Traveling light. How light?

I love to travel light. Wherever I go, I prefer a hassle-free travel situation. If I could, I’d just put everything into a carry-on and hit the skies.

As I prepare for my trip to Utah on Saturday, I’m thinking about what I should take. My normal photography travel ‘kit’, if you will, consists of 2 cameras, a host of lenses, an Epson P-3000, laptop, a bunch of chargers, adapters, etc. When I get back home, I realize that, for the most part, I only used a few of the items, namely one camera, a couple lenses, and the laptop.

I’m thinking of how to condense everything that I need into one carry-on. After seeing my friend, Kate’s, Porter Case, for the 3rd time, I purchased one. With it, arranged properly, I could carry nearly everything that I have, but that’s not the point. I want to arrange it such that I can put in my laptop and whatever other stuff that I want to take.

So, giving it some thought, here is my initial list:

• One camera body (D300 or D2x)
• Tamron 11-18mm
• Tamron 90mm macro
• Nikon 50mm
• SB600 + Commander
• Laptop
• Polarizer and Vari-ND filter
• Tripod

All of this, save for the last item, will fit comfortably into the Porter Case, leaving me with 1 carry-on instead of the two that I normally have (camera bag + laptop bag). The last item, the tripod, will have to go into the single suitcase. Most airlines have started to charge an additional $25 for additional pieces of luggage past one.

Fortunately, I am a very casual dresser and don’t really care if my colors match or not. My son, Tony, on the other hand, would need 2 suitcases, one of them for his array of funky colored Nike ‘dress’ basketball shoes that absolutely MUST match his shirt/pants ensemble. My entire wardrobe for the week will probably consist of 7 pairs of shorts, an equal or greater number of t-shirts, same for underwear, etc. I might take one or two pair of long pants, just in case I need to go into the weeds, or cactus.

I’d love to step out on a limb and only take 1 camera, and 1 lens, just for the heck of it; however, it is rather far away and I don’t get to do it often, so … As you can see, I’m not taking any long glass. Nothing above 90mm. This may work against me when I visit the North Rim, but I’ll make something work. The laptop is still in limbo. It’s optional, but I do love to write. We’ll see if it goes or not. If you don’t hear from me for the entire week, it means that the laptop didn’t make the cut! Perhaps I’ll just wait until I return to write.

Well, Saturday morning, 5/24, I’m wheels up and headed west! I’ll return on Sunday, June 1.

What do you take with you?

About the photos: More shots from White Sands National Monument. Sometimes you have to look for the unusual. The first photo is of a picnic shelter, the second, the exhaust pipe for a chemical restroom.