Alaska Backpacking: F6, FM3a or both?

[dazedgonebye]

I recently did 3 days on Appalachian trail in Shenandoah. My pack was 45 lbs without a camera. (I'm the dad, so I carry the biggest load for the family.)
For me, this'd be a job for a rangefinder and maybe 2 lenses.

 

[Pherdinand]

whatever camera you bring, don't eat the seeds of the wild potato. 😀
sorry, couldnt resist. Good advices are already given above.
If you are ready to carry a F6 you could carry a small 12-format rangefinder instead liek the bronica or mamiya 6- but you might not have one.

 

[Riverman]

Second, as someone said, it's lighter and in the end I'm not sure which kind of tricky situation you might encounter in a landscape you wouldn't be able to deal with. Rather, instead of Velvia, I'd consider the new Ektar and the new Portra 400 which have already showed a great scan capability by the right labs.
If you go through snowy places, a negative film might deal with snow better than a slide, in case you overexpose.

Thanks Dino. I think I'll be taking some print film in my pack as well. The new Portra is excellent.

 

[Riverman]

Well, less than a month until my departure. Been doing some practice hikes in Shenandoah and also getting odd looks from folk as a wander round my DC neighborhood morning and evening wearing huge boots and an enormous pack on my back!

The training has definitely helped me appreciate what others have said here about keeping weight down. So on that basis, I have settled on the FM3a plus two Voigt lenses (20 and 40). No way on god's green earth do I want to be lugging my F6 for 8 consecutive days across sub-arctic tundra. (And to think at one point I even entertained the idea of trying to carry a 4x5 on this trip - was I mad?!)

Also, while I had initially wanted to shoot slide, I've decided to just bring print film - a mix of new Portra 400 (which I think is an amazing film) plus a few rolls of Ektar. Print film I can shoot without having to fret about precise exposure or bracketing - leaving me to enjoy the view and the hike.

Once I'm back from Denali I'll post a trip report here and a link to the photos in flickr.