Grand Canyon Raft Trip

[pnelson3]

I am at the beginning stages of planning for a 20 day raft trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, taking place next Sep. I am wondering if anyone has some solid experience and input on how to prepare for a trip that is going to be wet, dusty, and away from power for a considerable amount of time. I am a Canon shooter and will probably take a Mark III (figuring I will have one by then). Specifically, I am looking for input on:

1- lenses (which would you take if you could only take three or four?)
2- packs or cases (is a Pelican the right way to go, or should I consider something like a DryZone?)
3- storage devices (would you consider taking a laptop in a Pelican? w/ extra drives or something like a Hyperdrive?)
4- battery chargers (does a good, reliable solar charger exist that can charge camera batteries?)
5- filters?
6- tripod?
7- extra body?
8- anything else?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Phil

[skibum187]

1. A good Telephoto with an extender (70-200 w/ 1.4x or a 2x, or a 100-400) , a good portrait/ still life (85 or 135) lens, a wide angle (17-35 or similar)...and I personally like having a fisheye on rivertrips (cool to capture the inevitable beer barge with). Or maybe something like a 28-135.

2. Pelican all the way, and if you can afford it, a full waterproof housing for the camera itself. (Or get the G9 or similar with a waterproof housing). Don't want to miss those on river action shots. I would also bring an extra Pelican gasket or 2 just in case. If you're really worried about it, get some of those really big ziplocks and zip up everything inside the Peli for added protection.

3. I think a laptop is pretty cumbersome and easy to damage on the river. I would take a hyperdrive  with plenty of storage room.

4. Yes.
http://brunton.com/catalog.php?subcat=7
or
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/4694...olar_Panel.html

or similar. My boss has the SolarRoll 14 and said that it would take around twice as long as a wall charge.

5. Grad NDs and Polarizers

6. Yes, you're on a raft trip, so weight isn't really a huge deal, but size can be. Just make sure you've got enough room on the boat.

7. A decent film body is nice if you run out of battery and don't have time to recharge...also a PS, like the G9

8. The key to happiness.... trust me...http://www.cascadeoutfitters.com/index.cfm.../1492/index.cfm


If you need any other river sports gear, you can give me a call at 4Corners Riversports (www.riversports.com - new website, so we don't have full inventory online yet) and ask for Matt.
I can order in any Pelican, Brunton charger and have the Aire Landing Pads in stock.
1-800-4Corners

[pnelson3]

Matt,

Thanks for your feedback and recommendations. You confirmed a lot of what we are already thinking. I especially like the G9 with housing idea - that looks like an amazing little camera. Your thoughts about the laptop are well understood, and we are looking into a Hyperdrive or something like it. One of the things we like about the Hyperdrive is that it can take AA batteries. I also just discovered that the grip that can be added to my 5D also takes AAs. If a solar recharger can't do the job, it would be nice to have AAs as a backup.

Phil

[skibum187]

Be sure you bring LOTS of batteries if you go that route.... the 5D will eat through em REAL fast