What gear to bring camping in Montana?

[Noah Anderson]

Hey, I am an 18 year old senior in high school, and this summer as our last hoorah, my best buddy and I are taking a camping trip to Glacier National Park in Montana. I love photography and shoot with a Nikon 7100 with an assortment of prime 1.8 glass. I was talking with my dad about the trip and he said that maybe bringing such an expensive set up may not be the best idea. Is he right? Im very torn, so I have been doing my research on some other, less expensive, easier-to-swallow-if-I-lose-it-or-it-gets-stolen kinda of camera. Is that the right call? Also, Help me decide between the two I have narrowed it down to. The Nikon Coolpix AW130 because it is so sturdy, but how is the image quality for landscapes?, or the Coolpix P340/P7800 which I know has better image quality.. We will be sleeping in a tent, not a hotel, and will probably have a vehicle nearby. Weight is not an issue either. It's mostly about my gear getting stolen. Does anyone have experience with this kind of thing? I would really appreciate it.

www.flickr/com/photos/noahanderson

 

[runnah]

The Nikon Coolpix AW130 is designed to be rugged, water and shock proof. In doing so they have compromised the image quality big time. I would avoid.

If you are going to have a car near by just lock your good gear in the trunk. For the rest of the time keep your gear in a nice padded bag.

There is no way in hell I'd bring a point and shoot to Glacier National Park.

 

[astroNikon]

I've kept my gear in my car.
It locks, and has an alarm.
Just don't put it in plain site.

 

[Ted Evans]

Hey, I am an 18 year old senior in high school, and this summer as our last hoorah, my best buddy and I are taking a camping trip to Glacier National Park in Montana. I love photography and shoot with a Nikon 7100 with an assortment of prime 1.8 glass. I was talking with my dad about the trip and he said that maybe bringing such an expensive set up may not be the best idea. Is he right? Im very torn, so I have been doing my research on some other, less expensive, easier-to-swallow-if-I-lose-it-or-it-gets-stolen kinda of camera. Is that the right call? Also, Help me decide between the two I have narrowed it down to. The Nikon Coolpix AW130 because it is so sturdy, but how is the image quality for landscapes?, or the Coolpix P340/P7800 which I know has better image quality.. We will be sleeping in a tent, not a hotel, and will probably have a vehicle nearby. Weight is not an issue either. It's mostly about my gear getting stolen. Does anyone have experience with this kind of thing? I would really appreciate it.

www.flickr/com/photos/noahanderson

If you have an insurance policy, why not add a rider to it to cover any loss or damage? I added a rider to my gear when I was in Montana and it was not that expensive on my home policy. There is also stand alone policies that can be purchased that covers all events. If you are going to Glacier, I would suggest taking the best equipment that you have. Just my opinion of course.

 

[spacefuzz]

First bring the 7100, a good camera and great pictures of your trip will be priceless 20 years from now. I hike and bring my camera gear everywhere, active volcanoes, remote hikes, -20F blizzards. The stuff is built to be used, just don't drop it onto rocks (that being said I've dropped my D800 at least 3 times and still works).

Depending on the type of photography you do a tripod would be advisable. Also check your lenses, you usually don't need to bring them all.

For insurance, if you still live with your parents look into a low cost rider on their policy, like state farm personal articles. You can likely insure your camera for as low as $10 just for that month.

One of my trips where I show gear I typically bring. Mountaineers Route Matthew Kuhns Photography

Any other questions let me know.

 

[Dave442]

I would also say to take the D7100. My cameras have usually been stolen out of a car in the city, never had one stolen while camping. I usually stick to a couple small primes that I can bang around a bit. If you have the car then throw in the tripod, when your camping there is a lot of time to shoot both early and late.

 

[photoguy99]

National parks are filled with people who are not utterly poor and who have gone to a lot of trouble to get there.

There is very little overlap between these people and the people who steal things out of cars that they can pawn for $100.

You're far more likely to destroy the gear yourself than to have it stolen. So handle it carefully.