I was recently reading a forum post on the Panasonic DMC-LX3 Flickr group about traveling light, and what type of camera to bring with you if going on a backpacking trip across Europe. The topic got me thinking back to 2002 when I myself backpacked across Europe toting a good deal of camera equipment, computer gear and enough clothing to last me a few months on the road. Reminiscing about this trip made me start to rethink how I would go about it differently.

Quite a bit has changed in terms of technology since 2002. Cameras are smaller, better, and faster, but they create much larger files. I'm also now shooting a lot of HD video, and recording audio, so this is another concern of mine. So the following article is basically a synopsis of what I think I would bring with me if someone dropped an around the world plane ticket in my lap and just said "go make some pictures!"

The Past

Before I begin talking about what I would take today, let's rewind and talk about what I brought with me in 2002. Back then cost was a major factor. I had a fixed amount of money to play with. My plan was to enter Europe in London and travel across to Israel where I would end up living for about a year. I would be traveling mostly by train with a few flights thrown in the mix. I would be living in hostels for the most part, and staying with friends here and there. So obviously I had a number of concerns. In the end I settled on bringing the following camera equipment:

• Nikon D100
• Nikon 20mm f/2.8
• Nikon 35-70 f/2.8
• Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 ( The really old non-d version )
• Nikon SB-80DX

I also had bought a 15" PowerBook and something called a MindStore, which was essentially a portable hard drive for backing up CF cards on the go. To be honest, this was too much weight. I basically broke my back during the trip. It was brutal. All of the gear and the minimal amount of clothing and other odds and ends really added up. Security-wise it was a nightmare. I was always watching my back and constantly looking for places to secure my bag. Someone did steel my baseball cap at one point, but I think that was all I lost during the trip. I think I got off lucky.

Today

I think I would do things much differently today. Not only has the technology changed dramatically, but my style of shooting has changed quite a bit as well. I'm mainly shooting with a small Panasonic DMC-LX3 these days, and rarely ever using flash. My LX3 has a 16 Gig SD card that can hold up to about 1000 RAW+Jpeg images, it also shoots HD video, though not quite the quality I desire, but it's good in a pinch. So my basic list would probably include the LX3, and maybe a second body or Canon G10 as a companion camera. Having both an LX3 and G10 sounds like a nice plan as the G10 has been said to work a bit better at high ISO. They both shoot HD video and use SD cards, so I am doubling my options in the HD arena and sticking to a single media type for storage. However, the HD quality of both the LX3 and G10 are probably not good enough for production.

Recently I had a chance to work with a Panasonic AVCHD camera. This camera cost about $1500 and was pretty amazing. It wasn't nearly as good as the Sony HV1-V1U I am using these days, but it was pretty good for the size of it. It recorded on SD cards as well and was pretty simple to use. You could even attach an external mic. This sounds like a pretty good bet for a trip like this. I would prefer to record everything to tape with a higher end HD camera like the Sony, but it's just too big, and dealing with tapes sounds like a real drag on the road.

The next big decision is what to do about the computer. Recalling from my trip, having the laptop was great when I wasn't hauling it. But looking back on it, I basically used it for a one or two tasks. I used it to edit my images while on the road, and I used it as a writing tool. I rarely connected it to the Internet as I mostly checked email from Internet cafes. These days it would really depend.

However, I will say that if I did decide to bring a laptop with me I would seriously consider which one to bring. The new 13" MacBook Pros look pretty promising. They are fairly lightweight and certainly smaller in size to the 15" , but is it really worth it? The main thing you have to ask yourself here is how much actual photo editing you plan to do on the road. If your answer is basically none, then I would say ditch the laptop and bring some type of self contained card backup device. Since I like to edit as I shoot I would probably opt for the 13" MacBook Pro.

These days there are so many more options for connecting to the Internet. Just about every cafe/hostel/hotel has some type of Wifi network. If I were to bring the laptop, I would ditch the self-contained backup device and just grab enough portable hard drives to last me the whole trip. I would also bring lots of extra SD cards. SD cards are pretty cheap these days and as a solid state device they are pretty resistant to drops or life inside a backpack. I would really take a close look at my file storage options as I think there are lots of opportunities to save weight here.

So lets add it up here in list form.

• 13" MacBook Pro
• Panasonic DMC-LX3 and/or Canon G10
• Panasonic AVCHD HD Camera
• External Shotgun mic and cables
• Loads of SD cards
• A couple of Portable HDs

I'm still staring at that first line and wishing I could get away without a laptop, but I just use it for so much these days, especially considering the video editing I will be doing. It's basically a must have, but ouch, 4.5 lbs!

Audio 

One of my main concerns would probably be deciding on audio equipment. As I mentioned before I can certainly use my AVCHD camera as an audio capture device. It's not perfect, but it with an adapter you can connect standard XLR cables and set up with a shotgun microphone. I would probably also look for a mini-lapel style mic for doing interviews, though this is less of a priority for me. For a shotgun mic I would be looking for something that would be of decent quality but also fairly resilient to bumps and drops. This can be a problem with the higher end shotgun mics.

Extras 

Lastly, don't forget to include all the little extras. Battery chargers, extra batteries, cell phones, cables, card readers, filters and whatnot. Once I had my main list of items, I would then focus on the accessories. These things can really add up and not all of them are really necessary. So really think this through.

For example, do I need to bring an SD card reader if my laptop has one built in? Can I consolidate my battery chargers with something more universal that will work in European outlets? I'm not sure. Do I even need to bring my iPhone? -- It does make a great little pocket camera, but then again, so does my LX3! Will I need an additional camera bag when I don't want to bring the full size backpack with me? Perhaps a system of bags would work for this. ThinkTank has some interesting options for this type of thing.

Backpacks

When I went backpacking last time I brought a pretty technical backpackers pack. It was pretty big and awkward. These things are designed for hiking up a mountain with a sleeping bag and other equipment. Since then I have come to really prefer a different type of pack. In fact there is a pack I bought back in college that I still use. It's made by Kelty ( older model Redwing ) and while it isn't a full blown hiking backpack, it's definitely better than your average day-pack. This pack has worked well for me in a number of situations. It lacks a proper internal frame, though it does have a small amount of support and a hip-belt, but mostly I really like it because it's front loading and you can unzip it completely and lay it flat for full access to whatever is inside. 

Last But Not Least

One item I definitely wish I had on the 2002 trip is my JungleDisk USB Stick. If you don't already know, JungleDisk is a great app for Mac, Windows and Linux that allows you to securely upload files to Amazon's S3 storage server. They also make a version that you can easily install on a USB keychain drive. This means you can sit down at any Internet cafe computer and plug it in and you will instantly have drive access to your S3 account. I imaging it would come in really handy on a trip like this. Too bad it didn't exist in 2002!