Photo gear on the trail

I was often asked about the gear that I take with me on my journeys. Well - that depends on the journey. When driving in a car, I can take everything with me and then just leave unnecessary things in the car depending on the situation or whilst going for a hike.
Things changed when I started riding the world on a motorcycle, and carrying photographic gear on a motorbike isn't that easy any more. All my single cylinder motorcycles are real vibrators (I'm a woman - I'm allowed to have such things ;) and vibrations can be deadly for SLRs and expensive lenses - and if you drop your bike on one of those bad gravel roads, it's not good for your gear either. But still you can take a lot of things with you, although I used to carry the sensitive camera equipment in a heavy backpack which is the safest and most 'shock-absorbing' solution.
And now I do not only have to carry my photo equipment on my back, but also the clothes for a month, the tent, sleeping bag and camping mattress, a cooker, cooking utilities and - depending on the trail - even food and water for several days. Heavy, isn't it? So I really have to decide about the essential photo gear, and here is a first list of my equipment:

• Canon EOS 5D
• Canon 100-400 L IS USM f4.5-5.6
• Canon 16-35 L USM f2.8
• Canon 24-70 L f2.8
• Canon remote control for EOS 5D
• Canon Speedlite 580 EX
• Lowepro Toploader Pro 75 AW - Street&Field System
• Lowepro Lens Exchange Case 200 AW - Street&Field System
• Lowepro Street&Field Chest Harness
• Manfrotto carbon fibre tripod 055CXPRO3
• Manfrotto hydrostatic ball head 468MGRC4
• Skylight, UV-filters and Polarizers
• Neutral density filters (ND 3.0 and ND 0.8) and graduated grey filters
  
• SpyderCube
• GreenClean Sensor Cleaning Kit

I will carry the camera and an attached lens in front of me with the chest harness system, where there is enough place for the 100-400 too - I want to have it by hand because of the wild life shots... there is simply no time to put down the big 85 L backpack when an eagle suddenly appears. In the big backpack I will carry the wideangle lens which I will not use as often as the standard 24-70 and the 100-400, and landscape shots need time, and often a tripod - so I have to put down the backpack then anyway.
We'll see if the plan is going to work then...