Kavey

Ha ha, that's a good one!

Roccco

mpkp,

Thanks...I feel much better now knowing that the Tamrac bag is carry on legal.

Mitch...enough of the modeling already.

bwanamitch

Chaperone! :-<

bwanamitch

Rocco,

Do you already have packed your new Tamrac? What's the total weight?

Mitch

napamatt

Rocco

Elke has a black one and on the last trip she found it so hot, she had to have extra chilled Sauvignon Blanc at sundowners ;-)

jules39

Rocco I too would be interested to know the weight of the pack when loaded. It is a heavy pack to start with.
J

wanderlust123

Me too. I was told to keep mine at 13 pounds total carry on weight.

Lin

I want to know too! I almost bought the same pack for my 2 cameras but I thought it would be really heavy. I bought one 1/3 of that size and it did work but a bit crowded for lenses hoods filters and such. Mitch is that a pic of Jack's Camp?

Kavey

One of ours at it's heaviest (on the journey there and back) is usually about 7 kg.

It's less afterwards as the charging gear etc goes into the main luggage after that but I prefer it all to be in hand luggage for the journey out and in so that it can't go astray or get damaged.

To compensate the main luggage weighs less than the maximum.

On our first trip to Bots and Namib our hand luggage and main luggage combined came to the 12 kg allowed - 6 kg for hand luggage and 6 for main!!!!!

bwanamitch

Lin,
Yes, the quad-bike image is near at Jack's.

Kavey,
My luggage always consists of 14kg photo backpack and 20kg main luggage (softbag).

Mitch

jules39

Lin, which pack did you end up getting? I am tossing up between a smaller Tamrac and a comparably sized Lowe. The Tamrac is heavier but I like the shoulder straps better!
J

jules39

Kavey, you are a girl after my own heart I always aim to travel as light as possible.
J

Roccco

Okay...regarding the weight of the Tamrac 777.

Fully loaded with the following gear:

Canon 20d body
17-85mm lens
70-200mm lens
80-400mm lens
180mm lens
Monopod and Ballhead
Camera Batteries & CF Cards

Grand Total = 24 pounds

I am going to leave behind the 180mm (macro) lens but will be adding another Canon 20d body.

I am going to alert my agent about my camera gear and weight and I will let the agent work it out with the air charter company. I am traveling with my wife and perhaps she will be so kind as to take the weight of those burdensome CF cards off my back, thus reducing my weight by a couple ounces.

I don't know...I don't care...it will all work out...19 days and counting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roccco

Forgot to mention...the above weight also included by Steiner "Safari" binoculars. I should probably invest in some slighly stronger binoculars that also provide more stability, but there is just too much other stuff still on the list.

Patty

Rocco,
If you're flying Virgin economy to LHR, I don't know if you're aware that their carry on weight limit is 6kg -

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us...allowances.jsp

They may or may not enforce it.

bwanamitch

This is more or less valid for all economy flights to Africa. You should avoid airlines of countries at war (UK,...) because these are very strict in their security checks.

Mitch

Roccco

Patty,

Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps I will be able to reduce the weight by packing away the monopod and ballhead, and then temporarily having my wife carry the 80-400mm lens. These steps alone, would reduce the weight by 8 or 9 pounds.

Mitch,

I don't think it is necessarily because Germany and Japan are peace-loving nations that they currently are not "countries at war."

Hopefully the USA does not find itself in a similar situation in 60 years, being forcefully disarmed by some emerging superpower.

bwanamitch

Rocco,

Because of this strict hand luggage checks I'm not flying with British Airways although they offer a direct connection to Lusaka. BA has additional security checks, and guess why...

You should surf some travel sites for people with special equipment requirements, like divers, anglers and of course photographers, to learn about these things.

Mitch

PS: Just read a magazine article today: many analyst say that China will outrun the States in 20 years, pessimists say in 40 years. So it won't take 60 years...

Roccco

Matt,

Well, I am not much of a white wine drinker. Although I am not really a beer man, while I am in Zambia, it is all Mosi, all the time!

Unfortunately, I have not yet found a Zambian lodge with a wine cellar that competes with Singita's wine cellar!

(no wine cellars, period, in Zambia, but somehow I do survive).

Kavey

Jules, it IS easier when travelling with hub as we can split things like toiletries, torch, medical kit and so on between us but... I don't do makeup and I don't need fancy clothes (especially if camps have laundry) so I don't NEED much!

Mitch, what on earth takes up the 20kg of main luggage? Unless you are camping and including stoves, pans, sleeping bag?!