Kit for backpacking in Belize

larsbc wrote:

zuikowesty wrote:

Got frustrated today while doing some repairs on my van, and decided to switch gears from a road trip to something more tropical... a quick search revealed a cheap flight to Belize. So now we will spend the next two days deciding what to take, as we plan to backpack/hostel it. I'm thinking of taking only the E-M5+12-40, E-PM2+12-32, and a Stylus Tough waterproof for snorkelling. If we have to pare down further, I might leave the E-M5 behind, or go with the E-M5 + 12-32 only, and leave the E-PM2 behind. Might also toss in the 7.5 and 40-150R since they are so small.

Alternatively, I could just buy the 14-150II and have an all in one travel lens, but I only have 2 days to do so.

Thoughts?

If you're backpacking, I'd just take one body, the 12-40, and use the Stylus as a backup.

Thanks to all who've offered suggestions. The Stylii in question (I have two) are both circa 2010 compacts, one a waterproof 12Mp model, the other a very compact 14Mp model, which has many miles on it, having travelled nearly everywhere in my pocket until a few years ago when the E-PM2 took its place. I did a quick indoor/outdoor comparison, and determined that the Stylus 5010 still produces quite decent results wide open at the wide end (26mm EFL, one reason I like it for a bit wider than most compacts of the day) in daylight, with respectable sharpness at the edges, compared to the Stylus Tough 3000, which is pretty poor across the board, its only saving grace being the waterproof aspect.

The 5010 is about the size of a deck of cards, so I might just toss it in anyway, and the Tough will have to do for snorkelling. The 5010 does well enough to have produced several full page shots and front and back cover photos from our Greece and Italy photobook, so I think it's worth having along for my wife to use.

I really wish I had a sealed prime (as if there is one in the system - are you listening Oly/Pany?) smaller than the 12-40, because I will probably end up bringing the 12-40 just so I can have a sealed kit, as there is some rain expected, and we will be in the jungle for a few days. I'll just bring the E-M5ii body, and probably stuff the 7.5 and 40-150 in the pack as well. Maybe the 12-32 will get tossed in too; although I'd rather no worry about swapping lenses or keeping track of it all in hostels and AirBnBs that we will be staying at.

Perhaps a bigger decision is whether to bring my MacBook Pro. I have several 7-8" tablets I could bring, but I loathe using them (Android and iPad mini). I might just borrow a Chromebook from work to avoid the risk of losing/damaging the MBP, and still have something more familiar to work with. It will be mainly for booking rooms and transportation and looking things up, as this trip has come together in about 48 hours, so there will be lots of last minute study in airports enroute...

I was very close to cancelling it all day, but as of 24 minutes ago, there's no refunds, so we're committed (which is probably where my wife thinks I should be...)

With any luck, back in a few weeks.