BootsnAll Travel Community

In May I'm going to Russia/Mongolia/China for 7 weeks. I'm spending a week in Moscow and taking the trans-siberian to Irkutsk where I'll spend 3 weeks finishing up my russian studies. After that it's 3 weeks eventually getting to Beijing via Ulan-Ude--Ulan Bataar etc..

I'm planning on only taking 1 bag (probably a pack around 3800 Cubic Centimeters.

I'm wanting to get some opinions on what would be the best way to travel with my body, a few lenses and a laptop.

Any bag suggestions?

Packing suggestions?

Should I just forget it and grap a point and shoot before I go?

Has anyone done this before?

Thanks for your help.

I would bring an SLR if I were you. If you want to only bring 1 pack you can buy a few of the OP/TECH neoprene pouches that will protect your equipment from minor bumps and just stuff the camera equipment in your backpack.
http://www.optechusa.com/category/second/?CATEGORY_ID=5

I'd bring it, too. This is going to be one of the most amazing photographic experiences of your life, so you might as well bring your best camera. If you don't have room, ditch some T-shirts

if you leave it at home, you'll regret it every second of hte day. If you take it with you, you might regret it a couple times a day.

So take it with you

then again, if you have to ask this question of yourself, photography may not be a top priority?

Got to agree with the majority here. I would defo take the SLR. I nearly didn't take mine on a recent trip to NYC and I know now that I would have regretted the decision a lot.

Let me know how the Trans sib trip goes, I'm doing a 4-5 week trip in August 07

Cheers

chris

Russia is big. Really, really, really big. You'll miss some extraordinary landscape shots without an SLR. I sympathize, I always bring an SLR and a small portable, and always get pissed that I'm lugging more than I want--until I get there and the shot just wouldn't have happened without the SLR.

I hope you get to use your point-and-shoot too, with the extraordinary Russian people you meet along the way. Have a great trip.