Essential camera gear for a round the world trip?

Question

Seven weeks from today, my wife and I are starting a nine month RTW trip. We’re both big photography buffs and we’re bringing a Nikon dSLR each, plus a point & shoot. At the same time, we want to keep our gear to a minimum. We’re backpacking, so we’ll probably carry all our gear in our daypacks (nondescript camera bags) every day for nine months.
We expect to be 2 weeks max between large cities. We’re afraid of relying on a portable hard drive for storage (what if it gets stolen). And we want to automate the geotagging of all three cameras. I haven’t bought anything for that yet.

What would you bring?

List an entire setup if you want – I’d love to read what the regulars & experienced travelers in this section would bring!
Or just suggest a specific lens, a third party neck strap/ wrist strap, a way to get all the shots home safely, your favorite GPS solution. Would you bring a flash gun? A battery grip? Provide all the suggestions you want – I’m eager to hear them!

Fhotoace, thanks for the info. A flash is one of my main concerns and your answer has strengthened my instinct to rely on the pop-up. I see you didn't bring anything faster than f/2.8. My 50mm f/1.4 is another question mark. I’m tempted to bring it.
I have a feeling that I'll need a lot more CF cards (currently have 4GB). But this is something that I can easily pick up along the way.

Sam, what is this “film” that you speak of ;-)
Actually, if you have a tip for a good neck strap, I’m all ears. The standard strap chafes in hot weather and it possibly draws as much attention as the camera itself.

Whoa... a quick search turned up several padded yet bland and super duper slash proof straps. Just the thing. The hits also included this page http://www.shutterbug.net/equipmentreviews/accessories/0107weird/index1.html which led to this page for an extra terrestrial ring flash: http://www.doctorseyes.com/php/startseite.html You might want to order that for your office, just to see the terror in your patients' eyes when you point that it in their face.

Vienna, Thank you for all the input. We're leaning towards 2 normal zooms and possibly a 50mm for redundancy/ low light. I'll have to think if I want to replace the 50mm with a super wide... and if I really want to drag a 3rd lens along at all. I agree that we'd sooner want a super wide than a tele, but I hadn't considered super wide vs. f/1.4

I'm curious if you and Fhotoace would still feel the need for a super wide if your normal zoom started at 18mm.

Two votes against a flashgun now.

Still looking for (more) storage & geotagging suggesions.

Terisu, Thanks for the additional gear tips and for the general travel advice. Regarding war-torn countries, we’re staying well away from conflict areas. Our biggest safety concerns are malaria, thieves, and surviving the Mongolian cuisine for three weeks… they say it’s worse than British food. Thieves/ muggers is one reason I won’t even consider a Domke vest. Nah, that’s the only reason - I don’t mind looking silly.

Answer 1

Because, as you will discover, weight is a major issue, you need to figure out what you want to shoot and haul only as much gear as is necessary.

Personally, I'd ask myself if I really need anything beyond one DSLR and one lens. I'd pretty much bet the mortgage that 90% of your shots will be in the 30-60mm range, so teaming up a D40X with Nikkor's excellent 18-70 would more than do the job.

If both travellers absolutely have to have their own camera, get another D40X and a wide angle lens such as Sigma's 10-20 or, if budget allows, Nikon's 12-24.

You could substitute the 85mm f1.8 for the above lens if you thought you'd be doing a lot of portrait-type shots.

As you suggest, I would not rely on a portable drive. Take a whole whack of 2GB cards -- 10 to start -- and have each person carry half in a secure spot. You can buy more if you need to.

I wouldn't bother with an external flash. Instead, I'd pack a small tabletop tripod and a remote control. This will let you shoot in very low light at reasonable ISO.

Of course, bring the battery charger. Don't bother with a spare battery if you're packing two bodies. If you're taking only one, add a spare battery anyway. You're not likely to run out of juice, but if the main battery fries, will you be able to locate a replacement?

Make sure your bag can be sealed against dust and sand -- you'd be surprised at how grubby some countries are. And if you're going to the tropics, definitely get some of those little silica packs which suck up moisture. I have had expensive lenses ruined by fungus.

Bottom line? Remember, you'll be humping this stuff on your backs possibly 12 hours at a time. My wife gets great travel shots from her 15-year-old $100 Olympus Stylus film camera, which weighs less than one Nikon lens. And she's not even a photography buff.

Lastly, I regret to say that I know nothing about geotagging so I can't make any recommendations in that regard.

Hope this helps, and have a great trip!

Answer 2

It looks like these guys have already given you some great advice on what to take. I agree with taking as many memory cards as you can, and put me down for a third vote on leaving the flash behind. You might want to look into Domke vests or jackets for all their pockets. You can store lots of things in those plastic bags that newspapers come in. Or ziploc bags. Plastic shopping bags can go from keeping shampoos and soaps from leaking in luggage, to protecting stuff in the rain, to keeping dirty clothes in your luggage.

If you'll be doing a lot of hiking, a monopod would be lighter than a tripod, and you can use it as a walking stick. You don't really need a tabletop tripod, as long as you have a camera bag with you to set your camera on. Even a wadded up jacket works as a table tripod in a pinch.

Use the time before you go to learn as much about the countries you will be visiting. Customs can be very strange in some places. Learn some phrases, too. They will appreciate that you're trying to learn their language.

Hey, and watch out for war-torn countries! Don't get yourself taken hostage anywhere. Enjoy your trip, and know that there are those of us here who are extremely jealous.

Answer 3

Wow. You've been a contributing member here for over a year and this is the first question you have asked! It deserves a great answer, so I would suggest that you take plenty of film. Buy prepaid film processing mailers so that you can drop them in the mail and have a box full of prints waiting for you when you get home.