Safari Musings...
Man oh man, time really does fly! I’ve been keeping my nose to the grindstone lately and the blog entries have been rather scarce, eh? Time to rectify that!
Safari season is almost upon us and nows the time to rough-in our travel kits. Deciding about what you’re going to bring is one thing but figuring out how to organize it is quite another. Think fewer clothes and well-chosen gear. And remember to always transport your true essentials in your carry-on gear…
I speak from experience. In thirty-five years of international travel I have only rarely endured lost luggage. Last year, Delta lost mine in a big way. I checked my duffel in Atlanta on the way to a fifteen day safari in Botswana and I didn’t see it again until fifteen hours before I was scheduled to return home. Once the lost luggage finally arrived, I changed, burned my old clothes, and snagged some spares to stuff in my gadget bag. It was a good thing I did as Delta lost my bag on the way back home, too. The well-traveled duffle finally showed up in Prescott three days after my return. By then I simply didn’t care. Well, I did care - I had a nice pair of binoculars and some night-vision goggles packed with my clothing and all arrived perfectly intact. A minor miracle, that…
Airline ineptitude happens and no amount of hollering changes things one iota. Lost luggage is unusual but it does happen. Always pack essentials in your carry-on. As far as gear is concerned, less can indeed be more especially when in transit. Carry what you know you’ll need and judge any extras with a critical eye to weight. Our transportation and accommodations with Thomson will be very smooth but airports can be challenging - especially when over-burdened on a bleary late night connection.
Camp laundry is an ongoing thing and many seasoned travelers try to get along with three full changes and extras. My airline-approved carry-on camera bag and “personal item” always contains spare glasses, essential meds, an abbreviated bathroom bag, and a spare change of undies and socks. Always. I also have Xerox copies of my itinerary in each bag. I am also sure to have an extra Xerox copy of my passport on my person at all times. It isn’t hard to imagine a passport slipping from a pocket and causing all sorts of hassles; a copy makes the replacement process go much more smoothly.
It’s usually quite sunny in Africa, so sun block and a good shade-producing hat is like gold. Some stretches can be dusty so some pre-packaged “wet naps” can offer easy refreshment. I also recommend heavy-duty Ziploc bags in a variety of sizes for the protection of dust sensitive gear. When I travel with a super-telephoto, I transport it bagged in a camping store “stuff sack,” cinched around the lens. Don’t forget a bulb-style dust blower for cleaning lenses. Lens tissue and lens cleaning liquid should also have there own little Ziploc bag. I also bring a few sensor swabs and liquid but only use it if truly necessary.
Don’t forget spare batteries, chargers that are compatible with 240VAC generator current (virtually all chargers and AC adapters are dual voltage but read the small print on yours to be sure) and adequate film or data storage. As the cost of flash memory has dropped, some location shooters are simply bringing lots of Flash Memory cards and not worrying about creating back-ups and constantly reformatting cards. If you are planning on re-shooting your memory cards, design and practice you back-up strategy now. Something like the Epson image tank is a good solution; just make sure that it has adequate storage space for the number of files you‘ll generate.
I usually import my files into my laptop and then make two copies onto two separate pocket drives like the little 100gig Iomega shown in the upper left corner. This year, with more video footage to handle, I’m trying the new Fusion F2 portable RAID shown in the lower left corner. This thing is neat. The two drives are mounted side-by-side to avoid harmonic resonance and heat build-up. The F2’s power is provided by a link to the laptop so no additional power supply is required. Tidy!
There will be sandbags aplenty, but some of them may be over-filled. When they get too solid, they take on the vibration absorbency qualities of a brick. I’ll probably make room for my Pod. This is a light-weight little beanbag that has a ¼-20 stud built into one side. Just screw the pod onto your camera or lens and shoot away…
While there is ample electricity at the camps, the recharging station can get busy. Be sure to bring a plug adaptor and a short “ganged outlet” extension cord that you have tested for fit with your various charger blocks. Get one with a spare outlet in case we need to “daisy-chain” as a courtesy to others. I found this one made by Monster Power at a Kinkos store. Very compact. Also bring a multi-purpose international plug adapter; we usually encounter the three-pronged UK style plug.
