BootsnAll Travel Community

So I'm planning a trip to Asia during the monsoon season this summer and am concerned about my photo gear. A couple lens, portable hard drive, 20D body, and flash cards. I'd like to hear some setups and suggestions. Should I be concerned about the high level of moisture?

I haven't exposed the equipment to those kind of conditions before and would hate to ruin some gear or (worse)lose images.

I've done the plastic bag cover with the lens sticking out in the desert to prevent sand, would something similar be usable in this situation?

Humidity could be a problem, but not one that I would overly worry about. You can get cans of desicant that can be dried in an oven and reused. It is not a bad thing to keep in your camera bag.

The bigger problem is just keeping you bag, and the equipment it carries, dry. I use LowePro bags that have an all weather cover, but there are other manufacturers with the same sort of setup. You can also use Pelican cases, but they are bulky and tough to carry.

For the camera, however, I now use something called a StormJacket (http://www.stormjacket.com/). Inexpensive, incredibly light weight and very easy to use. I used it on my last China trip and spent two days in almost constant downpours and the camera stayed dry and I got plenty of pictures. It is the best solution I have found yet.

Mitch

Thanks Mitch - exactly what I was looking for!

You could always just buy a whole case of those little moisture absorbing "do not eat" packets that come in beef jerkey.

quote:

Originally posted by Skimaxpower:
You could always just buy a whole case of those little moisture absorbing "do not eat" packets that come in beef jerkey.

hahaha

would that work?

quote:

Originally posted by Skimaxpower:
You could always just buy a whole case of those little moisture absorbing "do not eat" packets that come in beef jerkey.

"well, mister customs official, those little white packets of powder..."

Those little silica gel packets are just the ticket, but they are very hard to get hold of nowadays. Shopkeepers just throw them out and even outdoor stores don't sell them. Ebay does--but only in kg amounts. Luckily I found a whole stack among our old stuff on my in-laws attic--left over from a Venezuela expedition twenty years ago.

That was after my SE Asia trip. But although it rained nearly continuously and it was damp, my stuff stayed safe in a sealed plastic food box.