I'm headed off into the backcountry, and with a backcountry adventure comes meticulous packing. Every ounce counts, and as a photographer that can mean leaving most of your gear home. Any extra weight is just that much more you have to carry up the mountain, adding more stress to your neck and back and bringing less enjoyment to what should be an amazing experience. I already know going in that I'm going to have to sacrifice some equipment. But what if I want to take night shots? I will definitely need my tripod. And I know there is going to be wildlife up there. Don't I need my zoom lens? Perhaps when I get everything packed up and on my back I'll be thinking otherwise. But I
do want to shoot some night photos, and I
know there will be wildlife. I may have to choose between one or the other. Or maybe I can sacrifice some socks and underwear in order to bring both. Or maybe not... For now, this is how my pack list is looking:
Camera Equipment
Canon 5D Mark II (1)
Canon 24mm TS-E 3.5 (2)
Canon 70-200mm 2.8 (3)*
32 GB of CF cards (6)
2x Batteries (9)
Warming Filter (on the 70-200)
Singh-Ray ND graduated filters (5 stops total) (4)
Shutter release remote (for bulb exposures/time lapse)
Lens cloth and 2x Zeiss lens wipes
Rain cover (weighs next to nothing, but is invaluable in wet weather) (7)
Gitzo GT 2531 tripod (5)
Kirk BH-3 Ballhead
Camping Equipment
Backpack
Tent (11)
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad (12)
Optimus Terra Cook Set (13)
Sea to Summit Spork
Optimus Stove
Lightweight meals (2x breakfast,
2x lunch, 2x dinner)
Water
Knife
Toiletries (14)
Headlamp (10)
Epi Pen
Seat to Summit 13L bag (just in case I need to keep the electronics dry)
Clothing (16)
Columbia shorts
Lightweight pants
3x T-shirts
Lightweight sweatshirt
Columbia lightweight rain jacket (15)
3x Undies
2x Wool socks
2x Sport socks
Hat
*This one is still on the fence. We'll see if it makes it into the final cut...
Edit: I ended up bringing both the 70-200 and the tripod. I just couldn't bear leaving one or the other behind. I may have been cursing them on the way up, but I was satisfied and happy to carry the weight coming back down. I wouldn't have gotten some of the imagery I ended up getting without them. However, it made me rethink a lot of the other gear I was hauling up, such as my old inefficient sleeping bag. I will most likely be revising this list as I continue to head into the backcountry. In the mean time, enjoy my next post on the imagery I captured in the Mount Timpanogos Wilderness.
