe you just need to try and see what you prefer.</p>

<p>Nah ... these days laptops and dSLRs are pretty common. Japan hostels many not all have lockers operated by coins. Just carry your camrea bag out with you. But you have a camera backpack hhmmmmmmmm..... I only had a lil shoulder bag. But I can understand people's opinion of hostels they are now more like flashpackers. Many places in JPN you can get single room hostels for about $40-50US a night. </p>

I have traveled the world and been living in Japan for the past year and a half and I can tell you that

Japan is the safest place to travel.Personally I dislike(hate) suitcases of any kind, I have always traveled

with a backpack big enough to carry my camera bag in it(2 DSLR, a couple of primes and 2 zooms and a

heavy duty Manfrotto).Hostels in Japan are like Motels in the states but way safer and cleaner.I wouldn't

worry too much about my gear as long as you take the usual precautions.BUT buy your gear in your

OWN country, you won't save any money buying it here although they'll give you a 5% discount when

you show them your passport.

Besides trains, there are buses you can take which are cheaper but also slower...

Most people understand SOME English if you speak slowly but have a hard time speaking it.

Learn some polite phrases in Japanese just for show...

Enjoy your trip Japan is a beautiful country...

<h1 >Travelling with luggage or backpack?</h1>

<p>Neither. You'll need a caddy/assistant with all that tonnage. Hopefully, this is a hoax.</p>

<p>I once met an Australian couple in the Hungarian Peoples Republic who had been traveling all over the Warsaw pact countries. After the first couple of weeks, as they told me, they had sent all their luggage and stuff home except for what they could carry in a couple of net bags (mostly wash-and-wear). They said they'd never had such carefree travel.<br /> Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose.</p>

<p >Well, after all these replies i have to thank each one of you. I live in Brazil and the price of equipment is way, way to high (almost 5k USD in grey market and 9,5k USD in local retail stores camera body only) but my wife bought a 5D Mark III yesterday and, following you guys advice i'll gonna get used and friendly with the camera and then buy new body in Japan. No, this is not a HOAX, just a really question from someone in doubt about the proper gear to cary. I used to shoot with a D90 and i think it is time to move to a Full Frame camera, the capacity of the bag was one of the advices that i had, 70l is to big (and heavy) but the backpack/travel pack i will be only for my clothes and gifts that i'll take to my friends that live in Tokyo, Nagoya and Hamamatsu. It will stay at my friends house and at the hostels (that i'll be booking next week after price research), the camera, lenses and computer will be with me all the time in the daypack/camera bag. My body type isn't a tank, i'm 1,75m tall and 75kg weight and yes, i'm starting to consider less lenses (any recommendations?) to this.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Here is my trip plan</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Tokyo (3 days)</p>

<p >Nikko (2 days)</p>

<p >Hakone (2 days)</p>

<p >Takayama/Shirakawago (1 day)</p>

<p >Nagoya (1 day)</p>

<p >Osaka/Nara/Kobe (3 days)</p>

<p >Himeji (1 day)</p>

<p >Kyoto (4 days)</p>

<p >Hiroshima/Miyajima (2 days)</p>

<p >Tokyo (1 day)</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Thanks you all!</p>

<p>Well if your wife bought the Canon that answers that question. It would not be wise to have two different brands in the same household. You might also want to look at your wife's lens inventory and see how to compliment it. </p>

<p>Light and easy works for me on travel. There is a difference between professional travel and vacation travel. You seem to be going on vacation. Consider light and easy. </p>

<p>Sorry. Delete</p>

<p>Don't know if you have chosen a pack yet, but I can't speak high enough praise for the Osprey Waypoint series. I carry a 60L and it is perfect (Trains into Chicago or flying out to Seattle). That said, if I hadn't been going for work, I would probably have been better off with a 40L to 50L pack. Do you NEED the laptop? Unless it's an ultralight/Air, I would think a tablet + external HD would serve you better.</p>

<p>As for the camera gear, I usually either put it in a small case (P&S or M4/3 with two small lenses) or wraps (DSLR). Throw those in the daypack, and good to go. I will say, if I were you, I would carry a zoom or two, no fixed focal lengths.</p>

<p>I also have a small nylon backpack that folds into itself for storage. Think it was from Sea-to-Summit. Not the most comfortable, but great for needing added storage suddenly.</p>

<p>If the big pack stays at the hostel or your friend's place, you still have to carry it between cities right and then check into the hostel and put it there ....</p>

<p>From your cities you plan to travel for the 20 days that doesn't seem to be a lot of travel distance so the JR Rail Pass might not be that worth it. You can take the cheaper trains but longer journey, you could also fly if there are cheap flights with the budget airlines ... The people that take the passes, tend to travel like Tokyo to Kyoto or to Hiroshima in the 7-10 days with the first few days initially in Tokyo that you don't have to activate it yet .. so 10 day stay is ok with a 7 day pass. People tended to say that the 7 day pass pays for itself fi you travel on the bullet train from Tokyo - Kyoto and back or was that to Hiroshima ... but for a 20/21 day pass it's about 3x with a % discount.</p>

<p>Also from your cities, to save the hassle of finding your hostel and checkin at 2pm remember and then waste time in dropping your "pack" down and head out again and do it all again on your next accom change, you might want to base yourself in Tokyo when you visit Nikko and Hakone they are a day trip away. Hakone is a bit further but do-able with a early morning trip out as it requires a few diff trains some are not express. Unless you want to spend more than a day there of course .... But to me this is the thing with a big pack. With a small pack you can carry all your stuff with you checkout early morning even and see stuff and checkin in the evening. Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hemiji, Kobe can be based again in just one city. When I was there with the bullet train, Hemiji from Kyoto was a merely 15min trip I think. And was Nara 45min. If your airfares hasn't been finalised, some tickets you can fly into Tokyo and fly out from Kansai (Osaka) to save again that travel time ... and the final night in Tokyo. If you are not using express trains without the pass, doing all those little stops with slow trains might waste quite of bit of your enjoyment time ...... be it if you base yourself in one city or relocate your hostel.</p>

<p>IMO. Day trips so reduce Hakone and Nikko to a day, you now have 2 extra days. Reduce Kyoto to maybe 3 days. Increase Hiroshima and that Mirijiyma Island to 3 days and try to stay on the island that's something I wish for now. At night time the Hiroshima sights get that green tinge color so you might want a a night. See if you can fly out from Kansai. That would give you one more day.</p>

<p>Are you planning on getting the JR Rail Pass? <br /> If not. You may also want to consider some bullet trains like to Nikko and Hakone where available to save some time ... v short trips from Kyoto to Nara or Hemiji could be done with slower trains with less impact. You could get the rail pass from day 4 if you stick to your original plan so you speed thru to Nikko/Hakone and down to Kyoto or somewhere there to base yourself but then it expires. But then there is a huge gap until the last 4 days where from Kyoto - Hiroshima and then back to Tokyo. Or just consider the bullet trains on a case/case like Nikko and Hakone to speed it up, get yourself to Kyoto area city to base yourself then to Hiroshima and back to Tokyo if you cannot fly out from Kansai. You may want to compare prices. Eg Tokyo to Kyoto takes 3hrs on bullet train. Bus is 8hr overnight not sure if this is available in day time if so it may take longer, long haul trains might be in between. Factor in time to the hostel to checkin to drop the pack down if you are not using bullet trains you may find that you get there just in time for checkin at 2pm if you depart 8am or so ... from that time other than a walk around the city the day's gone and some night action.</p>

<p>You might find the addes expense of the pass worth its convenice ...</p>

<p>No reason you cannot get the pack down. The smallish pack may weigh 3lbs (1.5kg) for a 35L. Toiletries 500g in small bottles, a extra top and pants (1kg), 1kg of other travel assistance things ... 4kg or 8lbs add your presents not incl your camera bag. I travel with maybe a 20L daypack and a Lowepro Photo Runner bag, the tripod I take is a Gitzo traveler (2lbs with head). When you are overseas you can/should buy a set of clothes there .. I say don't take full size shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap or 3 or 4 changes of clothes... Toiletires could be 2kg itself .... I dunno why you still need a 70L if you did carry those items, my travel pack was only 65 or was it 55L and I had a sleeping bag that I didn't use.</p>

<p>Marcello, I found your post a little hard to understand but from what I gather you need to have one pack for all your clothes, and a different one for your camera gear that you can use during the day. When I travel I put the bigger pack on my back and the smaller pack in front -- yes you look like a pack mule, but it works. That being said, virtually no Japanese carry backpacks when travelling -- it's all luggage -- so you will stand out travelling with packs. I've lived and travelled in Japan for over 8 years now, so I do speak from experience. Most (big) train stations are equipped with escalators and elevators, but they are sometimes inconveniently located or (in smaller places) non-existant, so you should be prepared to carry your luggage/pack in any situation.</p>

<p>Most of the newer hostels in Japan are equipped with large lockers (but bring your own lock). The biggest worry is theft from your fellow travellers, not Japanese people. That being said, I have never had a problem in Japan (or any other country for that matter). Most backpackers (flashpackers?) now travel with a lot of digital gear -- cameras, computers, tablets, etc. so you won't stand out.</p>

<p>As for gear, Japan is good for the latest and greatest cameras (and even the used but not abused), but it's not cheap. I live here and still order all my photo gear from the US since it's much cheaper and I don't get charged any customs/duty.</p>

<p>As for your itinerary -- how are you planning to travel, and how long will you stay in each place? I would budget at least half a day for travel if you are checking out of one place, getting to the station, travelling, and then having to find your new accomodation. As Ray has mentioned above, try to base yourself in fewer places and do day trips -- you'll save a lot of time and hassle by not always having to repack and re-set up in every city you visit. Is there a reason you want to visit Osaka/Kobe? As a resident here in Japan they're fun cities, but as a tourist I'm not sure what you would get out of them -- by that I mean I would spend more time in other places. Also, if you are going to Himeji to see the castle, be warned that it under a lot of <a href="http://www.himejijo-syuri.jp/en/repair/index.html">scaffolding for renovation </a>-- you can still visit, but photographically you may be disappointed.</p>

I recommend traveling with gear that you know well, not something that you bought recently or worse, pick uo in the

course of the trip. How are you going to know how these bodies handle challenging exposure situations? When and how

do you plan to fine tune autofocus? What will you do if you encounter technical problems?

 

I don't travel with a laptop. My travel time is dedicated to shooting and exploring, not to processing and filing. I'll have

months to process the files once I return home.

 

Less is more in terms of carrying gear. Are you planning to pull a suitcase through temples and shrines? Not a good

idea. You can't leave gear in a hostel safely, so you'll need to carry everything with you at all times.

 

Take extra batteries and memory cards. Forget about uv filters - totally unnecessary. Your lenses aren't that expensive

in the first place.

<p>Hi guys, first of all thanks a lot for all these replies. Your advices made me think a lot these days and i think i've reached the following conclusion: <br /><br />Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera <br />Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX Lens for Canon <br />Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 DI VC USD Lens for Canon <br />Canon Telephoto EF 135mm f/2.0L USM Autofocus Lens <br />Benro C-0691 Travel Angel CF Tripod (Trans-Functional) W/B00 Ballhead <br />Filters <br />2x 16gb CF Card <br />1 8gb SD Card <br />iPad2 with CF/SD card reader <br />USB hard-drive <br /><br />All fitted in a backpack: Fstop Guru or Lowepro Pro Trekker 300 AW <br />The camera backpack will be with me all the time and double padlocked <br />For clothes, i've decided using a Deuter Helion 80 rucksack, it has wheels and also a shoulder strap if necessary <br /><br />In order to keep my things safe, both packs will stay locked with Pacsafe 55L Bag Protector and Pacsafe 85L Backpack Protector while the luggage stays at hostel/sleeping time. <br /><br />Once again, thanks a lot and any further advices or recommendations will be very appreciated</p>

<p>Well, i've made some changes in the gear for the travel and i've just asked to a friend of mine who is going to NYC next week grab for me the equipment at B&H.<br>

The list:<br>

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera <br />Canon Battery Pack LP­E6 for the EOS 5D Mark II, 5D Mark III, 6D, & 7D Digital SLR Cameras ­ 1800 mAh (2 spare)<br />SanDisk - 16GB CompactFlash Memory Card Extreme 400x UDMA - 2-Pack<br />SanDisk - 16GB CompactFlash Memory Card Extreme Pro 600x UDMA<br />SanDisk - 16 GB SDHC Memory Card Extreme Pro Class 10 UHS-I<br />Vello - Wireless ShutterBoss Timer Remote<br />Pearstone - Duo Battery Charger for Canon LP-E6<br />Tamron - 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical IF Macro Autofocus Lens)<br />Canon Telephoto EF 135mm f/2.0L USM Autofocus Lens <br />Samyang 14mm Ultra Wide-Angle f/2.8 IF ED UMC Lens For Canon<br />Lensbaby Creative Effects System Kit<br />Tiffen 67mm Digital Essentials Filter Kit<br />Tiffen 72mm Digital Essentials Filter Kit<br />Benro - C-0691 Travel Angel CF Tripod (Trans-Functional) W/B00 Ballhead<br />Think Tank Photo - Retrospective 7 Shoulder Bag (Pinestone) - Walkaround Bag<br />Incase Designs Corp DSLR Pro Sling Pack (Black) (Travel Bag)<br />iPad with Retina display Wi-Fi 64GB - Black<br />iPad Smart Case - Polyurethane - Light Gray<br />Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader<br />Lightning to USB Camera Adapter<br />Lightning to 30-pin Adapter<br />M.I.C. All-in-One Card Reader For iPad<br>

My only last doubt is about choosing a 50mm 1.4f instead the 135mm or taking none of them, what do you guys think?</p>