Well, the news is indeed good. My cardiologist called this morning to report that the preliminary results from my stress test showed no problems that would prevent me from boarding a jet to Panama this coming Monday. To be honest, I was a bit worried. The chest pain and the odd heartbeats continue so I was next to certain that the results would keep me from making the journey.
Needless to say, I began packing in earnest as soon as I hung up the phone. So for a good portion of the day I have been packing, unpacking, switching bags, repacking, unpacking, rethinking some equipment choices, repacking in the original bag… The tricky part is the fact that for a portion of the trip I will be without my main luggage and must live out of whatever I can carry in a small pack. Ordinarily this would not be a problem; however as there is a weight and size limit to the pack I am allowed to carry onto the small plane carrying me from Panama City to David, my trusty and much beloved Tamrac Expedition 8 (a pack so large you could sublet part of it to a family of four as a vacation home) is out of the question.
What I’ve thus decided to use is a bag that I’ve become particularly fond of since I bought it this summer – a Lowepro SlingShot 200 AW. The benefit of this bag is that it combines a respectable amount of well-protected carrying capacity with ease of access in the field. Rather than being a true backpack, it is a cross-chest sling with an additional strap that can be attached to the primary sling strap to create an easily releasable harness. When access is needed, the sling can be slid around to user’s hip so that the bag’s side pannel can be opened for fast extraction of the camera (or whatever you choose to carry in it).
The use of the SlingShot 200 AW will allow me to carry my Canon 40D with an attached 28-135mm lens, an additional lens (a Canon EL 100mm macro in this case), support tools for the camera, my digital audio recorder, a pocket camera for quick snapshots, and even my Swarovski EL 8x32mm bins. As the daily chance of rain during my trip is 100%, the SlingShot’s built-in rain cover is most certainly a feature that shall be put into frequent use. Three external SlipLock attachment points will also make it possible for me to attach a one liter water bottle in an easily accessible location.
As almost any traveling naturalist, photographer, or practitioner of any other avocation that requires a fair amount of equipment to be carried into the field knows, packing one’s gear bag is the challenging part of the preparations. Throwing some clean underwear and socks into another bag is a snap – something I can do in a few idle moments between now and Sunday night – which is fortunate as tomorrow is the forty-first anniversary of my present physical incarnation and I plan to spend it celebrating with my family.
Peace and good bird watching.
