Nikon D3

Nikon D300 + MBD10 Grip with ENEL4a adapter

Nikkor 10.5mm f2.8 fisheye

Nikkor 24-70 f2.8

Nikkor 70-200 f2.8

3 – RadioPoppers (1 transmitter, 2 receivers)

3 – SB800 strobes

2 – Bogen 5001B light stands

All of this gear along with spare batteries, chargers, compact flash cards, lens cleaning pens, and the usual assortment of doodads all fit into my ThinkTank Streetwalker Pro and this super small generic light stand bag pictured in the photo.  I was very happy with my selection and used every piece of equipment I brought, without being left wanting for anything I didn’t! 

My thinking on bringing the D300 instead of two D3 bodies was because it gave me a little more reach, turning my 70-200 into a 105-300 f2.8 if I needed it.  Plus in a pinch I could command my remote flashes with its built-in pop-up flash.  Both proved to be scenarios I would be glad I had.  I fitted it with the MBD10 Grip with the ENEL4a adapter so that I could use the same larger capacity batteries for both cameras and only have to bring one charger. 

For image management and storage, I brought my smaller 14” Toshiba laptop in a small backpack.  That and my Streetwalker Pro were my carry-on luggage.  The light stand case fit easily into my checked bag.  I’ve mounted this laptop with a small 320GB external drive and software that backs up all the important data off my laptop every night.  After each day of shooting I transferred all the images from my CF cards to my laptop, which then got backed up to the external hard drive.  I brought enough CF cards that I never had to re-use them.  I kept each copy of my images separate from the other…especially during the 26-hour trip home. 

I hope some of this info helps you out the next time you have to pack light…