Packing

The irony of packing to go away for any length of time is that the first step is a serious amount of unpacking. Unpacking of draws and cupboards, unpacking of little bags and cubby holes and unpacking of the main bag itself which doubtless will have been used to store various essentials while not being employed to do the job it was designed for.


Well, after plenty of time writing lists so that nothing was forgotten (passport - check) the big kit explosion has just happened. Initial planning, which hoped that a 50 litre rucksack would provide ample space, has proven to be somewhat optimistic. 90 litres at a push...now that's more like it. The main problems to traveling super light, which everyone knows is of significant benefit, has been two-fold, the first being our decision to camp in Mongolia. This led to the inclusion of tent, stove, sleep mat and pots to the packing list which are not insignificant in their bulk and the increase of weight must equal that of an average sized moggy at least, if not a Shih Tzu (it should be noted that both cats and dogs are suffering from the obesity epidemic to a similar extent as their human owners!).


The second complication in weight was camera equipment. Now I think of myself as no more than an enthusiast, with no delusions of significant skill nor realistic desire to have my photos published (though it would be very nice indeed). I did toy with the idea of a compact digital camera but after getting my hands on one came to the conclusion that it was too much of a compromise when compared to my digital SLR. Once you get used to no shutter lag, ultra quick focus and depth of field control there is no going back. Once this decision was made then off course all the extras had to be brought along including extra memory (including external hard drive) and a number of batteries. After all, the thought of witnessing the most glorious sunset deep in the Mongolian steppe only to realise that my battery was flat and the nearest electric socket was several hundred miles away brought me out in a cold sweat, and that was just the thought of it happening. Quite how people manage to pack and carry 5 different lenses, a spare body and a large tripod that would happily be able to support a baby elephant and then actually manage to carry the whole lot around with them for the actual taking of photographs is beyond me. Then again if you read any internet forums they would have you believe that this amount of kit is the bare minimum and that does not include the laptop and cleaning kit to go with it. Having said all that, It may just be that I am too weak to happily carry 25-30kg of rucksack around in anticipated 35 degree heat.


If I get around to it I will try and post a complete kit list for those interested, or just to allow everyone to have a good laugh at how many non-essential essentials I have packed. I will also try and review various items as we progress around the world.


Here's an old picture to finish with