How do you travel with medium format film?

M

Merumeni

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Hello,

I would like some advice regarding traveling with 120 film.
End of the month will see me hitting the road again. This time I am going to hike from Seville to Finisterre via Merida and Santiago de Compostela. I will be 6 weeks away having some days off for sightseeing (including Granada and Cordoba).
I will also take my Rolleicord as my main (!) camera with me. Originally I was planning 1 roll a day but than I decided to take some Tri-X with me as well for the overcast northern parts.
Anyway, I will schlepp 52 rolls with me, 42 being the new Adox CHS 100 II. The latter came well protected in their own little containers. And here is where my problem starts:

My pack will way round about 15kg. This is a lot for a 1000 km walk but I am used to this "overload". 5 kg will be photographic gear, film, a travel tripod and a Fuji plus 18 and 27 lens.

The containers alone will way 500gr. Means: a lot. Now: how do you travel with medium format film? Is there a safe method to carry the film without the containers?

I am looking forward to your suggestions!
Thanks a lot

Stephan
 
Just in a plastic ziplock bag, wrapped with an article of clothing so that nothing sharp will dent into the film.
 
Zipper-type plastic bags, preferably the heavier freezer ones; I'd probably do smaller bags with 10-15 rolls per bag. Line up the film in a nice orderly way (how ever it fits best) on a flat surface, then suck the air out of the bag and zip it shut. Compact, somewhat flexible, waterproof, and lightweight.

EDIT: FrankS beat me to it.
 
I remove the rolls from their boxes, or plastic containers in the case of Adox film. Remove any foil or plastic wrapping and put them all in a seal-able bag. Never had any problems. Unless you're white water rafting and want the film dry before it goes in the camera, then keeping the foil wrapper on will be advisable. Other than that, ditch the canisters. It's easier to see which films are exposed and unexposed without the canister.
 
I would divide up the film and put them in zip lock bags without the plastic tubes, and then put the bags of film in a second but light tight bag. I do not trust the paper roll on 120 film to be completely light tight.
 
I normally take some of the film boxes... the ones you get when you buy 5 rolls of 120 film. I flat pack them by opening the bottom of the box and then use them as film gets exposed. (Use an elastic band to hold the box closed again). With the Fuji boxes you can fit two rolls end to end so you can get six rolls in a box.
Otherwise, as has already been said, zip locks.
When I have done long trips in the past, I've used 220 rather than 120.. but I guess that's not an option for this trip.
 
I never hiked (with or without MF film gear). But I normally take MF film on holidays but always by car. I count about 1.5-2 rolls a day of 6x4.5. I do just like Bisakok and just take the Fuji boxes and put 6 exposed in a box afterwards.

One thing I try to avoid is taking different types of film. Easier with a slow film and tripod or fast film alone (and ND filter), certainly if you don't have the luxury of separate backs.

For your trip I'd take the advise of Rayt, just put the film with its foil in ziplock bags so they will survive a shower and wrap in alu foil after exposure and again in a ziplock.
 
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