Backcountry Birding

Well that’s it! I’ve got all my stuff packed up in my backpack and camera bag, and I don’t think I’ll be changing the list. I’m using the Osprey Farpoint 40L backpack, recommended by several one-bag travel experts. It’s got quite a lot of space, enough to fit a week and a half of clothes and a one person tent, courtesy of my brother. Here’s what it looks like fully packed:

It contains:

• Binoculars (Zeiss Terra ED’s from the 2017 Cornell Young Birder’s Event)
• Clothes in Packing Cubes
  • 2 pairs pants
  • 3 Long-sleeved shirts
  • Top and bottom merino base layer
  • Rab Microlight down jacket
  • Rab Rain jacket
  • Many pairs of underwear and socks
• First Aid Kit (extra ibuprofen)
• Sleeping bag liner
• REI lightweight 2-person tent (will double as indoor mosquito net when needed)
• Wash kit
  • Toothbrush/toothpaste/floss
  • Shaving cream/razor
  • Deodorant
• 2 pencils/2 pens
• Notebook
• Fenix rechargeable headlamp

I’ve also got a Lowepro 300 AW camera bag which I’ve had since high school (it’s served me well so far, and I think it’ll be ok for at least long enough to find a replacement somewhere during the year)

This bag is great because it’s got all those internal dividers. It fits my Canon 400mm f/5.6 and 5DIII in the center section, and all the other stuff in the sides. I won’t bore you with all of the tiny details of what I’ve got, my basic set up is the Canon 5D, the 400mm telephoto and a canon 16-35 mm. I’m also bringing an iPad mini 4 and an external keyboard that will be useful for writing emails and blog posts, and a cheap external flash that I may not end up using that much. Here is everything from that bag spread out on a table:

That’s all I’m taking, along with a trusty pair of La Sportiva Wildcats that were a gift from a friend and a Georgia Audubon hat:

I head out the day after tomorrow (evening of Tuesday, Jan 17) and will be arriving in Monteverde, Costa Rica the night of the 18th. Can’t wait to start looking for some Quetzals and Hummingbirds.