BootsnAll Travel Community

I tried searching the forums but don't think anyone has really addressed this issue in quite the same way.

How do you solo travellers deal with your expensive cameras while doing something like going for a swim?


I'd like to take a Nikon D80 along to Costa Rica with me but for most of the three weeks I'll be there I will be on the beaches surfing. This means several hours of any given day that I'll be in the water and completely unable to keep my camera on me. Because I'm on my own I'll be looking at more dorm style lodging to save money, so I'm thinking that locking the camera in the room is rarely going to be feasible.

Any suggestions? I won't be in the water all day and I'd really like to have the camera for those times.

Maybe make sure the hostel has a safe? Or a locker? Or get one of those cable locks for computers and somehow manage to chain it down really well (while not drawing attention to it... not easy)?

I was there a few years ago and like you will I spent much time in the water. Back then I had a camera but not a nice one and I spent quite a bit of time camping and lived with a few local guys for awhile but I also traveled about 3 out of my six weeks there and usually either had my own room or shared one with a few other travelin friends. Maybe post in a dif forum about CR on the safety of traveling with valuables, I'd say your fine.

A cable lock along with one of those aluminum camera cases might be a good combination.

You could discreetly put the cable lock around a tree and wrap it around the camera case's handles using a padlock big enough to secure the handles.

One of those personal hotel travel alarms that go off when disturbed might be a good addition.

It's been awhile since I've stayed in hostels and I did not have a good camera then like I do now.

Saying that I seem to remember that most of the hostels, at least the better ones would look after your gear for you.

I take my D30 travelling with me and on the rare occasion that I leave it behind I usually upgrade to a better quality hotel that at least has a hotel safe that they will put valuables in for guests.

Still I'm not a beach kinda person so it rarely comes up for me. The times I've ended up in that position its because my travel buddy wants to go to the beach... so well there is at least two of us which certainly makes things easier.

To anyone worried about dSLR security while traveling, I suggest getting some insurance. Homeowners/renters will cover in many circumstances, and if that's not enough, upgrade to a personal articles-type policy (which usually has worldwide coverage, and even drop-and-break coverage). Great for peace of mind

Of course, that won't solve the problem of you losing use of your camera for the rest of your trip, but at least you'll be able to buy a new one when you get back.

agreed jv... if you travel with expensive equipment and do not have adequate insurance, well, that is just foolish. The cost of the insurance is nothing compared to what you will pay to replace everything if you do not have it.

Hopefully the lodging you are staying in will have lockers or a luggage room where they can lock it away while you are out on the beach.
On a seperate note I don't like even bringing my DSLR to the beach because the sand gets in the crevices and in my bag and then eventually crushes its way in between moving parts of lenses and so on...If I have to bring it I make sure I clean it thoroughly when I return so at least it will continue working.
Also get insurance....

quote:

Originally posted by cmw1:
It's been awhile since I've stayed in hostels and I did not have a good camera then like I do now.

Saying that I seem to remember that most of the hostels, at least the better ones would look after your gear for you.

I take my D30 travelling with me and on the rare occasion that I leave it behind I usually upgrade to a better quality hotel that at least has a hotel safe that they will put valuables in for guests.

Still I'm not a beach kinda person so it rarely comes up for me. The times I've ended up in that position its because my travel buddy wants to go to the beach... so well there is at least two of us which certainly makes things easier.

Do you know if this type of insurance is available to none homeowners or renters? I am traveling with a dSLR and am worried very much as I will be staying in a lot of hostels. I am going to take every precaution I can think of but I may still run in to problems

quote:

Do you know if this type of insurance is available to none homeowners or renters?

It should be. I have two policies that cover my gear, a renter/homeowner policy, and a personal articles policy.

The first covers anything (including camera gear) stolen from my home, car, or person up to a certain dollar amount. International travel coverage is limited, however. It's around US $150/year for $30K coverage.

The second policy covers specific items I've listed and provided proof of purchase for. It covers more situations - theft, loss, drop-and-break, kid-smears-peanut-butter, etc. The rate is like US$1.25 per $100 insured/year, I think, which is a bargain. You should qualify for this, even if you don't have a renter's policy.

Yes you can get travel insurance to cover your gear. (Sorry for the delay in replying, my computer shat itself and went to where all good puter go when they expire) Even just general travel insurance will cover your gear. One thing to check is how much they will pay for "Individual" pieces of equipment.

Still the better policies will allow you to nominate your equipment and the cost (in your case the dSLR) and increase the premium to cover that. Which is what I do. Yes it does cost... but as said not as much as replacing my camera and the piece of mind alone is well worth it.

I travel solo with a DSLR.

1) I never stay in a dorm. I always get a single room.

2) I have special travel insurance for my gear.

3) I carry my camera bag with me more often than not. If I have to leave it in my room, I will usually bury it in clothes or hide it somewhere so it is not obvious if you looked in a window.

I just bought a DSLR and I'm travelling with it for the first time to Europe and Morocco and I'm really nervous about it!! I never take anything valuable except passport and money however, the whole reason why I bought an DSLR is to take better pics while I travel.

Most baggage insurance only cover a max of $500 and the camera with all the accessories is worth double that (not including taxes) unfortunately. I do have renter's insurance but I'm not sure if I will be covered if it gets stolen while travelling, plus my deductible is $500 so it wouldn't make much sense to make a claim.

Anyways, that's a risk I'm willing to take and I'm going to try and not worry about it so much because I'll miss out on so much.

I'm staying in dorms as well (Europe is quite expensive) and I'm travelling alone. I do plan on carrying it securely everywhere with me a bag that doesn't look like a camera bag and only take it out when it's appropriate to do so, otherwise I will use my point and shoot.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated...I'm leaving tomorrow!!

along these lines I was thinking of getting an olympus Digital SLR for when I am in India and nepal next year. Is it safer just to scrap that idea in those countries, or just go along the lines of insurance in safety cases. Was also thinking of have a few smaller cards for saving photos, that way I would switch them out regularly and if it got stolen would still have most of my cards.

Trekker

Honestly, I think it's totally worth it to take the camera you want to take instead of worrying about "what ifs" - you can easily get something stolen or lost at home too. India is a great opportunity to take fabulous pictures.

Personally, I think it's better to upload pictures as backup instead of copying them over to another device or do both. I'm planning on backing mine up by copying them over to my Ipod and uploading them on to my Picasa account.

I bought a card reader - you just plunk the card in the reader and then stick it in your USB port and upload the pics - this is better then having your camera directly attached to the computer, especially if you're in an internet cafe.

Regarding insurance, some photographers that I know use Hill & Usher to insure their gear. Or you might try Safeware.com.

Personally, I travel regularly and often take photographs in what some would consider sketchy places (Yemen, Kosovo, ...). One (soon two) DSLR camera(s) always come along for the ride. To be less obvious that I have cameras, I carry the cameras in a large messanger bag that I have converted into a camera bag. Of course, for me, I often have a tripod and usually have the camera in my hand, so, uh, yeah, that's hard to hide.

Theft of the equipment is always a worry, but I find that the best thing to do is use you common sense, be aware of your surroundings and keep your equipment attached to you or your chair as much as possible.

Backing up your photos as often as possible is also very advisable. The equipment can be replaced, the images can't. I suggest backing up images on a portable harddrive (or your iPod), or burning CDs as you go and when possible uploading your favorite shots to flikr or what ever web storage service you prefer.

How did you convert your messenger bag into a camera bag? I tried that but I couldn't find any padded inserts. Instead I got a crumpler bag which is a camera bag but it doesn't like like one - the whole point of it. The problem with that bag is that there's only a enough room for the body and twin lens - I could squeeze a few small things like a my point and shoot camera, sunglasses, but not much else.

The crumperbag is a good option. But since I frequently carry around a tripod (yeah, defeating the stealth of a camera bag that doesn't look like a camera bag), I don't find the Crumpler products convenient. There is not a good place to hang the tripod.

My original messenger bag / camera bag had leather straps that were sewn into the top of the bag and fastened to the bottom. I could lash my tripod to the straps for easy access. Sadly, that bag finally died. My new one has a slip pocket through which I slide my tripod. It is still convenient, but not as.

To answer you question: I foud a padded camera waist pack that fits one SLR and three lenses or two SLRs and two lenses. It also has a zipper pocket for small items such as spare batteries and memory cards. The waist pack slides easily into a large messenger bag with room for another lens case or other accessories. The messenger bag has additional pockets that I use for batteries, cleaning supplies, memory cards, shutter cable release, notebook and other items. It also has a secure inside pocket for valuables (i.e. keys, passport). The added benefit is that if I really, need the extra room, maybe to carry home a couple bottles of wine, I can take the waist bag out and use the messenger bag.

Incidently, I am designing a new messenger bag to my specs that I will have made here in Cairo. I'll send pics when it gets to the prototype stage.

Finally, Thinktankphoto offers a pretty nice line called Urban Disguise. My only problem with them is the tripod issue.

Lovetravelling - Not sure if it is just different insurance companies/difference in country of origin but I'd check your fine print in your policy.

The Luggage limits in the policy that I have is:

$3500 - Camera and Video
$3000 - Portable Computers
$500 - Other Items

This policy also allows me to increase the limits of any particular item I choose (at extra cost of course).

Trekker - Take your camera. If you spend your entire life worried about the 'what if's' you will never travel, you will never go out your front door. Go, take your camera, have fun. After all you could leave your camera behind and while you are away some low life breaks into your place and steals your camera...

If it is going to happen it will.... no matter where you are. So go out and live!