[pct-l] camera for thru hiking

[mkwart at gci.net]

David:

I carry a Nikon Coolpix L5 in a case that is slung around my shoulder as 
I hike for ease of access. I have had this camera since 2007. I have 
done 1500 miles of the PCT and just finished thru hiking the Colorado 
Trail. The camera has performed great--it doesn't need coddling. If it 
starts to rain steadily I put it in a ziplock in my backpack. It is a 
regular, not heavy duty camera, and it has stood up to thousands of 
miles of backpacking. It uses 2 AA's--I carry 2 extra AA's, but in 
several summers of use I have only used the extras one time in Hawaii 
where I took a lot of video. I use rechargeable batteries and ship a 
battery charger in my bounce box. I have a 2 gig chip in the camera and 
did not run out of memory over the entire 485 miles of the Colorado 
Trail--I took about 750 pictures and about a dozen short videos. I do 
carry a chip back up, but think this could be achieved by shipping one 
in your bounce box. I also put the camera cable in my bounce box so I 
can post pics on the web on zero days, using library computers in towns 
along the way. People that I know who have to use specialty camera 
batteries can't easily get replacements or additions along the way--AA 
batteries are universal.

The only drawback is when camera is exposed to temperatures near 
freezing, the camera lens won't extend--from the usual cold battery 
problems. I just put it inside my shirt or sleeping bag to stop this 
from happening.

I only use a GPS for checking location and marking my camps--so I turn 
it on about 3-4 times a day. It is a Garmin Etrex Vista HcX and uses 2 
AA batteries. I don't carry any extra batteries for it--it has never run 
out of power between zero days because I don't have it on all the time. 
I don't need to have a track log of where I've been unless I go cross 
country. I also use rechargeable batteries for it.

--Fireweed