photograpers hitch-hickers?

Any photographers who were hitch-hicking with camera?

Is size of the camera a big issue, and how serious is the risk of being robbed (don't forget to mention about what part of world are you talking about)?
Did you managed to get insurance for photo gear covering such kind of travel?

What part of the world are you wanting to hitch hike through?

A good friend did this from Boston to Palo Alto, he arrived minus his camera. Said he'd lost it. He had a free round trip air ticket, we were interviewing him at SRI and paid his way from Boston to San Francisco, but he said he wanted the money and had always wanted to hitch hike across the US. He cashed the ticket in and stuck out his thumb, he later regretted it. He flew back to Boston to pack up his stuff for the move.

Being robbed might be better than other possibilities from hitchhiking. Insurance does little good if your not alive to file a claim

Europe, arabic countries perhaps.

It's not that dangerous.
Maybe USA is just more mad than the rest of world.

Even back when it was considered to be reasonably safe, it was no fun. I can remember long periods spent standing by the road in rain or snow waiting for a lift when trying to get home from college for holidays. That was back in the mid 60's. These days I wouldn't hitch, nor will I pick up a hitchhiker. Too many nut cases running around these days.

Preeb wrote in post #13766727
Even back when it was considered to be reasonably safe, it was no fun. I can remember long periods spent standing by the road in rain or snow waiting for a lift when trying to get home from college for holidays. That was back in the mid 60's. These days I wouldn't hitch, nor will I pick up a hitchhiker. Too many nut cases running around these days.

I'm sure your chances would've been a bit higher if you held a sign that said, "I won't murder you and stuff."

I did a lot of hitching from '65 till about '70. It was risky, even then. Getting picked up by drunks was my biggest worry, it happened quite a bit. Getting the drunks to pull over so I could get out was difficult. The next worry were the drivers wanting sexual favors, this happened too but not that often. I wouldn't do it today.

Preeb wrote in post #13766727
Even back when it was considered to be reasonably safe, it was no fun. I can remember long periods spent standing by the road in rain or snow waiting for a lift when trying to get home from college for holidays. That was back in the mid 60's. These days I wouldn't hitch, nor will I pick up a hitchhiker. Too many nut cases running around these days.

I think there were just as many nut cases back then, you just did not hear about them as much.

When I read the OP I had to look at the date to make sure someone did not pull it up from the 60's or 70's.

Last time I stopped for a hitchhiker was late seventies and a highway patrol pulled up behind me and did not ticket me for stopping on the freeway because the hitchhiker was an escapee from the nuthouse.

Last time I hitch hiked was after a 30 mile backpack trip through Glacier National Park in the mid eighties, and it was the only way back to our car. I rode in the back of a pickup truck hauling trash.

Honestly, you wouldn't catch me hitchhiking for anything nowadays just because it's boring, no one picks you up and now we know about all the nutcases wandering or driving about.

Well, USA must be very different from europe. In eastern europe hitch hiking is still quite common thing to do. I don't know how about western, but I'm sure It's not as bad is USA, because these people from eastern part of continent are travelling all around europe.

I'd be more worried about the size of the gun I'd be carrying, than the size of my dslr.

Its cool to travel in Europe, even here Estonia, where I live. Ppl allways hitch hike...
Finland, Sweeden and norwiegan countryes are cool. But In Europe, I`d skip Poland for shure.
Belgium and Neatherland`s and Germany are very positive too to travel.

MaarioK wrote in post #13767772
Its cool to travel in Europe, even here Estonia, where I live. Ppl allways hitch hike...
Finland, Sweeden and norwiegan countryes are cool. But In Europe, I`d skip Poland for shure.
Belgium and Neatherland`s and Germany are very positive too to travel.

That may be hard since I'm from Poland :P

I would never do this again in north America even without a camera. Did it when I was younger and it was he ver fun. There are just too many crazies out there now. It is still acceptable in some countries but I would never carry anything expensive with me.

I backpack and occasionally hitch, and always have a DSLR with me. Not ever in an official photo bag - I have a padded insert from a crumplier I either put in my main pack or in my daypack. One cam, one lens easily accessible, and a compact for places I don't want to take the big gun out.

Backpacked (but didn't Hitch) through Argentina no probs with 2 5DIIs, a 100-400, 24-104 and pair of Zeiss primes. Well, no problems except for the weight. I am fully insured for theft or accidental damage, however - rather give up the gear than my life. I can always buy another camera. Just make sure the memory cards are somewhere people aren't likely to steal