Disney Trip Bag

So, I am going to Disney Land in October. I PLAN on carrying my 30D, 17-40, 10-20 and 430 ex with all the standard back up batteries and a few mem cards. I have the Tamrac Exp 7 for heavy hauls to the soccer games and rugged walks through nature walks...(once I start them!).
1.Is the crumpler 6 enough for me to take on a plane and comfortably walk through Disney for 5 days? Or do I need the crumpler 7? (this one looks large from what you guys have posted)
BTW, if you have other opinions of what I should take, by all means chime in!

2.Are you allowed to use a tripod inside Disney? I want to shoot at least one of the fireworks shows.

thanks all!

I didn't notice any tripods this year when I went but for sure I saw a guy with one last year as he was standing right in front of us with his tripod at full height.

Here goes: Do you have kids? Are you planning on rides, etc.?

I've been to Disney many times with my kids and we love it! But I've learned the hard way, taking all the gear is a no-no. I couldn't go on rides or our whole family couldn't go on rides together, more like. I love my gear, so I went from a big bag, to the waterproof one camera with one lens bag, and then ended up with the little P&S by the end of the week. Now I don't even take the big stuff and just take a small backpack or the F-5X with 5D and 24-70 and that's it. And I would never take a tripod to Disney, it's so crowded, maybe not in October, but you never know.

So, 5 days, maybe take all your gear day 1 and slowly ditch everything by Friday. If you are planning to attend a different part of the park everyday, plan accordingly. Epcot is huge, so carry your bag is a trade-off, great pictures, heavy bag. Animal Kingdom is tight, and there are great water rides, but pictures are great there too. Just can't all get on the water ride together because everyone will get wet. MGM and Magic Kingdom are also big, but you can hold your bag on your lap most of the time.

I love pictures, but I love being with my kids more. So, as little gear as possible.

I brought my slingshot 200 with me this time and it wasn't a burden but my kids are still kind of young. I really didn't need the bag though because I just used my 17-50 99% of the time and my flash sometimes at night. Think we ended up taking 1200 pics on our trip.

What Suzie said....

I can tell ya that hitting any of the Disney parks is somewhat a burden when toting a lot of gear, even a P&S can be a PITA to carry around. Well, if you want to ride the rides and such. I would rather take a monopod and simply not be in any pics. Though for the fireworks it might be nice to have a tripod.

It has been a while since I visited Disney here in SoCal but they once had storage lockers where you would stow stuff, for a fee of course. I while I would not stick any camera's or lenses in there it would be a decent place to stuff a tripod and what not. And if you stay at the Disney Hotel it's not that incovenient to simply return to your room to get something. The mono-rail/people mover is your pal... And I find the parks are not nearly as expansive as they were when I was a kid.

BTW, October in CA is a GREAT time to go...the tourists have vacated and it's mostly folks down for a weekend trip. I don't know much about the Fla. Disney parks.

A tip, double check the fireworks/parade schedules because they used to change the schedule in the "off season" and did not have them but on the weekends.

Disney World is so crowded until school starts in September, so you should be good in October. But the lockers tend to be scary and you don't know what was in them before you put your $4000 camera and lenses. The evening fireworks are worth photographing and why you'd need the tripod, but you are there for 5 days, just do that for one of them and enjoy the rest of the time without the camera. My husband has made a point for us to enjoy the view without going through the viewfinder every time.

thank you all very much! I have been to Disney once before years ago and did not have a decent camera..so I missed shots. We are going, my family of 4, with my wife's sisters and kids and her parents. Her parent very rarely ride a ride. I am thinking like you all, as least gear as possible.....but i do want those shots! I do plan on riding some rides....however, I love to capture the action of my kids reactions on the rides. We are staying in the park hotel.....my wife has all that stuff sorted out, bless her heart!
so, are you guys for a crumpler 6 for what I am doing? thanks again all of you!

What bags do you already have? I love my Kata 465, which is so easy to carry and is a backpack. You can put other things in there, including water bottles. Last time I went to Disney I had my 5D with 24-70 in my Domke F-5X and that was it. We didn't stay for the fireworks ever. We stay in a resort by Sea World and watch those fireworks at night. By the end of the week, I had the Canon A520 in my pocket.

If your kids are into pictures with characters I would bring the SLR. It allowed my to fire off 5 or 6 and pick the best once I was home. A P&S is only going to allow 1 or 2 and you will have the shutter lag to deal with.

That being said, I would not carry extra lenses to the park. I would stick with one each day or leave you kit in the car and change lenses when you feel like taking a break.

Looking at your lens choices, the 17-40 is my most used WA lens on the 40D. You'll use it a lot more than the other just because of the distortion. The 17-40 outdoors is the best.

Suzie, you seem to collect camera bags like my wife does handbags

M5Man wrote in post #5891828
Suzie, you seem to collect camera bags like my wife does handbags

I love a good camera bag. I actually have so much gear, the different bags are to store all the items I have and to keep them ready to go. I know. I'm spoiled. Takes up the floor in a bedroom. But I shoot events and depending on the lighting I need, etc., I take a specific bag. And I also have others helping me shoot and they can carry the other stuff.

Favorite bag, though has to be the Domke F-5X. It's so compact.

SuzyView wrote in post #5891825
Looking at your lens choices, the 17-40 is my most used WA lens on the 40D. You'll use it a lot more than the other just because of the distortion. The 17-40 outdoors is the best.

ty Suzy. I see the logic now. I have a back pack style Tamrac Exp 7....it has all my stuff in it and I know I do not need this one for that trip. As of now, with all the input thus far, It appears as though the Crumpler 5 would even work, but the 6 for sure. I would carry my 30D, 17-40, flash and my (sony)hdr-hc7....which my father in law will most likely use. that's my thought anyways. Usually, if we go trips like this, he will carry the bag while I go on a ride or something with my kids and wife.

I used a well-stuffed 7MDH in the 'World in every park over a week without any issue. If your stuff fits in a 6MDH, even better!

I am the official bag carrier anyway. I don't like the rides, I get headaches, but I also don't like carrying too much. My husband loves the big rides and he'll do every one. My 11 year old hates rides, but that's how the older 2 were and they love them now. So, the older 2 and the Dad and the youngest all force my 11 year old on the rides. When I see the pictures later, he's all hiding his eyes and having a miserable time. Oh well. I think he actually enjoys it, but the anxiety kills him.