We are quickly approaching a two week get away for the whole family. It really snuck up on us and today reality hit so the packing began. I had to stop and laugh and hope you enjoy this obvious disparate segregation of duty!

My Packing is almost complete save the Itouch, a few chargers , cell phones , etc ..
[IMGWIDEleft]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2047/2260965689_d8826da940_b.jpg[/IMGWIDEleft]

Don't worry the extra Body and 50mm were used to take the picture I knew you were concerned.

Now on the other hand here is what my better half has to deal with ! Is this fair
[IMGWIDEleft]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2029/2261760342_f38417db47_b.jpg[/IMGWIDEleft]

3 more sleeps !

[J.Scott]

I do the same thing before a big trip. I load my camera bag to the gunwales then I take everything out - several times! It is a difficult decision to know which lens/camera/gadget to pack and which to leave behind. I always ask myself, "Do I really need to lug all this stuff around with me?" The inevitable answer is "no!", but I bring it anyway!

Have fun!

[Mallee Boy]

Ah Ha!! That scene looks very , very familiar.

At the risk of getting myself some serious harm from the female contributors ( ahem....the WONDERFUL female contributors that is :ugh I have to say that I simply can not work out the female thought process when it comes to packing. ( NO! we are only dealing with packing....thankyou boys!)

I can get ready in one small case, and my packing comprises of the clothes I will wear for travel (selected on the strength of airconditioned terminals, cars etc etc). And a change in case of getting wet/dirty, and an outer layer for cooler/wet weather.

I really have no problem with wearing the same clothes for a couple of weeks when travelling (washing them regularly of course!). Lightweight travel gear (eg: Columbia) is great, washes out easy, dries overnite... I mean, I am not on a fashion parade, I am on the move, as in we are TRAVELLING, that is moving from one place to another every day or two. So why can't I wear the same couple of shirts? I'm in a different location tomorrow, being seen by different people, they don't know its the same shirt I washed a couple of days ago, they dont care if its the same jacket I was wearing a month ago!!!!

My wife says she gets tired of looking at the same clothes on me, day in day out!! I give up.

OK OK, I will concede to a different change for an evening outing....but thats it! I do not need to pack a wardrobe!

Meanwhile, on the otherside of the room, the other half is packing, anxiously contemplating how many pairs of jeans we need to pack, how many tops etc etc.

....now to pack my camera bag.....this where it gets serious!

Why do I get the feeling I am not alone here?
Cheers

[falconeye]

2 year old girls / boys already prefer different toys. Seems to stay like this from there on. In all countries. Cannot be education, must be something else...

...maybe the color of the first rompers?

[daacon]

I do the same thing before a big trip. I load my camera bag to the gunwales then I take everything out - several times! It is a difficult decision to know which lens/camera/gadget to pack and which to leave behind. I always ask myself, "Do I really need to lug all this stuff around with me?" The inevitable answer is "no!", but I bring it anyway!
Have fun!

I hear ya Jeff - I bought a bigger bag because I could not decide - well I decided all of them what the heck !

Ah Ha!! That scene looks very , very familiar.
<snip>Cheers

It has always been this way for us Grant and like you said I am sure others. I am with ya if it were up to me a few clean pair of underwear , couple shirts but god bless my wife be being prepared for all occasions. Me I would not be. Only a PIA lugging to and from airports and hotels small price to pay eh

2 year old girls / boys already prefer different toys. Seems to stay like this from there on. In all countries. Cannot be education, must be something else...
...maybe the color of the first rompers?

haha not sure what the root cause is. I think boys and girls , men and women are just different from each other

[borno]

Hey you got the important stuff ready Dave I want to live where shorts and a t-shirt are formal wear

[cardinal43]

I'm with you guys. I just don't understand the female perspective on packing. For example, last week one of my co-workers (female) and I traveled from Washington, DC to Columbus, OH for a 3 day conference. I had a rolling garment bag containing 2 suits, 4 shirts, shoes, underwear, socks, shave kit, jeans, sport shirt, etc., plus a bag with my laptop. My co-worker had 2 "large" suitcases + a fair size carryon. When I saw her at the airport, I asked her if she had moved out of the house. How in the world can they need so much stuff for 3 days?

Packing my camera gear is super easy. I only have the K100D + kit lens, and it looks so lonely in the camera bag (LowePro Slingshot 200). I have big plans to fill that bag.

[daacon]

Hey you got the important stuff ready Dave I want to live where shorts and a t-shirt are formal wear

Yep borno that is indeed where I will be for a couple of weeks and if it is not accepted well then on the a place were it is

I'm with you guys. I just don't understand the female perspective on packing. <snip>
Packing my camera gear is super easy. I only have the K100D + kit lens, and it looks so lonely in the camera bag (LowePro Slingshot 200). I have big plans to fill that bag.

Tom it is indeed a different perspective. I could see the wheels spinning planning for a family of 4 multiple outfits per day, weather dependant. Usually over prepared. I am like you and most guys. I count the days - make sure a clean pair of underwear, socks and a shirt per day. My 16 year old son was asked to prepare - he could have used a Safeway bag to pack what he thought he needed (and not sure it was all clean ) a little too extreme on the other end , now that was priceless ha-ha !

As for your camera gear I am pretty new and started out with the K100D and the Kit lens. about a year ago. I can now fill a Lowepro Computrekker bag. I have mentioned before I appear to have some control over the LBA disease, so you may not see me on AE's Intervention series this year

[Lowell Goudge]

At the risk of starting a complete war between us photographers and our significant others, I assume everyone has heard the question,
Do you really need ALL that stuff?

Maybe what you need to do, is ask the same question back. I find even when packing what I think is conservatively, I still don't use all of my clothes.

Lets face it, you are on vacation. You deserve time to relax, and be casual. I find many times, and this is more obvious with my 18 year old daughter, that she only wears about 1/3 of what she takes. This is after we have limited her to one suitcase not 2.

In all of this, one thing I have learned you should have, and probably the best place is in your camera bag, is a first aid kit. I don't see one anywhere in either your neat and tidy camera pack, or the mountain of clothes on the bed.

When my wife and I are packing for a trip, these things invariably come up.


She...

Honey, do you really need all of your camera equipment?

It's not like we're going to open a studio in __________!


He...

Honey, why do we have two cases full of clothes? It's only a two day trip.

It's not like we're moving there.

[daacon]

At the risk of starting a complete war between us photographers and our significant others, I assume everyone has heard the question,
Do you really need ALL that stuff?.

Of course! The stuff is all rarely needed and the proof is when you just take a subset of your gear pictures are still taken! Perhaps a moment or two of damn I wishI had my <insert lens here>. I am bringing everything for two reasons a) Because I can and b) We are going to a place I have never been and do expect spending a lot of time taking pictures. Whether or not that plan gets executed remains to be seen as for clothes I am hoping 80% of the time in a bathing suit . T-shirt, hat and sunglasses

When my wife and I are packing for a trip, these things invariably come up.
Honey, do you really need all of your camera equipment?
It's not like we're going to open a studio in __________!
Honey, why do we have two cases full of clothes? It's only a two day trip.
It's not like we're moving there.

haha As I am not in charge of what to pack when we take family trips and the truth be told rarely in charge of packing if I have to go away for a few days on business - I offer my opinion if asked and then become part of a pack mule team as we leave

[pbrock]

I just wanted to let you know that you guys are mostly right about women and the way they pack. However, I am not the typical woman when it comes to packing. I can pack all my stuff (one small duffle for a week) plus my camera bag, my two children's clothes, and my dog's food before my husband even decides what clothes he is taking. He takes so long to pack and it drives me crazy. His thinking is that he doesn't want to take too many clothes so he has to be careful on the ones he chooses.

[daacon]

I just wanted to let you know that you guys are mostly right about women and the way they pack. However, I am not the typical woman when it comes to packing. I can pack all my stuff (one small duffle for a week) plus my camera bag, my two children's clothes, and my dog's food before my husband even decides what clothes he is taking. He takes so long to pack and it drives me crazy. His thinking is that he doesn't want to take too many clothes so he has to be careful on the ones he chooses.

It's purely a generalization Pam and more specifically about me and my wife. Lots of people are on both ends of the spectrum. I am taking too many electronics, including camera gear - that is just me - along with extra lenses I have enough SD cards to house a small data warehouse !

[bluespearbone]

With the exception of the camera gear, essential gadgets and chargers, passport and tickets which are backpacked and therefore hand-luggage, it's is easy.
Am I going somewhere warm or cold? Best take a pocket raincoat for either (never been to a desert), a coat and a pullover or two if it is cold, thick or thin trousers, depending. Some socks/underwear. A few shirts (similar with T-shirts), jeans and walking boots (worn on the way out there), shoes, toiletries/shaving kit. Tripod - that's one case to go in the hold.
Need anything else? Buy it when you get there, there's still room in the case to bring it back if you want to and it gives you chance to muck in with the locals.

[channeler]

Looks like a useful armoury of lenses that you are taking there Dave. Can't wait to see the results. Hope your better half has accomplished the feat now. Where are you off to?

Paul