https://www.heritage-expeditions.co...tic-islands-travel/birding-down-under-cruise/
This will be an 18 day boat trip through the roaring 40s and furious 50s. We'll be taking zodiacs to and around world-heritage listed islands full of unique wildlife and plants, we'll be shooting on beaches, walking on tracks and rock-hopping. The water will be coming from the sky, blown horizontally, sprayed from zodiac bows and sneaking up as waves. Gear will need to be carried on foot, planes and boats.
So there'll need to be padding and membranes, but in which order?
I shoot birds opportunistically with those in flight a priority. Currently the LowePro LensTrekker 600 AW allows me to pull the fully assembled rig out of the bag and start shooting straight away. That comes with a rain cover but it doesn't do 360 degrees. That would mean adding a lightweight drybag around the rig inside the pack. That would mean in turn that the padding would soak up some H2O - not ideal.
So I decided on a waterproof pack with padding added. I've drawn a blank on getting something big enough here in Australia to take this rig hooded (58cm long x 18cm diameter, with another body and the FE100-400 & TC or FE16-35 alongside). There are 70l units that would need to be imported from overseas but diving that deep for gear isn't ideal anyway. So the 400 2.8 sunhood is going to have to be reversed for carrying (there's no lens cap which makes this a pain, only a vinyl hood which isn't quick).
There'll be a 45l drybag backpack by Overboard. This will take my F-Stop XL ICU when needed but that's not up for both bodies with telephotos.
https://www.over-board.com.au/products/classic-waterproof-backpack-45-litres?variant=19974346375279
https://fstopgear.com/products/icu/pro-icu-xlarge
For outings just with the 100-400 I've ordered a drybag holster from Overboard...
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B009LEQ3MU/ref=pe_2361882_282382012_TE_item
A neoprene lens pouch will go over the front during carrying.
The telephoto lenses have LensCoats to provide some protection against bumps. More padding will be needed and the only option I can see for the 400 2.8 is the LensCoat Travel Coat with the mount end cut out. Or I can have a go at fabricating a sock out of wetsuit material.
https://www.lenscoat.com/travelcoat�-sony-p-3604.html
For body protection there's a couple of LensCoat Bodyguards on order:
https://www.lenscoat.com/bodyguard�-p-681.html
For shooting when wet threatens I have an Aquatech Sport Shield XL rain cover:
https://aquatech.net/products/na-sport-shield-rain-cover-ssrc-xlarge
The southernmost island we'll reach can be expected to get down to freezing so I've got these flip-top gloves and Goretex mitt shells to cover them when needed:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ompany_32303_heat2_softshell_mitten_size.html
For 'open carry' I use the Cotton Carrier Skout which works very well; it frees the hands up when necessary and can be worn a little offset to allow me to see where I'm walking. It's about at its limits with the FE400 and hanging another holster off it for the second body has yet to be tested.
https://cottoncarrier.com/collections/skout/products/grey-skout-camera
....
The Australian winter and some XC skiing is coming up to test all this stuph out.
It's disappointing to find that the high end factory case supplied with the lens won't take a body, won't take the lens with a LensCoat on and won't take mine with my dovetail plate added to the lens foot. Replacement feet are available and I have one but it has other limitations.
In researching gear I found a couple of helpful sites from wild country photographers covering their gear and Tony Whitehead was kind enough to advise on bags.
http://www.tonywhitehead.com/wildli...g-up-for-a-photo-expedition-photography-gear/
On rain covers and gloves:
https://shuttermuse.com/best-camera-rain-covers/
