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Stick with the backpack. The backpack is your friend. I can squish my backpack into any size "does-it-fit" cage the airline cares to throw at me. And now I don't have to check baggage. I pack light -- unbelievably light. My last long-haul trip, my bag and clothes and camera weighed a grand total of 12 pounds.
When the plane lands, I grab my backpack, sprint off the plane with my wife (who has the same brand pack), and then we are first in line at customs. From the minute the plane arrives at the gate, it is usually less than 30 minutes to clear customs, get the [censored] out of the airport, and be on our way.
No rolling luggage, no "traditional" luggage. No luggage, ever. Backpacks. The kind you can remove the supports and squish, if necessary. And then fill it with super light-weight, easy-drying clothes. Light-weight shirts, pants, socks, underwear and travel toiletries -- all ready to go. My backpack is packed right now. I can add things as necessary and leave in five minutes flat. And that's how I like it. If the phone rings and someone suggests that we spend a week with them in Fiji, we're good to go.
I have been backpacking it for more than 30 years. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
What kind of pack do you recommend? I'm about to retire the Eagle A-III that I used for more adventurous travel, and now I'm looking for a pack that's a little lighter with better organizational features.
Eagle Creek is a solid brand, and since they change models & styles pretty often, last year's version can frequently be found on discount/clearance web sites like The Clymb, Left Lane Sports, Sierra Trading Post, etc. for about half their original retail price. (Just be aware of those kind of sites' policy on shipping to Canada.)
What kind of pack do you recommend? I'm about to retire the Eagle A-III that I used for more adventurous travel, and now I'm looking for a pack that's a little lighter with better organizational features.
I'm partial to the Osprey brand -- Not the camping backpack but the travel pack. I just bought a Farpoint 70. Fits my very tall frame like it was molded from my back contours. I can hike all day and not even feel it. The pack weighs less than four pounds.
I am "Mr. Lightweight" when I travel. My last trip was almost a month, and my pack, cloths and gear weighed 12 pounds. Much of that was the camera and two lenses.
I'm partial to the Osprey brand -- Not the camping backpack but the travel pack. I just bought a Farpoint 70. Fits my very tall frame like it was molded from my back contours. I can hike all day and not even feel it. The pack weighs less than four pounds.
I am "Mr. Lightweight" when I travel. My last trip was almost a month, and my pack, cloths and gear weighed 12 pounds. Much of that was the camera and two lenses.
My camera and the two lenses I travel with weigh a combined 8.5 pounds. Not sure what type of camera you are carrying, but it's certainly nothing high quality.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,938 posts, read 36,777,503 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk
My camera and the two lenses I travel with weigh a combined 8.5 pounds. Not sure what type of camera you are carrying, but it's certainly nothing high quality.
What? There you go again with ignorant statements.
My camera and main lens alone weighs more than 8# and is of high quality. The cheaper stuff is usually lighter and made of plastic. Mine is made of brass. Good lenses and glass also have weight. My main wildlife lens is one of the best/fastest ever built (a Canon) and weighs 5# on its own.
Indeed, my camera gear as I travel even without the tripod is over 20# easily.
A Leica M3 with two lenses weighs about 2 pounds. (Then there's film, of course.) I don't shoot film very much anymore. But that was my rig before digital became good. I still have it. My Nikon SLR with a 12-24mm lens weighs three pounds. (It would weigh even less, but I use an additional battery pack which makes AA batteries an option if the li-ion batteries run down.) The 70-300 that I occasionally bring along weighs a little more than 1 pound. (My wife brings a small point-and-shoot with video capability that weighs mere ounces. All that really matters is the glass, anyway.
My clothes are packed in my pack right now, ready to go. I also have a "winter gear" collection assembled in a zip-top bag, so I can easily swap out if necessary. "Light" doesn't necessarily mean "cheap." Leica, for instance.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,938 posts, read 36,777,503 times
Reputation: 40634
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScoopLV
My clothes are packed in my pack right now, ready to go. I also have a "winter gear" collection assembled in a zip-top bag, so I can easily swap out if necessary. "Light" doesn't necessarily mean "cheap." Leica, for instance.
No, not necessarily, and heavy doesn't mean cheap either. Lots of my prime Canon L series lenses (FD mounts) are pretty darn heavy. The glass is great.
What? There you go again with ignorant statements.
My camera and main lens alone weighs more than 8# and is of high quality. The cheaper stuff is usually lighter and made of plastic. Mine is made of brass. Good lenses and glass also have weight. My main wildlife lens is one of the best/fastest ever built (a Canon) and weighs 5# on its own.
Indeed, my camera gear as I travel even without the tripod is over 20# easily.
Scoop claims the total weight of his carry on including camera, clothes, and bag is 12 pounds. Either he's using some crappy gear, or his math is wrong, or his story is.
By the way, my travel gear is a Nikon D300 with grip, 18-200 f/3.5 VR Zoom, and 50 mm f/1.8 prime. metal, not plastic. I leave the D3 home, not worth schlepping it around for vacation photos.
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