In case you ever wondered how we brought you the pictures and the articles we did, while we were traveling, here’s a list of the important equipment we carried.
Backpacks - Wildcraft Alpinist
We have put these 55l backpacks on trucks, buses, trains and don’t remember what else. The backpacks have been very resilient all through the rough use. The padding on the back and the shoulder is good too. Have since used it on a 50km trek and didn’t disappoint at all.
Computer - Lenovo Ideapad S10-3
Our requirement of a tiny computer in order to keep you all updated as we traveled was only going to be satisfied by a netbook. After a little research, we bought the Lenovo because of the wide service network. Performance has been good - of course we had to load Windows XP instead of the default Windows 7 starter pack which is completely useless.
Internet - Tata Photon+
We were warned while buying the connection that the internet speed won’t be of Photon+ but only of Photon (slower than Photon+) in the NE cities, but it has been enough for our purposes. Internet has worked in most places - wherever Tata Indicom mobile connection works and it has been ok. Will have to compare internet speed in Hyderabad though.
Cameras
As with other DSLRs, the main advantage is you can take great pictures in very varied conditions, however the camera is bulky and needs special lenses to unleash its full potential.
Panasonic DMC TZ1
This is a very old model, at one time was the smallest camera with a 10x optical zoom. The biggest advantage is that you can carry it your pant pocket and leave your hands free.
Tent - Quecha T2
This was a 2 person tent which we were able to pitch in Tawang, but could not actually sleep in it. We were able to pitch it in about 15mins - it is quite straightforward even for newbies like us. The weight (3.4kg) was on the higher side though.
Sleeping bag
We got a Himalaya sleeping bag with us which we only got to use once - in Bomdila. Mostly we got got accommodation where we had bedding too, but it must have made a good impression on our hosts when we looked prepared for any situation!
GPS - Garmin Etrex Vista H
We haven’t uploaded any of the tracks we have recorded yet, but they will be coming soon. Duracell batteries worked for 18hr approximately. The sensitivity was also good - works even inside cars/buses (if you are near the window). The UI is a little bad though.Â
Audio Recorder - Zoom H2 Recorder
We never got a chance to use the recorder (to record local music) because of several reasons so can’t comment on its performance.
Flashlight - Mini Maglite (2cell AA) Never underestimate the need for a good flashlight - we realized that early on when we had to walk 2km in pitch darkness near Siliguri. This flashlight throws pretty powerful beam for its size. Good things do come in small packages.
This was one of the more useful gear we carried - especially in the cold climes of Arunachal. We could use it like a muffler around the neck or cover our ears and nose and other stuff too.
Disclosure -
The headgear, flashlight, tent and sleeping bag were sponsored by OntheRocks.
The netbook and GPS were sponsored by Makemytrip.com.
The backpacks were sponsored by Wildcraft.
The internet connection was paid for by upto75.com.
We bought the audio recorder ourselves :).