What is the MOST gear you've ever carried on a trip?

[pgk]

When I travelled carrying underwater camera gear professionally I would take a Pelicase with housing, flashes, flash arms, ports, cameras, lenses, batteries, chargers, film, and much more. Weight of this lot alone on one trip was 17Kg, which somehow I managed to wangle as hand luggage. Gone are such days fortunately.

 

[Vince Lupo]

I try to not overburden myself these days for personal trips, but I do recall our trip to Austria a number of years ago in which I didn't adhere to that philosophy. I brought my Contaflex TLR with its 50mm lens and then I picked up an 85mm f/2 Sonnar lens for it from the LeicaShop in Vienna that I'd ordered. So that was like adding a lead weight to an already weighty camera bag. The other thing I brought on that trip was a Hasselblad SWC - it was actually a pretty cool camera to bring along, but clearly I overdid it with physical burdens. To be sure it was a wacky combination of cameras.

For commercial work I pretty much bring a carload of stuff -- the furthest I ever drove for a job was from where we lived near Baltimore, MD to Port Angeles, WA. I brought three Nikon digital camera bodies, I think four lenses, SB800 flash with a Quantum battery pack, Pocket Wizards, my very sizable Dynalite strobe kit with three packs and a number of heads and cables, many light stands and related light modifiers, sandbags (very important!), a large Manfrotto tripod, a smaller Manfrotto tripod, ladder, and I even managed to bring along a Leica Monochrom kit for personal work along the way. Pretty sure the only thing I didn't use on that multi-day job was my SB800 with the battery pack and one of the backup Nikon bodies.

 

[Dogman]

We used to travel in an RV. Before that in a pickup truck with a camper shell. Lots of room. I could carry, and did carry, just about everything I owned at the time on several occasions.




................................

 

[qqphotos]

I spent some time traveling around remote parts of Australia carrying an 8x10 view camera, heavy tripod, three lenses, 8 film holders, boxes of film, dark cloths, meters, shades, filters, and all the other stuff that goes with that. Just getting there from home in California with everything intact was a project.

 

[santino]

I think two bodies, each with a different lens but same film. In that way I did not have to change lenses.

 

[boojum]

On a trip from NW Oregon to Ely, NV and down to LA and back I dragged along an M9 with two or three lenses and an X2D with one. I wanted to see how the '42 CZJ 5cm 1.5 performed alongside the SBS and the Amotal. Very well. The X2D with the XCD 55V was fine as usual. The SBS and the CZJ justified my appreciation of Sonnars.

 

[Darthfeeble]

On a trip to spend a week in Kruger Nat'l Park I took my complete Canon 5d kit. 12-24, 24-105, 100-400 and cleaning gear. All in a Pelican 1510 carryon. Next trip to Africa I took a Canon T3 with an 18-200 do all lens, much easier. Both times I packed my X100 in a travel jacket pocket.

 

[Cascadilla]

When I travel for commercial work I usually bring 2 Pentax DSLRs and 4-5 lenses, depending on the job, along with 5 mono light studio flashes and their attending light stands, reflectors, umbrellas, soft boxes, etc., and background stands, seamless paper and a couple of carts, one of which doubles as a step ladder. It fills the back of my Volvo XC 70. When I shot film that would have been a Toyo 4x5 G with 6 lenses, bag bellows, 40-50 sheet film holders, changing bag, Polaroid back and film instead of the DSLRs. I don't do this very often any more, I'm happy to say.

 

[Rayt]

I need a second bag for the large format accessories like film, holders, changing bag, dark cloth, meters, etc. The camera and usually three lenses go in another bag plus tripod. Did I miss anything? I always seem to forget something and a few times when I am on location. Shutter cable and loupe! I have forgotten these more than once.

When Fuji and Kodak made Quickload/Readyloads it was easier flying and walking with 4x5. It’s the holders and two film boxes that make up most of the bulk. All the others can fit inside a backpack. And with pack film like Readyloads I didn’t need to worry about airport security.

 

[Out to Lunch]

I divide my time between two countries and always schlep a lot of stuff around. For photography, the best solution so far is a Manfrotto spinner carry-on.