Category: Travel

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what to bring: the photo edition

I have so much crap it’s really not funny.  When it comes to travel & outdoor gear, I can’t resist the American consumerist in me.  But with this trip to Buenos Aires and Patagonia, as with most, there’s the additional question of what camera equipment to bring.

Were I only going to Buenos Aires (or, put another way, if this were a more ‘urban’ trip) I would bring my digital SLR, a good ‘standard’ zoom lens and a smaller ‘walk-around’ lens.  With my current equipment, that equates to the Nikon D300, the Nikon 17-55 f/2.8 zoom and the Nikon 20mm f/2.8.  That would allow me to have good general coverage with the zoom lens with the added benefit of a smaller form-factor for walking around a little less conspicuously.  I would probably consider leaving the 20mm lens behind and just use a smaller pocket camera for when I want to carry around a lighter load.

Which leads me to the next piece of gear – a walk-around pocket camera.  For this I currently use the Canon G10.  It’s not quite pants pocket-sized but it will go in a coat pocket without a problem and it affords me more control over the shots than something truly pocketable.  This is also a handy camera for shooting short videos.  I’m glad to see SLRs including video capabilities these days as moving pictures (and sound!) adds a nice dimension to looking through old trips.

Since this trip includes a visit to Torres del Paine, the situation becomes a little more challenging as that scenery provides for a more diverse set of shooting conditions.  Among the decisions are: whether to take the 70-200 f/2.8 or the 80-400 4/f-5.6 and whether to take the tripod or just rely on the monopod, as well as power considerations and whether I want any specialty lenses like a macro, etc.,

The 80-400 has a great zoom range (especially on the DX Nikon body where it gives me an effective focal length of 600mm).  This is the lens I took to Africa and I was very pleased with its performance and the shots I was able to get with it.  But, ultimately, I think I’ll go with the 70-200 for this trip.  It’s slightly smaller, has a wider, stable minimum aperture, and the optics are slightly better.

Normally for traveling I rely on a monopod since it’s lighter, easier to walk around with, and offers basic stabilization.  For this trip however, I’m going to go with the tripod.  I’m hoping for some great scenic shots and for those (especially when looking to make large size prints) the monopod really doesn’t stand up to the tripod.  (This would be less of an issue of course if I had a nice carbon fiber tripod).

Other equipment I considered, but am leaving behind includes my flash and my 105mm macro lens (even though this is my favorite lens).  I need to cut down on the weight somewhere, and this is where I’ll draw the line.

Since I’ll be spending some time in the backcountry, I’ll be bringing along my portable storage device, which will allow me to offload images from the memory cards, freeing up more space.  In the future I just need to buy more memory cards since they’re so cheap and lightweight, but since I already own the hard disk, I’ll just bring that.

And other odds and ends which will travel with me: a lens cleaning kit; battery chargers and extra batteries; cable release; assorted cases and weather protection; polarizer & graduated neutral density filters; memory cards.

I think this is the right setup but here are my concerns:

First and foremost, I don’t know what to expect in terms of being able to charge batteries while in Patagonia.  I have only 2 batteries for my SLR and with cold conditions, they might not last.

Second, I’m bringing only 1 camera body.  In the past I would have brought a second body (either film or digital) but I’ve never NEEDED one and I want to cut down the weight somehow.  I hope this is not the trip where my camera body decides to give up the ghost.

So, the full gear list looks like this:

  • Nikon D300
  • Nikon 17-55 f/2.8
  • Nikon 70-200 f/2.8
  • Nikon 20mm f/2.8
  • Manfroto tripod
  • Manfroto ballhead
  • Spare battery for SLR, battery chargers
  • ThinkTank camera cases
  • lens cleaning kit
  • SinghRay graduated neutral density filter
  • Tiffen Polarizer filters
  • 80GB HyperDrive Colorspace personal storage device
  • three 4GB; one 2GB; two 1GB memory cards for SLR
  • generic Remote Cable release
  • Canon G10
  • two 4GB; one 1GB memory cards for Canon G10

In a pinch I might decide to bring my older Nikon D70 (and associated batteries, charger) and leave the 20mm lens behind.. we’ll see.

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planning a trip to Buenos Aires and Patagonia

So the idea was pretty simple at least.

With some unexpected time off from work, take advantage of the break and take a little trip.  Being last minute in nature, this trip will be a solo adventure.

A quick scan of airfares of interesting destinations lead to Buenos Aires.  Other options included Bangkok for another tour of S.E. Asia but the idea of going someplace new was enticing.  Santiago, Chile was a possibility with access to Patagonia but Buenos Aires was more than $200 cheaper and also promised to be a sight to visit in its own right (and Patagonia also accessible).

So the ticket was purchased and now the planning comes into play.

It’s always tough planning a trip for an unknown destination.  The usual comes into play: the internet, Get Lost bookstore and advice from friends.  An provided info on Buenos Aires and Lisa helped with Patagonia info.  Patagonia was the most daunting as it’s a huge area so getting around would be a concern, as would seeing some classic sights.

All this started 5 days ago for a trip that begins next week.  Here’s where I am currently:

  • As indicated, flying into and out of Buenos Aires
  • Spending 2 nights in Buenos Aires
  • flying into Patagonia (Argentinian side)
  • bus (hopefully – nothing secured as yet) into Torres del Paines National Park
  • trek around Torres del Paine, sleeping in refugios (hut-to-hut hiking)  This has tentatively been arranged as of now.  will hopefully secure in the next day..

I then have a few more days in Patagonia before a flight back to Buenos Aires where I’ll have several days before the flight back home.  This is all yet to be planned out (and may remain that way until I get there… we’ll see).

The goals of this trip are to see some awesome scenery in Torres del Paine and Patagonia and see what Buenos Aires is all about.  I haven’t yet read anything else about other sights in Patagonia or Buenos Aires or possible daytrips around Buenos Aires.  I’ll leave plenty of flexibility around this part of the trip to see what piques my interest.

I’ve started my pile o’crap which I’ll have to weed through in order to keep from breaking my back..  Right now the plan is to bring 2 decent sized bags, essentially 1 for Buenos Aires and 1 for Patagonia – well, that’s exactly what it will be.. I’ll leave 1 bag behind in B.A. to be collected when I return from Patagonia.  That way I’ll bring only the necessary outdoor adventure gear with me to Patagonia, which will then stay packed away when I’m in Buenos Aires.

I’m looking forward to this!

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What do I pack for a trip?

The other night I met up with @soulcutter and @BWP22 for a few drinks and to talk about their upcoming travels to Europe.  Digging through some old photos, I found this one, from my 2007 trip to Thailand:

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Looking at this I realized that this is pretty much the stuff I bring on any trip.. give or take only a few items.

Some of this (like all of that sunblock!) is due to a trip to the sun – but even on a trip around Europe I’d end up bringing sunscreen to wear just about every sunny day (the joys of Irish skin).

And some of this stuff (like the rolls of film) are things of the past.

But for the most part, the items on here have proven time and again to be valuable, no matter where the destination.

I thought’s I’d just jot down a few notes about a couple of the items:

Chief among them are the North Face Galileo Small travel backpack.  This I bought several years ago and it has accompanied me on every trip since.  It’s the perfect size (2700 cubic inches) plus the additional daypack (1000 cubic inches) makes a great accompaniment.  I’ve found that over the years, the bigger the bag, the more I’ll bring so I like the way this bag limits me from breaking my back taking every last item.  Besides, I’m always amazed at just how much more I’ve been able to stuff in this bag when it comes time to head home.

I tend to bring plaid shirts because they hide the wrinkles and stains a little better.

Sadly I lost that eye mask on my trip to Africa – I’ll have to replace it for sure.  Those plus ear plugs (or noise canceling headphones if I’m awake) are just awesome for long flights.

I’ve got 3 cameras in this photo.. In this case it was a digital point and shoot, digital SLR and a film SLR.  I always bring at least 2 cameras – the point and shoot I will always take with me if I don’t want to lug the SLR (to dinner, clubs, etc.,).  2 SLRs come in handy for more photographic trips.. In this case I was still uncertain of digital and wanted the film camera along (especially for black and white).  More recently I’ve fully adopted digital but I may still bring 2 SLRs if I want the convenience of multiple lenses (like in Africa where I could have my older SLR housing the wide angle lens and my newer SLR with the telephoto.  Along with all of the accessories (chargers, batteries, lenses, filters, memory cards, etc.,) this is often the biggest/bulkiest part of my travel kit.

Some assorted pouches often come in handy – to organize all of those camera accessories, or photocopies, or dirty laundry..

Magazines are great for the flights – it’s mindless reading that’s easy to leave behind once you’re done.  I usually only do this for the flight out.  For the duration of the trip a good novel, travel guides, and my journal take up the rest of the down time.

I like traveling with a pocket knife – and almost always do .. man I wish we could take these on board.  This is the 1 item that often requires me to check my bag.  Not that I usually mind though.  It’s nice being able to walk freely around the airport (especially true when there are connections involved) without all of this.  That said, I’ve been getting less lucky at the baggage collection areas and in the last 18 months  have twice had items taken from my checked bags and twice not received my bags when I arrived.  So I may reconsider the pocket knife and just purchase one when I get to my destination.

The empty gatorade bottle was to save 3 bucks at the airport buying their overpriced water.. bring an empty and fill up at the fountain.

The clothes I bring (especially t-shirts, socks, underwear) is usually older and I usually don’t come home with it.  This is one way to offset the weight of anything you buy along the way.. as the trip progresses, I’ll just throw away old clothes instead of packing them back home.  That said, I only bring enough clothes for so many days of travel.  Laundry definitely happens along the way.  The tossing of clothes usually only happens during that last week of the trip.

While this photo is handy, I’ve also taken to the following exercise: After each trip, I write down each and everything I brought with me as I unpack – and then later make a quick notation of whether it was used or not.. this serves as a great reference for each future trip, where I can quickly scan the list of what I brought last time – and try to not pack anything I haven’t used for a few trips.

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Last year: Frankfurt. This year? just sitting at work

Last year at this time I was having an awesome, fuzzy jet-lagged walk around Frankfurt on my way to Africa.

I had several hours between flights and decided to take advantage of the excellent weather and speedy train into town to stretch my legs a bit.

The day was one of those totally bizarre half-drunk with jet-lag and half-drunk with excitement of traveling off to new destination days.  The combination of hyped-up excitement and over-tired dull brain made for an interesting, dizzying state of mind.

Africa was definitely one of the best trips I’ve done, and while I imagine it may be a while before I get back, it is definitely on the list.

In the coming weeks I’m going to take advantage of the weekly-photo posts to re-visit the experience.

For now, I’ll just continue sitting at my desk, working.

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someplace new, someplace old

Inevitably, one of the questions that comes up while planning for or thinking about a trip is whether to go someplace new or to revisit an old favorite.

I love the idea of exploring someplace new, after all that’s a big part of what I enjoy about traveling.

But I also love returning to someplace familiar – reminiscing through old trips and seeing what’s the same or what has changed.

So in thinking about where my next possible destination will be, it got me to thinking about places I’ve been and specifically, where I’ve traveled the most.

Right off the bat, New York would probably be the city I’ve visited the most (and never lived in) but that doesn’t count, or, it doesn’t feel like it should.  Part of the reason it’s at the top is I grew up 15 miles from the city.  It’s basically home.  Yosemite  doesn’t count either – too close to home, though less than New York, it still feels like home.

Thailand was a great destination both times I’ve gone, as was Japan.  Both places I would return to in a heartbeat.

I’ve been to Germany 4 times, though to different cities.  I was in Berlin 3 of those 4 trips.  I’ve been to Paris 3 times, London 3 times.  Somehow though they seem a lot more familiar than that.

I’ve gone to Hilton Head Island several times, mostly on family trips but also on a memorable college trip – so that’s probably 6 times I’ve been there.  I think that’s probably the most.

I’m surprised that Germany is the place I’ve been to most outside of the US.  I did figure someplace in Europe – I’ve taken a couple of longer trips there (in ’93 and ’01) as well as a couple of trips in college and a couple of shorter trips – but I hadn’t really thought through that Germany would be at the top of the list.

And I’m surprised about Hilton Head.  I guess you could argue that might not be the most visited place – I’ve been to the Jersey Shore more than that, Yosemite more than that.. perhaps even Joshua Tree more than 6 times.

Maybe Joshua Tree counts?  That’s far enough away from ‘home’ (it certainly is different from San Francisco).

For the next trip?  I think it will be someplace new.  There’s more than a few of those out there still.