I’m still trying to sort out a reasonable way to carry my camera gear while backcountry canoe camping. It’s not easy to carry a couple of camera bodies (OK, maybe one is enough), several lenses, a flash, batteries etc., etc. etc… oh yeah and a tripod… and to keep things light enough to portage and waterproof. Not to mention keeping things accessible while in the canoe for those moments when you spot a moose on the edge of the lake.

There are lots of options out there to keep your gear dry, from dry bags or Pelican cases to just hoping your 9 year old doesn’t tip over the boat while trying to grab a lily pad. On shorter trips I often just go with the later option (or leave the gear at home), but for this recent trip to Tomagami that wasn’t an option. And given the amount of paddling involved and the possibility of bad weather I had to make sure things were protected. So I packed what I could into a Lowepro sling pack and managed to fit that into a dry bag with my Gorillapod.

On one hand, going to such a beautiful spot without a camera would be crazy, but on the other with so much paddling and canoeing  (and things packed away to stay dry) it’s hard to find time to sit and take any pictures. So when I had to get up at 2 am to water the bushes and noticed the Milky Way overhead I had no choice but to get the camera out.

Once I got the camera setup and things framed up the way I wanted (which wasn’t easy in the pitch black!), I could see that the Milky Way was looking pretty sweet, but of course everything else was just complete darkness. Ideally I would have taken my flash or a headlamp and placed it inside the tent to light it from the inside, but of course at 2 am everyone else was still sound asleep and I don’t think they would have been happy with me for setting off a flash in the tent! So I did the next best thing and grabbed out my headlamp and did some light painting. After a few tries I got something that looked about right and headed back into the tent.

In the end, I’m glad I decided to lug my gear over two portages (twice!), but as a result of it being packed away it didn’t get taken out very much so it’s high time I figure out a better solution because there are two many great photos that I’m missing because my gear is in the bottom of  a boat!

What do you do to keep your gear dry on the water? Let me know in the comments, I need some good ideas!