Inside the Camera Bag: What I brought to Cairo, Egypt

Nikon 85mm f/1.8 D
I used this lens mainly for the portrait series I was working one and occasionally when I wanted a nice tight crop.

Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8 AF-S
This is a bulky wide-angle lens that I ended up keeping in my bag the entire time, along with the Nikon D300. It turned out that the 24mm proved to be wide enough in nearly every situation.

Macbook Pro 15”
While I had limited to no Internet access the entirety of the trip, I brought my computer along to back up cards every night.

Adata Superior SH93 500GB Rugged Drive
Rugged drives are always a good investment when traveling. Every night, before going to sleep, I backed up my cards in individual folders on the drive.

Two CF card wallets with 8 8GB cards and 4 4GB cards
I brought enough memory cards so as to not have to format any of them at any point. This meant I had both a flash backup of all of my photos as well as a backup on my rugged drive. Once a card filled, I simply turned it backward in the wallet. I also carried the card wallets with me at all times and left the harddrive with my luggage, meaning all of my images were in two different physical locations at once.

Nikon SB 600 with a Westcott bounce umbrella, lightstand and 50ft sync cable
I opted to bring the bare necessities to do single-light portrait shots. This I packed in my suitcase, although occasionally carried with me in my backpack.

Kata DR 467 Backpack
I was able to keep all my gear on me for the entirety of the trip (minus the D300 and 17-35mm lens), without throwing out my back. I also used the bag as my carry-on for the flight to and from (always carry your gear on board!)

5 Nikon EN-EL3e Batteries
Thankfully both the D700 and D300 use the same exact batteries. I charged these guys every chance I got.

Other things I brought include:
A memory card reader, a reporters notebook, an audio recorder, Gaffers tape, a microfiber cloth (wiped down my gear nightly), a couple of garbage bags (just on the very off chance it rained), 4 rechargeable AA batteries for the flash, and a converter plug.

Note:
Before embarking on a trip anywhere with your gear, make sure it is insured. Many homeowners and renters insurance policies do cover your gear, anywhere in the world, but double-checking is wise.

In addition, it is wise to tape the logos on your gear with Gaffers tape when traveling anywhere new. Often times, thieves will recognize a specific brand based on a logo. Don’t let yourself be a target.