Questions for You Itinerant Photographers??

[Steve K.]

I’m leaving in a few weeks for a 21 day excursion in Alaska. A few days in Denali N.P., a few days on the Kenai Peninsula (Moose Pass) and then ten days in Katmai N.P. ….with 7 days on a rubber raft salmon fishing and camping….also a one day glacier cruise in Prince William Sound.

Fishing and photography will be the main themes of the trip.

My photo gear will be carried and stored in a Lowepro Dryzone 200 waterproof backpack. Yes it’s waterproof…I checked 🙂 I have access to a Pelican Case but prefer the pack because I’ll be doing some dayhiking to a few backcountry lakes/streams. Should I take the Pelican and leave the pack at home? (I’m carrying my photo gear on the aircraft.)

Should I take the following(I have a Nikon D70s):

400mm F3.5 telephoto (weighs 7 lbs

[Cameron Mortenson]

Does everything you listed fit in the backpack?  If so, I’d be impressed to take the pack.  I can’t imagine lugging the Pelican case along on the extended hikes would be comfortable at all.  

Is there room to take both?  The Pelican case would be nice to have while in the raft portion of your trip.

Didn’t you buy this pack specifically for this trip?

 

[david king]

I think you might get by without the 400.

[Eric DeWitt]

I feel your pain, we have a trip coming up in september to africa hunting… i’ve been losing sleep trying to decide what all to take.

[anonymous]

Hi

I picked up one of these-

http://www.pictureline.com/product.php?id=12929

[justfishing55]

Take the Lowepro.
You left something off, though.

Me. I think I could squeeze in the backpack with no problem & I’ll even carry it once we get there.

[Steve K.]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

Let’s see…where to start??

I bought the Lowepro specifically for this trip and sincerily think it will be the ticket….Everything mentioned fits in the pack with a little room to spare….(but not enough for you Justfishing 🙂

I’ll be traveling by foot, car, cruise boat and raft at various times. So the pack and Pelican both have advantages….but I can’t lug both of them along. The Pelican would be perfect for rafting but not for trekking in Denali.

I’ve already filled two duffels with camping and fishing gear. I checked on FedEx and it’s cost prohibitive at $100 for a 30 pound parcel to King Salmon, AK. Ouch! I thought about one of those packs that fit into a Pelican but they don’t have a great suspension system IMO.

I thought about leaving the 400mm at home which would save a lot of weight and space, but…..on the raft/camp portion of the trip, we will be seeing several brown bears…..Bald eagles as well. So I’d hate to miss out on those opportunities. I thought about getting a Nikon TC 301 teleconverter to go with the telephoto.

And don’t forget the tripod. The telephoto is not near as effective without it. I also want to do some slow shutter speed stuff like waterfalls and streams. I also imagine that sunlight will be in short supply (lottsa rain).

Thanks for the tips ……I’m still pondering and will probably cut back on some stuff before I leave (August 1st). I’ll let ya’ll know.

Thx again,

Drifter

[justfishing55]

Drifter,

Can’t wait to see and hear all about your trip. I promised my son that we would take a trip up there next summer. I’ve been twice, and took him on the last trip, 2 summers ago. We went to the Anvik river for a week. I haven’t decided where to head next summer, so I’ll really be interested in your take on the different spots you’re headed.

justfishing

[Steve K.]

The float trip will be the upper Alagnak via floatplane. We’ll drift back down over the course of seven days. Fishing for salmon, rainbows, grayling and dolly varden. We’re using Branch River Air Service as our outfitter. We are also going to hire guides out of King Salmon for a day on the Naknek for silvers.

I’ll post a report…late August.

Drifter

[Steve K.]

Thanks Bill….that makes me feel better about lugging the 400mm along.

I was in Yellowstone in May and wish I would have had it then.

[Author]

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