I am getting ready for a trip in February to a Baja Field Arts Bootcamp organized by Roseann Hanson. It should be a great adventure, traveling with sixteen like-minded individuals, practicing old skills and learning new ones, sharing knowledge and tips, and being inspired by each other's excitement. We already met some of the people in a pre-trip Zoom session. In addition to meeting the people, I had a few very important take-aways:

• We will be travelling light, and are allowed only one small duffle and a day pack.
• We will have no phone service, WIFI, nor electricity for part of the trip.
• Practice, prepare, and experiment ahead of time to make it easier in the field .

Challenge accepted. While it makes my head explode a little bit, I am finding it is part of the fun of the trip to pull things out of the recesses of my closets and create a compact travel kit. I have always been better at collecting gear than using it. I just knew it would come in handy someday; well, someday is now!

CLOTHES

Eight days, hot weather, cold at night, rain gear, swim wear, no laundry facilities, one carry-on duffle. I know I will use only three items when I am there. The problem is I don't know which three until I get there, and that is why I have to bring too much. I have already tried numerous articles of clothes from my closet and drawers, and I have a pretty good idea of what I will pack. Don't expect anything stylish. I'll wait until the last minute before I make my final decisions. I'm sure I will bring too much and all the wrong stuff. Yet clothes are easy compared to the fun stuff.

ART SUPPLIES

How is this going to fit in my day pack?

What to take???!!!??? This won't all fit.How is this going to fit in my backpack?

Which pens, pencils, watercolors, journal(s?), kits,....should I  take. I pulled out all my supplies and experimented. How to carry/organize them? Once it is pared down, I need to be comfortable with the limited choice in the field.

Pen and Pencil Kit
Pencil Case: I chose one that would force me to limit what I brought. I dug through my piles of past supplies, that I have kept around 'just in case', and I found this one that I once used for a colored pencil drawing class. 

Watercolor pencils: I found a set of Derwent watercolor pencils I once bought at someone's suggestion. I think I used them once, but I think they may come in handy.  I tested the colors and chose ones that would fit in my case.  I had to leave some out. They can be easily applied in the field and supplemented with paint. 

Colored Pencils: I decided to bring a few non-soluble colored pencils that I can use not so much for color, but to sharpen edges of my drawings.

Pens: I tested out quite a few pens. You wouldn't think it would be that hard. First I had to find ones that aren't dried out, and test thickness and smoothness. I decided not to take my brush pens (e.g. Tombow). While I like these very much, I have had past experiences when traveling with them where they have somewhat exploded and got ink everywhere . Maybe it is altitude changes in the plane, but whatever it is, I don't want to have to deal with the potential mess.  I went with black Staedtler pigment liners .7, .3, .05. I also have my trusty white gel pen.

I'm taking all the colors, but not in the tubesPayne's Gray (DS) Neutral Tint (DS) Shadow Violet (DS) Sepia (WN) Pthalo Red Shade (DS) Indigo (WN) Ultramarine (DS) Antwerp Blue (WN) Pthalo Green Shade (DS) Manganese Blue (WN) Burnt Umber (DS) Burnt Sienna (WN) Raw Sienna (DaVinci) Quinacridone Gold (DS) Quinacridone Gold (WN) Hansa Yellow Medium (DS) Lemon Yellow (Aqua) Olive Green (WN) Sap Green (WN) Perylene Green (DS) Quinacridone Pink (DS) Quinacridone Magenta (WN) Rose Madder (WN) Alizarine Crimson (WN) Opera Rose (WN) Cobalt Violet (WN) Windsor Violet (WN) All the colors, but in a small sizeTOP ROW (L - R) Payne's Gray (DS) Neutral Tint (DS) Shadow Violet (DS) Sepia (WN) Pthalo Red Shade (DS) Indigo (WN) Ultramarine (DS) Antwerp Blue (WN) Pthalo Green Shade (DS) Manganese Blue (WN) MID ROW (L-R) Burnt Umber (DS) Burnt Sienna (WN) Raw Sienna (DaVinci) Quinacridone Gold (DS) Quinacridone Gold (WN) Hansa Yellow Medium (DS) Lemon Yellow (Aqua) Olive Green (WN) Sap Green (WN) Perylene Green (DS) BOTTOM ROW (L-R) Quinacridone Pink (DS) Quinacridone Magenta (WN) Rose Madder (WN) Alizarine Crimson (WN) Opera Rose (WN) Cobalt Violet (WN) Windsor Violet (WN)
 

Watercolors: After a journaling class I took in the Sierras, I created my own very small watercolor kit that fit eight colors in a mini-Altoid tin. I have been very happy with it. So now is it the time to change it? While it was very small and useful, I have decided to add a few more colors that might be better suited to Baja. It feels like going from my first box of crayons and lusting after the deluxe box with 64 colors and a built-in sharpener. I bought some inexpensive 1/2 pans from Amazon, and put them in an old metal pencil box from my rarely-used-supplies collection. I left some spots empty to be filled with sample colors that the leader may bring. Yes. All these colors can come with me now to capture the colors of Baja. They are condensed into my travel pallet.

My Art Kit (2.2 lbs) The journal I've used most often is an 8x5.5 watercolor by Strathmore, but I've always wanted to try a larger journal. I tried Stillman & Birn 7.5x7.5 mixed media. I was discouraged by my first attempt with water brushes in my new journal. I have trouble controlling the water, and the mixed media paper is far less forgiving than watercolor paper. I like the larger size, and I might pack it in my duffle bag as a backup, but I decided to go back to the Strathmore. Also, the Strathmore fits better in a smaller kit. 

CAMERA GEAR

I want to take them all! Alas, I have no Sherpa.The big lens is for birds. Leaving it home will make me sad, but save my back. While the Bootcamp doesn't focus on photography, I do. I can't go anywhere without a camera. I want to bring them all, but alas, that is not feasible. 

Nikon D7100 with Tamron 18-400 lens and Olympus TG5 I will bring one camera (Nikon D7100) with a general purpose lens (Tamron 18-400) for birds, and another pocket camera (Olympus TG5) for macro. The worst of both worlds. Expect some whining when I see my first bird, but there is no way I can take the big lens. In the depths of my closet, I found a spindly but lightweight tripod that someone must have given me. I have never used it, but will take it in case I get a chance to use it at night. I'll leave the heavier one, that I actually use, at home. The small pocket-sized camera is supposed to have a good macro setting and to work underwater, but I have never been very successful with it. I am trying to work with it before the trip. I hope I can get past the weight vs quality decision I have to make on my cameras.

PULLING IT TOGETHER

The next hurdle is packaging it altogether in a way I can carry it. I will have different needs at different times in the trip: what I can carry on the plane, what I need at the hotel and in town, what I can carry and need at camp, what I need for day trips, etc. Adding a few light-weight items is like buying just a few inexpensive items on Amazon; just one more small thing, and then then suddenly it adds up! Weight has been even more important for me these days as I have been having some low back and hip/leg problems.

Nylon stuff sack is my new day pack My first attempt at a daypack was a well constructed camera backpack with lots of pockets and compartments.  But it was eleven pounds with art supplies, cameras, water bottle, a few snacks, and a lightweight collapsible stool I want to take.  I did a trial run field test #1 on the urban nature trail near my house, walking briskly for a 1/2 mile and slowly on the return trip, stopping to journal a couple of times along the way. The added weight made my hips hurt and particularly the next day. 

Back to square one. I found a nylon camping stuff-bag with a thick strap that can be worn over the shoulder or cross-body. It eliminates 2 pounds, packs well, and distributes the weight. Not as fashionable as the backpack, but this will be my daypack. I will carry the camera on my other shoulder and take a proper camera bag to travel with and to store it in when not in use. Field test #2 and a little ibuprofen seems to bear out this solution.

Wheels to carry the heavy stuff on the plane. The duffle for the boat and campI am getting reuse from my old sailing bag Sometimes I wake up in the morning with a brilliant idea. Well, maybe not brilliant, but it occurred to me that the longest distance I have to lug the sum total of all my gear, is through the airports. Last time I traveled, that was how I got in all my steps for the day. I will put all my heaviest gear and the empty duffle in a wheeled carry-on bag. I can leave the bag and excess gear stored at the hotel while I take just the duffle and day pack for the camping portion of the trip. The duffle only has to be carried from the hotel to the van and from the van to the boat and then from the boat to the camp. I am assuming those are all short distances.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

It is important to get to know one's equipment before fumbling in the field. Almost everything I am taking is a scaled down different version of what I use at home, or is new to me in some way. I am glad to have this opportunity to try new things. Nothing beats experience, and the only way to get it is to practice, practice, practice. This takes a lot of time, and trial and error, and that is just for the gear. I'm also trying to become familiar with what nature I might see along the way. I started a small wish-list of birds. It is not a birding trip, but one can hope. Now that I think I know what I am taking, I will take some time over the next week to practice with the journal and little camera.

PREPARED AND PARED DOWN

And now I've got my kit together. The whole kit and caboodle. I haven't packed everything yet, but at least I have a plan. I think I've made the best choices I can for now. I am hopeful that my traveling companions will not judge me harshly for not being a trend setter, nor for looking a bit ripe towards the end of the trip.  There is still time to change my mind, but I think my head will explode if I have to make any more decisions.

So how does it all work out? More about the trip next month.

ADDENDUM:

In last minute packing, since I published this blog post, I did a little more thinking and paring down. I decided to take more warm clothes, which necessitated making hard choices. I decided to leave out the small tripod. It might be too windy for night photography anyway, and there were only two nights possible. I also left out the small stool. A chair or rock will do to sit on, and I will forgo the opportunity for different vantage points. 

I am taking a 5x5 square watercolor journal instead of the larger mixed media. This will be my primary. I also added a few brown micron pens and took out many of the colored pencils. The paint will be enough for color.

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