Road trip - one pack two LF cameras

Going on a 4 day road trip today and wanted to take both my 4x5 and 5x12 camera but only have room for one backpack with my luggage. Both of my packs are large luggage size pieces.

So the Shimoda 60L wins because it can house the 5x12 and it is packed to the seams:

Chamonix 5x12 camera in its wrap
Chamonix 4x5 N2 in a padded lunchbox case that fits it very well
One lens case with 4 lenses 65,135,210, 300/500 + loupe and shutter release cable.
3 5x12 film holders
6 4x5 film holders in an external pouch
Meter, pens, paper, and small tools in two flat-ish pouches
Dark cloth
ND and Orange filters and step up rings stashed in a side pocket
Tripod mounts to front or is carried


Based on free time allotted I may take 3 shots. But you never know.
Oddly the Duffle bag I am using for my clothing would hold it all too. I may consider it next time and use if shooting close to car.

Happy trails to you!

One trip, two cameras, three shots. Seems like a reasonable use of resources. :D

Seems you need to prioritise better. Need only one change of clothes, just incase you fall into a lake and need dry clothes. 3 shots in four days doesn't even make sense. 10 is a much more rounded number and is far more sensible.
When I go on a road trip the boot and seat behind me is reserved
for cameras and my wife can work her stuff around that.
Good luck.

Hope you are having a good trip - can't wait to see the 5x12 in person sometime!

I knew my time was limited to just Wednesday morning while traveling between St Augustine and Orlando, so I managed one beach shot with a nice wave swept/worn coquina rock on the 5x12 , and 2 4x5 scenics in Washington Oaks gardens. but it was one of those trips where gear had issues. The 300mm lens had some issues with lensboard slippage and I didn't have the tools to fix it. The 4x5 outermost glass layer shattered so I had to hold the ground glass and fresnel in place to focus. The cable release lost its thumb rest - just came unscrewed. The backpack held up nicely and wasn't too cumbersome to work out of. I did get to use my new-to-me Fujinon 210 5.6 lens for two of the shots.

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Originally Posted by esearing

I knew my time was limited to just Wednesday morning while traveling between St Augustine and Orlando, so I managed one beach shot with a nice wave swept/worn coquina rock on the 5x12 , and 2 4x5 scenics in Washington Oaks gardens. but it was one of those trips where gear had issues. The 300mm lens had some issues with lensboard slippage and I didn't have the tools to fix it. The 4x5 outermost glass layer shattered so I had to hold the ground glass and fresnel in place to focus. The cable release lost its thumb rest - just came unscrewed. The backpack held up nicely and wasn't too cumbersome to work out of. I did get to use my new-to-me Fujinon 210 5.6 lens for two of the shots.

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yikes, that sounds like bad luck. Whenever I take trips, I tent to get anal retentive and over plan, but sometimes fate has different plans for me. I almost never take just one camera, but with LF thats more of a commitment, but I do strive for interchangable--all three of my 4x5 cameras have the same lens board, and the same tripod QR mount, so I suppose I could shove the master technika under the pasenger seat just in case. Probably I'll just bring a Nikon F2 and few rolls of film just in case.

Ouch! But still, sounds like you got a few shots in.

What did you think of Washington Oaks? I'm headed down to Florida in June for a week and planned to go by there on the way back north (I'm going to Myakka then Key West and then Jacksonville on the return).

Washington oaks is a nice garden for shooting flowers in the spring but depending on rain and heat there may not be much of those in June. Only one or two of the oaks are interesting to me but I am always with family so never really had a chance to explore all the property. In years past I have photographed the big pileated wood peckers and other small bird species. Before you go into the garden entrance from the roadway there is a stand of bleached bare trees at a far distance from the road, you would need a long lens and a place to park. The Beach side of the park is now bare whereas it used to have some interesting rocks. However if heading north, pull into the Marineland beach parking. There are jetties and other rocks on the beach to use as foreground objects. Morning you will be shooting directly into the sun so hope for a day to get big cloud effects. Just north of Marineland on the inter-coastal side there are some interesting views of the marsh and some bleached cypress roots like at Jekyl. The marsh at fort Matansas is also interesting late in the day.

And then there is the St Augustine Alligator Farm. You only need a moderately long lens to get very good closeups in the bird rookery. I used to carry a Canon 100-400 and did just fine. They do have special reserve photographers pass which gets you in an hour earlier. You will see lots of snowy egrets, herons of all types, roseate spoonbills, and wood storks. Tripods are allowed and I would recommend digital because the birds move frequently. Great spot for bird in flight shots since the egrets tend to continuously build nests with sticks from the nearby forrest. The gators are somewhat interesting too but most are in enclosures that are not natural looking.

TIP: We stayed at the Regency Inn motel in St Augustine Beach. It has been recently renovated and is a bargain compared to the other hotels nearby, nothing fancy but cheap with new beds and pillows. Walking distance to beach, pier, and several restaurants. Have breakfast at the Oasis a mile or two south!!!

Thanks Eric. I might have to take my mom to the Alligator Farm. She loves birds, especially the spoonbills which we saw in Myakka over the winter.

I'll have to see what I can get on that leg - I'll be driving from the Keys all the way up to Jacksonville or possibly east GA, so a long day.