Backup storage for travel - cheap?

Hi friends,

I would love to have something to back up my photos while I'm traveling abroad for a couple weeks, without having to drag my laptop around. I don't necessairly need to have a viewer, although that would be nice. I'm on a tight budget though... can anyone recommend anything for me that may be under $200?

Thanks in advice for your help!)

Is anyone familiar with the Digital Foci PST-251 Photo Safe II?

http://www.amazon.com …ics&qid=1271912​515&sr=8-3

I can't find much about it... Hmmm...

... or maybe I'll just buy up a few memory cards for my trip. Ah, decisions, decisions.

Sorry for all of these posts, just doing a lot of thinking and would like some feedback.)

The Digital Foci, seems to be the cheapest units of this type on the market, a portable usb hardrive costs around this much, so if it works as advertised it is good value.

After looking a the specs the only issue I would have is the 80min battery life, that is it can copy an entire 16gb card before it's battery needs to be recharged, but if you have access to power or a computer this is not an issue.

I have a Hyperdrive HD-80.

http://www.hypershop.c​om/HyperDrive-HD80-s/2.htm

It's a shell that you drop in a laptop hard drive. I like it because it runs off AA batteries and if I were ever to travel out of the USA I can be reasonably sure I could find more AA's if needed. No preview screen thou.

I use the NextoDI Extreme ND2700 because of its superior transfer speed, which was important to me because of my 5D Mark II's lofty 20+ MB file size.

Street price of the 160 GB model is a bit over $200 though.

The Hyperdrive HD80 is approx $300 and the Nexto DI xTreme ND2700 enclosure is about $200 plus the 2.5" hard drive. Both are kinda pricey. Have you considered the cost of extra memory cards vs the cost of these portable drives? Have you considered the maximum images you may capture and the number of memory cards required to do so?

Currently, I use my netbook.

EmmyLou wrote in post #10042393
Is anyone familiar with the Digital Foci PST-251 Photo Safe II?

http://www.amazon.com …ics&qid=1271912​515&sr=8-3

I can't find much about it... Hmmm...

I just ordered one of those for our trip in July. Sure hope it works!

tiger roach wrote in post #10113715
I just ordered one of those for our trip in July. Sure hope it works!

How did it work on your trip? Care to give a micro-review?

Good bump thanks!

I went with the more memory cards, having many 8GB ones. They are stored in a TT wallet and are very comfy there, as I can take it with me and not leave it in the hotel. I also carry a netbook and have a 500GB Passport. I just go through so many EHD because I shoot RAW. I have an old Epson P-2000 and it's just too slow these days. I generally leave it at home now.

rvdw98 wrote in post #10112348
I use the NextoDI Extreme ND2700 because of its superior transfer speed, which was important to me because of my 5D Mark II's lofty 20+ MB file size.

Street price of the 160 GB model is a bit over $200 though.

Although I already own a Colorspace UDMA I decided that the ND2700, at £180 for the 500GB version, was just too good a bargain. Works very well. Not quite as fast as the Colorspace at backing up cards, but still fairly nippy.

If the 500GB version is £180 here then it must be less than $200 in the US.

I've seen devices that just do a A->B copy between USB devices, and you put the CF card in a card reader and a USB HDD on the other I guess. Not used them myself though, not sure how power supply works, I assume the devices must be mains powered.

On a recent holiday I dragged a 10" laptop around that has a 250GB HDD in it, backed up in the hotel each night and always kept the used cards on my person so I had two copies in separate locations.

I have the UDMA Hyperdrive Colorspace and am upgrading to the Album because of its better and larger screen. You can buy the case separately and add your own 500GB 2.5" drive for 50 bucks.

Hyperdrive is one of the best, especially with its larger screen. Having a bunch of cards is fine if you have a way of viewing on the road what you've shot on them. Before the Hyperdrive, I was burned by thinking that I had gotten good sequences of a scene, only to find problems with the photos at home.

With the Hyperdrive, if the screen images show issues, I can go back and re-shoot the scene.