I got back from Burma two months ago and I still haven’t had time to unpack. Usually, as soon as I get back from a big trip I look at my baggage to see what I can eliminate next time. I’ve always travelled light. In the prehistoric days of film I would carry four cameras, a handful of lenses, a few accessories – and a bag full of film. Digital photography did away with the problems of carrying film but replaced it with a whole new headache. Now I travel with only two cameras, that together cost more than quadruple the price of the four film cameras, and a Canon G10 point and shoot – just in case. I carry the same assortment of lenses but I also need a laptop, portable hard drives, card readers, a mess of cables and more. I need two of everything just in case a vital link in the chain breaks.
I flew from Bangkok to Yangon on Air Asia, a budget airline that charges for baggage by the pound, restricts hand baggage to 15 pounds and charges for water! I had no intention of paying a penny more than absolutely necessary. I paired down my checked baggage to the minimum but how could I avoid the hand baggage problem? The ground crew are particularly vigilant and can spot a 16 pound bag with uncanny accuracy. My basic hand baggage weighs in at over 35 lbs. and there’s nothing I can eliminate. The answer came with a remarkable piece of clothing designed by Scott Jordan and recommended to me by Amy Tan. The ScotteVest www.scottevest.com is perhaps the best travel vest I have ever found.
The vest is deigned to carry a phenomenal amount of gear and still look sleek. I’ve helped design a number of photographers vests from early Banana Republic prototypes to the Questvest but they always looked like … a photographers vest. The Scottevest looks like a regular jacket, smart enough for respectable restaurants and if the temperature rises, the sleeves zip off. Mine weighed in at over 30 lbs. and I had no problems with Air Asia. This is one item I will never leave at home.
As far as photo gear is concerned, I always carry a tripod and use it far less often than I probably should but when you need it, you need it. This goes into my checked bag. If it goes missing I can survive. The same applies to all my back-up gear; all the cables, card readers, batteries and chargers. I also pack a 300mm lens that I can live without if necessary – I’m a wide angle kind of guy.
In my carry-on, or Scottevest, I carry both cameras, wide and medium-long lenses, an on-camera flash, a bunch of CF cards, card reader, laptop and two 320GB portable LaCie hard drives. I also carry battery charges for my laptop and cameras. I’m a firm believer in packing lists and check everything off as I pack. One forgotten cable could be a disaster.
