A Year of Gear: Road Tested Results Part Two
24. Aug, 2009 
18 Comments
The Day Pack
Aside from my large backpack, I always traveled with a small day pack, in this case, a messenger style bag from The Gap. It slings across my shoulders and the main part of the bag rests at my side. I didn’t buy this bag with the intention of using it for travel, it sort of just found it’s way into the rotation.
Upside: Having a day pack is huge. I would always pack my computer and camera in the day pack, so that when I checked my luggage or put my bags under the bus, my valuables were safe with me. The side sling style annoyed me at first, but it is nice to have an arm over your bag and zipper. Unlike a traditional backpack, it doesn’t sit on my back, so I could better prevent pickpockets.
Downside: It doesn’t protect your gear at all! You can still chip your laptop or bang up a dSLR without knowing it, because all of your contents are essentially floating inside.
Tips: I would definitely recommend bringing some kind of day pack, especially if you have expensive equipment like a laptop or digital camera. I still like the messenger style bag, but if I had to do it again, I’d pick something designed to hold a laptop, with better interior pockets and padding. There are some great packs that double as laptop bags, especially if you look in a computer store (like Best Buy) for your backpack. The nicer models go for around $60-$75, but this seems like a small price to pay for better laptop protection. Plus many of these models also offer nice additional features like lockable zippers or a pocket for an iPod.
The Camera
It seems the topic of photography gear is more personal than practical. If you’re anything of a photog, you know how nice it is to travel with a digital SLR camera, preferably with at least one (if not more) high end lens. Is it practical? Nope. Is it even a good idea? Well that depends. For most people, the idea of traveling with thousands of dollars worth of– anything, probably isn’t the best idea. On the other hand, as long as you practice some common sense, keep it locked up at night and don’t pull it out if you feel unsafe, you should be fine. I traveled with a Canon D40 and my walking around lens was quite big, the combination making a good sized, noticeable camera. People assumed I was with the press. I could feel their eyes on me and my camera. I wasn’t exactly low profile, but I never felt like I was in danger of being robbed.
Upside
When you spot that amazing picture– the one you swear could be on the cover of National Geographic, you have your camera right there. When I attended La Tomatina, in Spain, having the camera was like a VIP pass. People get out of your way, mug for better shots (sometimes a good thing, sometimes not) and it can allow you to capture things you’d never see otherwise.
Downside
It’s big! It’s conspicuous. If you’re not selling photos, why bother? If you’re not planning on doing anything in a professional capacity with your photos, you’ll never see one of the biggest benefits of that level of camera. If you’re a pretty good photographer, you can do a lot with a consumer camera. Yes a pro-level camera takes nicer pictures, but a non professional would probably have a hard time determining the difference between the two. Oh and if you’re not a good photographer, having fancy equipment won’t make you better (especially if you use the auto-settings– trust me my husband actually takes better photos on our cybershot). Rule of thumb: if you’re not sure, then you don’t need it.
Tips
I ended up buying a second camera, a Sony Cybershot, only $150, fits in my pocket and takes decent pictures. It was nice to have a small camera with me for those spontaneous photos, and to bring my dSLR when I had a planned photography day. I know alot of people want to bring an amazing camera with them on this once in a lifetime trip, but unless you’re planning on professionally using those photos, then you’ll probably be happier with a regular camera that takes very nice pictures.
Things I didn’t need and eventually ditched, lost or gave away:
Out of Season Clothes. If it’s going to be hot and humid at your first stop, but in a few months you’ll be somewhere cold, leave the warm weather clothes behind and opt to instead swing by the nearest city on your way and pick up things as you go. The weight and bulk of those clothes will hardly seem worth it once you have to lug it around for a few months.
A non-digital Video Camera. We had a camera from 2003, which in terms of video is about a million years away. In the end we ditched it, because the quality wasn’t high enough, it only worked half the time, and it was just easier to pick up a little digital cam for under $200.
My Blackberry. I thought I might switch out my sim card, but when I got to Europe, it was easier to just pick up a pay as you go phone. In Central America, I had the phone again, but this time on AT&T’s world traveler program, which promptly hit me with overage fees. I would have said I’d leave it at home, but a taxi driver in Mexico stole it about half way through my last trip. I haven’t missed it.
Travel soaps. I was given some of those dry mini-sheets of shampoo that are supposed to be convenient because you can go through airport security. In fact I found them to be completely unusable.
Swiss Army Knife. It sounds like a good idea, but eventually, if you fly enough, you will forget to check it and it will be confiscated.
Too many books. I think I brought 10-15 books in the beginning, which is just too many. As I read them, I’d leave them in hostels. If you’re traveling through hostels, it’s easy to swap your read books for unread ones.
Every souvenir I ever bought. I had this idea in the beginning of my trip that I’d buy very little things and save them for later. Unfortunately, 3 months of bouncing around in my backpack later, the tiny figurines or hand sculptures were mostly destroyed.
Uncomfortable shoes. Yes they were cute, but I still have purple marks on my heels from an unfortunate pair of shoes that I didn’t have the heart to get rid of quickly enough. If you find that your shoes don’t pass the road test, do not hesitate to discard!
Left over alcohol or food. I find it best to gift whatever I have left over before I leave. Once or twice I’ve tried to carry half full bottoms of rum to my next destination, but it just takes up too much room.
Makeup. You might be different, but I didn’t end up using any of my very simple makeup kit (foundation, lip gloss, mascara and blush) and this summer I threw it out.
Best things to bring, you might not have thought of:
For some locations a Mosquito net. I wished so badly that I had this in Central America. The truth is, that bug spray will wear off in the middle of the night, and waking up to 6 or 7 extremely itchy bug bites while more mosquitoes buzz around you isn’t exactly fun. If you think you might need it, you probably will.
Plastic bags, especially zip lock gallon sized bags. These are perfect for keeping change in different currencies separate, putting anything that might leak like shampoo (you only need your shampoo or toothpaste to explode once in your pack before you learn this lesson), they are also good for all the sundry electronic accessories or keeping your journal dry. I used them constantly.
Anti-itch cream. I got eaten up pretty well one night in Cuba. I changed accommodations, but it took a few weeks for the itchiness to subside. You can usually get this anywhere, but I would have liked to have it on me.
Emergen-C. Great for hang overs, or preventing sickness before you fly. These are very compact, and just nice to have. Just don’t let them get wet in your bag, this will create an unholy mess.
Safety pins. Something will break and almost everything can be held together with a safety pin. Must have.
A combination lock. If you don’t bring your own you can usually get one from the front desk, but they will ask for a $5 deposit (usually). It’s just easier to have your own and the combination means no key to keep track of.
Fabric softener sheets. Toss a few of these each week in your pack as you travel and keep your stuff smelling, well not fresh, but at least better.
A wide mouthed thermos. I figured this out in Carnaval in Panama. I wanted to take pictures but they were spraying down the crowd with water. So I bought a wide thermos with a screw top that let me put my IDs, money and camera safely inside, strapped it over a shoulder and went on my way. This worked so well I ended up using the rest of the trip. Bonus is that it doesn’t look like a purse, so pickpockets will leave it alone.
I’m sure I missed something, so if you have any tips, please feel free to share them in the comments.
I love these posts Christine, very useful as I prepare for my upcoming trip. I am still undecided about the camera. I love pictures, but I am no way a pro or have any intention to be. There is just something very nice about the feel of the DSLR, it’s just the weight. I get good pictures from my compact hence why I haven’t bought a DSLR for several years, but if I’ve wanted something for several years as I have with DSLR it probably means for me I’m justified.
Great thermos tip!
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Great post — apart from one thing; the word “photog”! What on earth! Did you make that up or is it a generally used term in your neck of the woods?
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Some really good tips! I really had a struggle with bringing the SLR or not but it is such a relief to not have to worry about it all the time.
Question for you, Christine: how do you carry both your large backpack and your messenger bag at the same time? It seems to me that you can’t put the daypack strap over your shoulder/head with the backpack on and if you put the messenger bag over your shoulder first it would get in the way of the backpack. I’ve been struggling with what to use as a daypack when I have to carry both at once. Thanks.
Regarding the “too many books” point, it’s actually a lot of fun to play the traveling mini-game of “what bizarre book selection will the next hostel/town have?!” You end up reading some stuff that you would never pick up back home. Sometimes that turns out fantastic, and sometimes it’s horrible. Either way, it’s entertaining.
Ziploc bags are a precious commodity amongst backpackers indeed. Even normal plastic shopping bags are suddenly remarkably handy. The only thing I have had stolen while backpacking – my glad flex black trash bag. Go figure. And I bet I was more upset about that than you were about the Blackberry.
I love that thermos idea. Definitely never heard that one! Smart smart
Ant, You’ve never heard of a photog? http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/photog Maybe it’s slang…
The dryer sheets idea is a new one to me…..brilliant!
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Great advice. If a traveler does decide to take both a DSLR camera and a laptop (I know, only a few of us are crazy enough to do this), Crumpler makes excellent backpacks that are comfortable and protect the equipment well. I don’t know what I would do without mine.
One of the most valuable things in our backpack – ear plugs. You don’t realize how thin walls can be, how loud (and early) roosters crow, how there’s a major bus route underneath your hotel room, etc. until you are trying to sleep. And a good night’s sleep on the road is golden.
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I’ll have to disagree on the Swiss Army Knife. If I could only take five things on a trip, it would still be one of them. We use it all the time…bottle opener, screw driver, scissors, knives. I do understand the forgetting it and having it confiscated at airports issue however. I’ve forgotten twice and been caught by security. But both times I’ve been unwilling to give it up, so I’ve talked the guards into letting me return to the check-in desk where I checked it into whatever bag I could find. We can’t live without ours!
I also don’t think carrying a DSLR should be limited to those who have professional uses or aspirations for the photos. I also don’t think you should buy one just for a trip though. If you don’t know how to use it and use it well it’s just one more thing to carry.
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Love your blog and all your adventures! As a travel addict myself, some things I’ve found helpful, there’s a company called crumpler that makes awesome travel bags for cameras and laptops. I love mine for my camera equipment, and the best part is they’re designed to not look like camera bags. Perfect. Also, something I did before I took my fancy camera and lenses abroad was get them insured. Worry problem solved. If you’re not a professional it costs like 30 dollars a year (depends on your equipment) , and then if anything, anything at all happens to your stuff, even if you drop it yourself, they pay you the replacement cost. It’s already paid for itself.
Also, something else I always bring, a flat rubber sink plug, very handy for doing laundry in the sink and slips anywhere in your bag.
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Great list Christine! I’m guilty of the “too many books” on all my trips. I’m such a book snob and so worried I’ll be left without anything to read. I love ziptop bags when traveling too – they’re so versatile.
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Laurene: I do carry both at the same time. I put my big backpack on first,then strap my other back across my shoulders and it hangs at my side.
Theresa: Yes they are definitely useful but I guess I’m too sad about having lost more than one! At this point I don’t bother,but I can see the allure.
On the digital camera front, just curious, if you’re not using your photos professionally, then why would you bring a dSLR? Is it just a quality issue? My thought when I was writing this, is that if you’re good enough, know how your camera works and have a good eye, you’ll be able to take very good pics with a point and shoot. There are advantages to the dSLR, but I was curious on your take as to why you’d want to bring one if you’re just taking personal photos.
Nikki: Rubber sink plug: brilliant!
Sara: I know, I should really just get a Kindle one of these days. YET ANOTHER piece of electronic equipment though… don’t know if I can do it.
Can you post a picture of your thermos so we can get an idea of the size?
I am a photographer, and I couldn’t travel without my dSLR and lenses (Canon 5D + Canon 17-40 f/4L + Canon 35 f/1.4L + Canon 100mm macro). One thing I recommend is getting a personal articles policy on your camera gear. If your gear ever gets lost or stolen, the insurance company will pay the bill (provided you show evidence, such as a police report). I document my travels on my photoblog: http://elbelbelb2000.blogtog.com
By the way: I think you meant to write that you’re using a Canon 40D (as opposed to the D40, which is an entry-level dSLR by Nikon).
Cheers,
~Eugene
I also love using a messenger bag as a day pack. I had already had a messenger bag for years, and one year took it on a trip in Europe, and it has since become my staple day bag. I wear it across the front of my body and it makes me feel like my belongings are safe from pickpocketers. I wouldn’t trust having a bag on my back, where anyone can unzip it and take my things. The main downside is that after a full day of walking around, it really starts to rub and hurt my shoulder/collarbone.
With cameras, I’m also torn about the DSLR vs a point and shoot. I love bringing my SLR with me on travels, but it does take up a lot of space in my day pack (and contributes to the sore shoulder!). It also isn’t very protected in the day pack, though I tend to wear it around one shoulder with an arm gripped on it (though I got completely knocked over by a bicyclist in Florence this way — he was passing closely by me and his handlebar got caught in my camera strap — I thought someone was stealing it so I grabbed the strap firmly and wouldn’t let go!). My DSLR takes incredible pics, but it’s a hassle. My point and shoot sucks, quite frankly. But I just bought a new Sony Cybershot H20 — my neighbor has one and it’s a bit more than a point and shoot. It’s high-zoom, high-quality, and it has adaptable lenses and filters. It’s a lot smaller than a DSLR but still takes way better pics than a normal point and shoot. So I’m hoping that is the answer to bulky DSLRs when traveling on limited space!
The thermos idea is genious.
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I can definitely second your thoughts about the daypack. It’s proven very useful throughout my travels. And having anti-itch cream! I’ve been surprised how often that’s ended up coming in handy, especially in really hot or sticky weather. So glad I grabbed that before I left.
I would only recommend that the daypack be in the form of a small backpack. I’d be concerned of the long-term ergonomics of slinging something around your shoulder. From what I’ve read, it’s very beneficial if your arms can swing freely when you walk.
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Thats a great tip about the wide mouthed thermos! Defiantly going to try that one my travels!
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