Traveling? Hope this Helps!

August 26th, 2015
Hi everyone,
Some of you know that I planned a trip for last June to Japan and Bali (from the southern US). I want to thank many of you for helping me plan what I would need for the trip, and I thought I would pass on what the experience was like, including some hints about what to take, what not to take, and how well my gear worked for me.

The gear holder (backpack):

I bought a Lowepro Flipside 20L, one of the larger travel backpacks Lowepro offers. There are two smaller versions of this backpack (the 15L and the 10L) for day hikes, but I chose this specific backpack because it had a very sturdy waste belt, a water bladder area that could serve as extra storage, additional zip pockets on the front of the pack (so it could store a small laptop/tablet/tickets/maps—thin stuff—handy for a plane trip and while touring on foot), a full weather proof sleeve that covers the pack in rain, and the amazingly wonderful side storage for a tripod. The pack actually opens on the back—how? The waste belt is the anchor. So when I wanted to access my camera, lens, tripod, I did not have to remove the pack. All I did (quite successfully the whole trip) was remove the arm straps, swing the pack to the front of my body, and zip open the pack where the gear is all neatly stored in the sections for the camera, lenses, batteries, etc. All of this sits perpendicular to you, and even at this size/weight pack, it will stay stable. Of all the things I bought for this trip, this was consistently AMAZING. The pack was perfect for carryon on all planes, and I actually carried it at max weight 15 pounds a few days ALL DAY, so it is sturdy and comfortable. One thing, though, I did make a scarf to use around my neck to soften the wear against my shoulders and neck see photo below. I’d recommend a t-shirt with sleeves, or craft something like I did. Oh, and you can buy this pack in Orange—no losing me in a crowd! Ha!



The Tripod:

After all of my diligent plans to take a tripod, I wish I had taken a really cheap, lightweight one instead of the one I did. Why? Well, in many locations, especially in Japan, sightseeing spots either prohibited tripods (and often cameras in worship spaces) or they were too cramped to set up shop and not annoy other tourists who legitimately want to get the same view! Now, that being said, I loooooove the tripod I did buy, and I will never need another one as long as I live, but for a travel situation, I will use a very lightweight, and cheap tripod—I did use my tripod, but only when it was planned out that way. And my backpack did carry it so well. But I was walking 10 miles some days and that extra weight for barely any use was not worth it. I was lucky in Bali where my driver would store it in the car until I needed it. In Japan, I was on my own. Either way, I still recommend a tripod, but one that can still hold the weight of gear, but just cheap, cheap, cheap.

If you are wondering about my tripod, though, I bought a MeFoto Roadtrip. It has so many great features and it will be my “forever tripod.” It assembles in seconds, it has twists for extending legs—fast, super fast, it has a hook for a weight, it has a great swivel head, it has a monopod function that takes so little time to assemble, and it comes in awesome colors (mine was green). Only drawbacks are it’s a bit heavy for long day hikes but it’s perfect for every single other thing. Carry a coin for attaching plate (I used a Japanese coin as a necklace because the coin had a hole in it—I had it at all times, and it was a great conversation point with other Japanese tourists in Bali who came up to me.

What Camera/ lenses to take?



I took every lens of mine except a prime wide angle (it’s not very good, and my new 18-135 is wide enough for what I was doing).

Cameras:
Canon 7D MII, Nikon Coolpix (for easy point and shoot), Canon Powershot D20 (underwater camera), Samsung S5 Phone

Lenses:
18-135 kit lens for 7D MII
This was the lens I used almost all the time—worked great all around, and I could have easily made it my only lens and been happy.
Sigma 35 prime (acts like a 50 on crop sensor)
This lens was super helpful in the cloudy/low light situations, but I did not use it much because of the limited scope. If you are into street scenes, though, I would highly recommend. I caught a Geisha in Kyoto with this one and would never have gotten the crisp shot I needed with my other lenses, especially as evening approached and light was dim. Down side, it’s heavy.
Friend’s 70-300mm (mine broke right before trip—ugh)
I didn’t need this lens, but I got some “hard to reach” shots with it. And it was great for catching surfers on the beach. I would take it again.

What About Rain?

My Japan leg of the trip was smack dab in the middle of the rainy season.
Enter the best item I needed in my camera bag: a PLASTIC SANITARY CUP COVER FROM HOTEL ROOMS. They work PERFECTLY covering your lens when you are in a rainy situation. I had bought some professional bags, but they were messy, too hard to wrangle, and I had a weather resistant body, just not weather resistant lenses. All I had to do was cut the end of the cup sack and slip one of these sanitary cup covers over my lens up to my camera body and the lens was well protected for when it wasn't pouring down rain--and ready to use (it helps to have the lens hood on of course. My time in Japan in June meant very few days without rain, and I figured out this fix while in Kyoto at the only night I was in a hotel and dreaded the bags I bought in the states before the trip.

Additionally, I was caught in a HUGE rainstorm in Tokyo while visiting Meiji Shrine, but I was not going to let rain stop me from going to the other sights on the large compound. I simply put on the all-weather sleeve to my camera backpack, put up the umbrella and kept the camera in the pack until I found a bit of cover. I was careful to put my wallet in the camera case area, though, because the only access to the pack is from the back and not the front in these cases (you don’t want to remove the sleeve cover until you have to to avoid getting wet everything else). In the meantime, my phone worked for some shots. Before heading in the rain to keep going, I got this shot while under cover. Gives you an idea of the downpour.



Advice for anyone

If you were like me and insisted on taking the “big” camera with all the gear, I think it is a great idea, but I would remark that this was a pretty big solo trip for me. My family would have hated all of my stops and everything. I met a friend in Bali and we traveled together for 7 days. She had purchased the Sony Mirrorless A6000 (I think that is the one) with the addition of the zoom (at my recommendation!). Her shots were phenomenal, and her load was significantly smaller than mine. I’m used to carrying lots of gear with me and my big camera to all kinds of gatherings, but that small camera for someone traveling a good bit is worth the money in my honest opinion. It had other features like wifi (mine doesn’t) that I can see someone who just wants their vacation photos without too much editing. Would I travel like I did this time? My adjustments would be minimal, except for the tripod—I could live without it. But I didn’t do a lot of night-time photography, and I never made it to one bridge shot I had on my bucketlist.

I hope this is helpful for anyone. Feel free to ask any questions if you have any. I packed really well because this community helped me make the purchase decisions I made, so this is a big thank you! You can see my photos on my Japan/Bali album (haven’t even posted the Japan leg yet).

Photo below with my friend's Sony mirrorless.



Daryl 
August 27th, 2015
Daryl, this is a thoughtful, useful analysis for travel. Thanks for taking the time to pull this all together!
August 27th, 2015
Jo
Ditto @taffy an excellent read. Did I understand right that you dragged the 70-300 canon lens around with you? You must be super woman to manage all that weight on your back for hours at a time.
August 27th, 2015
Thank you for this information. I have to start thinking about my next trip and what to do differently.
August 27th, 2015
Wonderful info, sounds like a GREAT trip
August 27th, 2015
Superb info, as I am off to Zambia on 9th September. I have purchased the same tripod as you, but blue and I equally love it to death, apart from it's weight as you say.

I am scared to go without my 'big' DSLR but have been very naughty and treated myself to the EOS M3 which is along the lines of the fantastic Sony you mention. btw I ADORE that image of the lady in the rain ;-D
August 27th, 2015
I read this even though that kind of travel is not on my horizon for a while! It was so informative and well-written. And I loved the pictures!! I'm glad you had such a great trip and in the future, should something like this come about for me, I'll be looking this up again!
August 28th, 2015
@jo13 I did two days, but each day, I took the ones I knew I would use the most. Japan was when I was loaded down. Bali, I had a driver (who could hold things for me) and I was in relax/tour mode. If you only go to Bali once in your life, you need all the lenses! Ha!
August 28th, 2015
@taffy Thanks Taffy. I've been meaning to do this and it just seemed like I only had 15 minutes to write it (as evidenced by my shifts in verb tenses everywhere--ugh). Oh well, the writer writes and sometimes never edits! Ha!
August 28th, 2015
@dmcoile Glad it was helpful! Where are you going next?
August 28th, 2015
@photographycrazy Thanks. It was so amazingly awesome. I just have about 1,000 more photos to process. Hahahahaha
August 28th, 2015
@pixiemac Oh, new camera. How exciting about your trip! The tripod is fantastic. It is a load though, but not in regular situations. Can't believe how compact it gets. Can't wait to hear about your trip!
August 28th, 2015
@olivetreeann Thanks very much Ann! It really was the most amazing trip ever. I'm one lucky girl who has some very generous friends.
August 28th, 2015
Jo
@darylo I went to Bali and Thailand years ago but had no interest in photography, just partying, how sad is that!!
August 28th, 2015
wow, thats so thought out - its great to know how others travel. I hoping to have some big travel adventure next year.. but at this stage - no idea how i'll approach it... thank you!!
August 28th, 2015
@brigette next will be France with my daughter :)
August 29th, 2015
Great article, Daryl! You sound like a well-organized person! :)
August 30th, 2015
This is great information! And I love the photos you included!
September 1st, 2015
@juliedduncan I try. Had I not done all the preplanning I would not have been prepared as my father-in-law died two weeks before my trip. My family teases me about my obsessive prep for trips. The only downside is that in spite of my best efforts and logical approach, I forgot/lost something every day or spent hours seeking something right in front of me. The mind does not cooperate sometimes!
September 1st, 2015
@linnypinny thanks Lin. Just sharing the 365 love!
September 3rd, 2015
@darylo Oh, so sorry to hear about your father-in-law. :(
I know what you mean about "losing" things. I can never remember which frickin' pocket I put "it" in. Anyway, take care! :)
December 16th, 2015
@darylo As a long time, long-term traveler who is getting back into photography (I write about travel and photos are a must with online writing), I found your information really helpful. I travel very lightly and on my last trip (Cuba) I took only a 70-250 lens, which just didn't allow me to get any wide angle street scenes at all. I've switched to a 18-270 lens now, and though it's heavy, it still lets me get most of the shots I try for. Thanks for the tripod tip as well. My travel tripod is pretty tippy. Looking forward to beginning my 365 project on January 1. Thanks again.
December 16th, 2015
@sjod365 Glad you liked it! I'm currently developing my photos from my June trip to Bali and Japan. Slowly posting them and writing about my experiences. I love traveling, and I like to pack as light as possible. Prepping for a trip to France in June with my daughter, and I am trying to figure out the lens thing. I liked my 18-135 and will probably do that again. Your lens sounds wonderful! I don't think my orange backpack will be very popular in Paris...
December 16th, 2015
@darylo Paris is one of my favorite cities. Have a wonderful trip. I'm heading to Ireland and Amsterdam in June, so I'll wave across the channel.
February 6th, 2016
thank you so much for all the info you've provided...i'm going to europe and the uk in july this year and i've found this article very helpful...thanks heaps
February 6th, 2016
@maree_sanderson No problem, and if you ever have any questions, shoot them here! I'm looking for a smaller travel backpack for my France trip in June. Have a great time in July!!!
February 7th, 2016
...just wondering....what head do you use on your tripod...looking for a stong yet reasonably priced head for a monopod i'm going to get...thank you :o)
March 22nd, 2016
This was a great and informative read,Daryl! I am off to Ireland again in July..so I was glad to find this thread!
April 2nd, 2016
very useful info - thanks
April 3rd, 2016
@maree_sanderson sorry! I missed this comment! I use the mefoto and I don't know what the head is called, but it's very user friendly.
April 3rd, 2016
@mzzhope @brownee56 thanks very much! I'm still trying to decide how to navigate France with my camera. Patis in particular because I want to travel light and not stick out so much.
April 3rd, 2016
@darylo ...thanks Daryl...i'm starting to get excited now...still doesn't seem real that i'm actually going OS for the first time in my life...this article was super helpful...cheers!
April 13th, 2016
The rain really does make for super photo's! Exciting looking trip
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