Deep in the woods multi day gear list.

I'm curious what one would take on a deep woods mountain multi day adventure. Deeps woods being 8-10 miles into the backcountry for a couple days.

I'm wanting to get off the beaten path and go where few have gone. I'm thinking an Elk trip to Colorado, Arizona or New Mexico and using a call to bring in the Elk. Hoping to be wishing 100-150 yards of subject. Will be shooting both stills and video.

Here's the gear list I'm thinking. Keep in mind having to carry enough gear and food for a few days. But as far as photo gear here's what I'm thinking.

Crop sensor body with shotgun mic

Something(F2.8 would be ideal but it's also pricey) like a 17-40L F4(have), 16-35, 18-35 F1.8(sigma art) 24-105L F4 or 70-300L I'm thinking 2 lenses a widish zoom and a tele zoom. Maybe a fast prime in the neighborhood of 18 to 28 at F1.8 or F2.8 for video work(mostly B roll type shots and time laps).

Plenty of batteries, memory cards, and probably a solar charger to charge batteries if need be.

GoPro for time laps, B roll, and water footage if the situation presents itself.

So am I on the right track in thinking something in the focal ranges suggested would work and be sufficient? I know there are hundreds of options with an unlimited or double the budget I have, but this is what I'm looking at. That being said how do you think I would fare? Is there an option in similar price range I'm not thinking of? Thanks in advance.

Heya,

I would pack your necessities to live (ie, sleep, water, food, etc) and see where the weight is first. Then add photography stuff second. You won't go several days without water or energy to do a shoot. There are also certain comforts you may or may not do without, so they need to be figured out first. Then see how much more weight you can manage. It's one thing to pick up 65lbs on your back for a few minutes in the house. It's another to walk 8 miles with it. Ideally you're going to trek in, camp in an area and not move from it much, then trek out. If you're planning on treking daily to new areas, miles per day, that's a different story compared to simply camping in an area for a few days with small radius. If you're calling in the bucks, that's going to save you a ton of walking. And I think 300mm on APS-C is way, way plenty for Elf. They're not small. If you're getting that close to them, you'll have plenty of focal length. I wouldn't take many lenses, two at best, a telephoto and something short and wide, don't take 4~5 lenses. The weight is more than you think. You will not need fast glass for the video and time lapse, etc, your FPS will limit the shutter speed so you will have a lot of exposure time anyways. Take your 17-40L and a telephoto of some kind, again, 300mm is plenty for Elk.

More important to know the area and study the Elk you're following and looking for. Just randomly hiking into the boonies and hoping to find something and that's your first and last trip isn't a good way to go. I'd do a few day hikes, see if you can locate things. Check local tracers/wildlife stations and see if there's a herd or known area so you can target a location.

You'll also want a potent radio and check in with a location place so that someone knows where you intend to be. Doesn't matter how good you are, things happen, be safe.

Very best,

I'd take the 18-35 and 70-300 and call it good. Whether they're sufficient is up to what all shooting you're expecting to do; but the 18-35 gives you relatively fast apertures and a moderate file of view for water/land/sky shooting and the 70-300 should be plenty for the elk if you're quiet. If you have the space/weight available after everything else, possibly tossing a 10-22 in there for actual wide angles would be worthwhile (the weight is pretty negligible for that lens).

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murtaugh wrote in post #18297539
I'm curious what one would take on a deep woods mountain multi day adventure. Deeps woods being 8-10 miles into the backcountry for a couple days.

I'm wanting to get off the beaten path and go where few have gone. I'm thinking an Elk trip to Colorado, Arizona or New Mexico and using a call to bring in the Elk. Hoping to be wishing 100-150 yards of subject. Will be shooting both stills and video.

This sounds like a great adventure you have planned! And your expectation of 100-150 yards is reasonable. In the backcountry, Elk don't let people get anywhere near as close as they do when they are closer to the roads and people.

Have you spent a lot of time photographing Elk in the past? If you haven't, I would recommend spending some time with them prior to this great adventure, so that you develop an understanding of their behavior and habits. If you go somewhere where th eElk are easily approached and photographed, you can gain some invaluable experience prior to the expedition.

I would be interested in knowing the methods you use for doing research, the research you do to figure out just where to go. Making the right decisions about where to go will be the primary factor that determines how good and how productive the expedition is.

What time of year are you planning to go? During the peak of the Elk rut?


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