My Upcoming Trip - Decisions, Decisions...

Next week I'll be flying to Midland, Texas for 5 days of vacation  in west Texas and New Mexico. I love the desert and the mountains of that part of the country. Thanks to an American Airlines sale, I was able to save some frequent flier miles and fly from Dallas-Fort Worth airport for only $96! Got a great deal on a rental car through Avis, too.

Now I have to plan the trip. After buying the ticket and committing myself to the trip, I now face the reality of west Texas in the summer — it's going to be really, really hot!

I want to make this trip pretty cheap. I am considering doing some camping or staying in some really cheap motels -- just checking in at night to crash before heading out the next morning while it's still relatively cool.

My dilemma is what do I take with me? I'll be flying on a small commuter-type jet and, of course, have no desire to check any of my equipment except possible a tripod and maybe my Kessler Crane Pocket Dolly Traveler slider since I can take a hard-side suitcase.

I'm leaning towards putting my Canon 60D and an assortment of lenses inside a LowePro Computrekker AW along with my laptop. If I leave out my Sigma 150-500 — a very hard thing to do! — then I can include my trusty Canon HV40 camcorder. Or I may simply leave the camcorder and do video with the 60D.

Doing video on the HV40 is so much easier than the 60D. I love the constant focus that Canon DSLR's still can't do. The HDV tape workflow is something I'm really comfortable with, too. But that extra space would be nice to carry my Sigma "Bigmo" as it's often called. (Can you tell I'm trying to convince myself to make sure I take the Sigma?)

Frankly, I've about convinced myself to go strictly with the 60D. I can take another small carry-on bag full of odds and ends like batteries, filters, microphones, etc., that might not fit inside the LowePro. I have to keep in mind the small plane that I'll be on. I certainly don't want to have any delicate equipment checked into the luggage compartment.

I'll probably change my mind a dozen times between now and the 23rd when I fly out to Midland.

I also have to decide where to go and what to do. I've got an idea where to go and have a cool idea on what to do while I'm out there, but more on that later...