RyukyuMike's Packing List for an Overnight Island Hop (Image)

Traveling Light

 

This is a quick checklist for a weekend visit to an outer island in Okinawa, Japan.

Not anticipating being able to go online, the laptop and external drive can stay home.

Bags are packed but, here's what it looked like a few minutes ago.

On the bottom of the pile is the Coleman 3 - in - 1 Blanket.


In no particular order, here's a list of things that get stuffed in the pack or, tied on the outside:

Two Pentax DSLRs.  From Sigma a 10-20mm, and a 50-500mm. One Pentax 18-250mm lens.

My flea-market backpack that helps me look like a homeless dude.

A jacket and change of clothes.

The Manfrotto 725B tripod will be hand carried along with the camera used to shoot the photo.

Hiking shoes and an extra pair of yellow flip-flops.

Moist towelettes, baby wipes, whatever you want to call those things that make you smell good.

Flashlight, cigarette lighters, emergency food, lens cleaning gear and a knife.

Toothpaste, toothbrush, body soap, insect repellent and a pair of socks.

A pill box created out of some camera and lens covers, for medicine, Aspirin and Rolaids.

Utility cord, of various lengths, always come in handy.

There are other items, such as a towel and underwear stuffed in the bag for cushioning.

I figured, the ladies wouldn't want to see that stuff.

The only thing I have to remember to do before I travel, is stuff the wallet with lots of cash.

That's just in case they have food and beer on the island I'm going to.

A camera holster will be hanging off my shoulder.

That contains extra batteries, SD cards and model releases.  I'm traveling light.

Can you think of anything else, I should add to this checklist ?





 

Wildlife Photo: The Chinese Bulbul with a Sigma 50-500mm Lens

Here is a practice shot taken with the Sigma 50-500mm lens at 500mm.

The Chinese Bulbul ( Pycnonotus sinensis ) is a bird I've posted here before.

This shot was taken en route to the Okukubi River in Okinawa, Japan.

That's got to be my favorite spot for Photographing waterbirds, because I can walk to the place.

That Sigma lens gets fairly heavy when you're out for a few hours so, I haul it in my backpack.

The Pentax gets an 18-250mm lens until I get near my shooting destination.

While hiking, the camera is in a holster and I can grab it in a split second if needed.

As soon as I'm within a few minutes walk of the river, out comes the big Sigma.

I stretch that lens out as far as it will go just to take some practice shots.

This was my first photo taken on March 29, 2012 and there are a few hundred more waiting.

This week I'll just be doing some quick blog posts because I'm using one of those WiFi spots.

There's a bunch of giggling, yapping high school girls in here.

They make more noise than a whole flock of those noisy Chinese Bulbuls so, I'm outta here !

Case Logic Camera Holster TBC-308. Mad Mike's Review

It took awhile getting used to calling the Case Logic TBC-308 a camera holster, for me.

It just doesn't look like my old Case Logic Holster.  That one looked like a holster.

Here are some of the things I carry when I go out on a photography shoot and don't want to use my backpack.  From left to right and top to bottom, there's a shutter cable release, circular polarizing filter, air bulb and brush for lenses, lens cleaning fluid, Photographer's log, model releases in English and Japanese, ink pen (all stuffed in a plastic sandwich bag) and a case for extra SD cards.

All that stuff gets packed into to zippered pocket on the outside of the holster.  There's room for more. 

Like, if you were a lady I suppose lipstick, makeup and mirrors would fit in there, too.

There's the Pentax with an 18-250mm zoom attached and it's hanging from an adjustable cradle.  That keeps your lens from bouncing around on the bottom of the bag and allows me to stuff the lens cap along with lens tissues and other goodies into the little zippered pocket inside the holster's cover.

The way I figure there's no sense calling it a holster, if you can't quickdraw the camera and shoot it. 

So, that's what I do.

It comes with an adjustable shoulder strap and there's a beltloop you can use whenever you're doing some serious climbing, worried about a purse-snatcher, or if you happen to be a klutz (like I am, sometimes) and afraid your camera will fall out of the bag.

Here's something I just discovered yesterday when I was coming out of a cave in Okinawa, Japan.

There is my camera mounted on a tripod.  The shutter cable release, still plugged in and everything is ready to fire (if I run across a cave woman, or something) and I just pulled the holster over everything to protect it in case I tripped and fell.  Stuff happens.  Ya know ?

Case Logic Camera Holsters come with a 25 year warranty.

The TBC-308 is lightweight nylon, only weighs 340g or 12oz.

If you're not into sholder-straps or belt-loops, you can just use the handle and call it a camera case !

DISCLOSURE: I own this puppy and like it (Five Star Rating) but nobody paid me to say that.

Would I recommend Case Logic Camera Holsters to my friends ?  Yup !