Vacation camera security

[Dave A]

I'm curious what well traveled photographic type people do with their DSLR camera equipment while traveling on vacation?
Since I've gotten back into photography I've yet to bring my gear along when staying at a resort. My concern is that resorts usually just have a smallish safe in the room to secure valuables and quite often patio doors have questionable locking mechanisms if any at all. Plus cleaning staff keep the door open while cleaning. So if you have taken your DSLR and a couple lenses along do you keep your gear with you every second? (tuff if going swimming/snorkeling) Do you only bring what might fit in the small safe? Do you lock your gear in your suitcase with a padlock?

......or do you just not take DLSR's to resorts (Cuba, Dominican, Mexico, Central America etc.) and settle for using your small P&S camera?

Dave

[William W]

In the resorts where I have stayed, the room safe is big enough to stash a DSLR, grip and lens, with the lens off the camera and the camera laying on its front (or back).

I now typically travel with one Canon 5D Series Camera with a battery grip for it and the 24 to 105/4 and a Fuji x100s - that all fits into an hotel's room safe - at least the hotels where I have stayed. I haven't been to Cuba or Dominican Republic though.

Before acquiring the Fuji x100s I would carry a 35/1.4 and that fitted into the safe also.

No, I don't take my cameras swimming or snorkeling, but yes I do sailing, (for example) and mostly everywhere else, too, so very rarely are they in the hotel room safe.

*

If you can't fit your camera and lenses in the hotel's room safe when you want to go swimming, etc, then maybe you're taking inappropriate camera gear for that particular type of holiday.

What DSLR and lenses do you typically carry . . . and why?

WW

[Mike Buckley]

I keep all of my gear with me except perhaps a long lens that I leave in the safe. If something doesn't fit in the safe, I lock it in the trunk of the car. Similarly, if I go snorkeling I leave everything in the trunk.

Even if something is stolen, I have insurance. So for me, there is no point in not taking the equipment simply for fear of theft; whether it gets stolen or left home, I can't use it while on vacation.

You might be interested in this website that I recently learned about at CiC. One of their items, which is available in various sizes, is a metal net that encloses the camera bag that you can lock to a radiator, bed post or whatever in your room.

[Manfred M]

Dave - I don't know if I've been lucky or just scare people away, but (touch wood) I have not had anything stolen on any of my trips so far and a lot of that has been to developing countries. I have not been to a resort in many, many years and really don't see the point of carrying a lot of camera gear on that type of trip. When we went to resorts we would do a lot of scuba diving and really never did any of the local tours.

On the other hand, I have had the Leicas (in the past), high end Panasonic video gear and the Nikons (with lots of accessories) all over Africa and Asia, without any issues. I did buy the Panasonic GX7 for travel to, but that was really more related to size and weight (it, the two lenses, accessories and tripod cost ~ $2500, so not something I wanted stolen), but when you go backpacking for 2 months, size and weight are an important consideration. I had it in India on the trip I just go back from, again because of luggage allowance limits (primarily hand luggage).

My camera is always with me when I travel, less so for safety, but more so because it's hard to take pictures when it is not on hand.

[Dave A]

If you can't fit your camera and lenses in the hotel's room safe when you want to go swimming, etc, then maybe you're taking inappropriate camera gear for that particular type of holiday.

What DSLR and lenses do you typically carry . . . and why?

WW

Bill I would probably bring my D7200 and the 18-140 lens. I use this lens 90% of the time here at home, it gives me good flexibility. It would probably fit OK in the safe.........I think. It would give me a good walking around setup. Would be nice to take along the 70-300 for birds/critters but safe space would be getting tight.

Dave

[Dave A]

I keep all of my gear with me except perhaps a long lens that I leave in the safe. If something doesn't fit in the safe, I lock it in the trunk of the car. Similarly, if I go snorkeling I leave everything in the trunk.

Even if something is stolen, I have insurance. So for me, there is no point in not taking the equipment simply for fear of theft; whether it gets stolen or left home, I can't use it while on vacation.

You might be interested in this website that I recently learned about at CiC. One of their items, which is available in various sizes, is a metal net that encloses the camera bag that you can lock to a radiator, bed post or whatever in your room.

Mike do you put your camera gear on your house insurance as a rider or insure separately?
That website has some interesting security ideas.

Dave

[Mike Buckley]

My gear is covered as part of the home owner's insurance with no need for a separate rider.

[Dave A]

My camera is always with me when I travel, less so for safety, but more so because it's hard to take pictures when it is not on hand.

Your travel images are amazing and I see why your camera is always right with you. My wife and I haven't yet expanded our travels past the resort phase but once I retire this October I hope we can be more adventurous and explore countries by being much more mobile.

Dave

[IzzieK]

My cameras and some chosen gears, travels with me as I refused to do any wet photography. I thought I will, while here in Oz, but I changed my mind and went somewhere else. Planning your trip way ahead of time with a Plan B or Plan C, just in case is your best bet. Besides my mule is always ready to help carry a bag or two ...

[NorthernFocus]

Insurance.

[Manfred M]

Your travel images are amazing and I see why your camera is always right with you. My wife and I haven't yet expanded our travels past the resort phase but once I retire this October I hope we can be more adventurous and explore countries by being much more mobile.

Dave

Dave - travel to developing countries is something we have been doing for several decades and most of it is travel we arrange for ourselves and use local guides, drivers and tour operators most of the time. Travel to these destinations requires a totally different approach to a resort holiday, even if you book a package from home. You need to take care of immunizations and other medications (malaria is often endemic in developing countries), as well as medications for potential issues (we travel with prescribed antibiotics just in case of serious digestive issues). Unlike at resorts, you have to carry your own drinks (generally water, in fact we tend to sterilize our own and have the equipment to do so), recognize places to eat that are less likely to make you sick, have access to cash (ATMs and credit card terminals don't always work). You get the idea.

If you are interested in adventure travel, have a look at gAdventures. They are based out of Toronto and are world leaders in this type of travel and we have used them twice https://www.gadventures.com/

There are also "safer" places (food, accommodation, etc.), if you want to try doing things on your own. Developed countries tend to be more expensive that developing countries, but places like New Zealand, Japan and Iceland are definitely worth thinking about as are places in Western Europe. Some of the former Soviet bloc countries look pretty interesting and civilized as well (I'm heading to Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia with my youngest daughter in about 6 weeks).

I retired about 18 months ago (October 2014) and have been on the road a lot, both in North America and in Asia, so one definitely has the time and can pick times of the year where travel makes sense (Southern Asia in the winter is fine, you certainly don't want to be there at this time of year (heat) or in the May / June through September period (monsoon rains)).

[Shadowman]

I'm curious what well traveled photographic type people do with their DSLR camera equipment while traveling on vacation?
Since I've gotten back into photography I've yet to bring my gear along when staying at a resort. My concern is that resorts usually just have a smallish safe in the room to secure valuables and quite often patio doors have questionable locking mechanisms if any at all. Plus cleaning staff keep the door open while cleaning. So if you have taken your DSLR and a couple lenses along do you keep your gear with you every second? (tuff if going swimming/snorkeling) Do you only bring what might fit in the small safe? Do you lock your gear in your suitcase with a padlock?

......or do you just not take DLSR's to resorts (Cuba, Dominican, Mexico, Central America etc.) and settle for using your small P&S camera?

Dave

What do you do with your laptop, that is if you take one with you? If in a pinch I'll leave items in the hotel safe at the concierge desk.

[William W]

. . I would probably bring my D7200 and the 18-140 lens. I use this lens 90% of the time here at home, it gives me good flexibility. It would probably fit OK in the safe.........I think.

Then if I were you, I'd take that gear and leave it in the room safe when I went swimming and I would carry it with me everywhere else - not for the sake of security, but as already mentioned . . . to make photos.

WW

[loosecanon]

I think the pacsafe gear is excellent, especially having wire in straps so they cannot be cut with a knife.
For many years I have used the pacsafe stainless wire net - it may not be ultra secure but certainly would stop the casual grab and go thief. from a hotel or hostel room. The portable safe, a small wiremesh bag which can be secured to pipework etc is a much safer place to leave important travel documents when going out for an evening where drinking or crowds may be involved.
I also use pacsafes small bag when travelling to keep phone, torch, utility tool, and some cash and cards in, whilst I also use pacsafes wallet which has an inbuilt lock on the end of a chain and again will stop the quick pickpocket.

[LePetomane]

I travel with my Fujifilm XT-1 and an additional lens. I usually have the camera with me. I have put silver duct tape on it to make it less appealing to street thieves. I do cover the blue Zeiss label on my lens with electrical tape as well.

[Manfred M]

I do cover the blue Zeiss label on my lens with electrical tape as well.

You should look at gaffer's tape (available at better camera stores that cater to the pro market). Same effect in covering the label without the gooey residue that electrical (and other) tapes leave behind when you peel it off.

[Rebel]

What a cynical thread