19104 Loc: Philadelphia

I really want to go to Europe and Africa. I have heard the horror stories about people getting there equipment stolen while out sightseeing. If I was out and someone cut my camera strap and rode off with my stiff I would have a heart attack chasing them down. So here's my question when travelling in distant lands how do you protect your gear. I have a lot of Gear. (GAS cost me my first wife.) so travelling with a point and shoot or just going to enjoy the scenery, Does not work for me.

I am open to suggestions.
Please help.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Your user id is your zip code? Central west Philadelphia. Interesting, can't say I've seen that before.
First tip when going overseas, don't take too much gear, take only what you need. It's not like traveling around North America in a car. Instead of several lenses, get a good utility zoom lens, something like a 28-300, and a fast short prime or zoom, like a 50mm f/1.8 or a 24-70 f/2.8, and don't be afraid to up the ISO in low light when needed. Unless you're on a trip to photograph wildlife, 300mm will probably be the most reach you will need.
Three things I do to my cameras and lenses to make them look less attractive, never use the factory strap that advertises what camera you have, use a good plain neoprene strap; cover the make and model with black tape and for larger lenses or off white lenses, use lens skins. All my off white Canon L series lenses have camo lens skins. I helps protect the lens and helps make them less conspicuous.
Keep the camera in your hand as often as possible. It's less likely someone will try to grab your camera when you are holding it, not just hanging from you shoulder.
There are some really nice high quality full featured bridge and point and shoot cameras available. Maybe consider something like that for use in known high camera theft locations. They are smaller and easier to keep out of sight.

Pistnbroke Loc: UK

As a wedding photographer in the UK I would keep 6 Nikons in a metal box chained up in the trunk of the car..it only saved my equipment once. I also put a tracking device in the vertical grip of my D850.
Most of Europe you will be fine but don't go to bad areas.keep your camera under your coat (don't put the strap around your neck and ditch the strap with a logo for a black one) and cover up the makers logo with tape . Don't walk by the road to avoid scooters walk if possible towards the traffic . If you see dodgy people cross the road or duck into a shop. Italy is probably the most risky followed by spain. I read about a guy in south America who covered his gear badly with gaffer tape so it did not look to be worth stealing.Change the memory card every day . Insure your gear.
A friend went to india with a Canon 5D trying to get it stolen ..it was not !!!

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

How are you getting about? It will make a very big difference on what gear you can take.

Always be very aware of your surroundings and alert.
Stay away from undesiable areas, do your research.
Do not take anything you cannot afford to loose.
When walking, in cities, keep your camera, if over your shoulder on the side away fronm the road.
In cities I tend to keep the camera in my hand, ready for use, with the strap wrapped around my hand.

We have been fortunate to do a fair amount of traveling in Europe, and North America (that is a distant land for us) and never had a problem.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

Keep your wits about you and do not get caught in crowded situations among strangers. When on a train or metro, situate yourself and your gear with your back safely covered. Don't sit near the doors and not have your gear secured, it only takes a second for a thief to grab and run out just before the doors close.

My last European trip, I had my gear in a PacSafe backpack. Steel cables in the shoulder straps, steel mesh in the fabric, RFID blocking, zipper clip locks with covers and one shoulder strap unclips for wrapping around something stationary with a turnbuckle lock. I also clipped a whistle to a shoulder strap with a small retractable key chain. My camera was on an OpTech sling with a steel cable through the length that was also length adjustable, short or long, while wearing it. For a month, I walked Paris, rode metros, Versailles and went to the countryside villages with it. I packed 2 bodies without grips, a flash, 16-35mm, 50mm, 24-105mm, tripod & monopod, extra cards, filters, hard drives with backup hubs and a Kindle for reading and emails. I used everything except the 50mm, so it stays home next time.

I don't ever use the company straps because I love the sling system, but wouldn't use them anyway. I never subscribed to the cover the name and make it look decrepit thing. I think thieves will steal you gear regardless if the opportunity is there and it's a camera. Do you think they pass by the chance because they don't know what kind of camera it is? Or does covering up makes it look more expensive, as in, what are you trying to hide?

Take precautions, but don't be paranoid. Enjoy your trip and spend more time worrying about properly backing up of your photos.

catchlight.. Loc: Wisconsin USA- Halden Norway

Insure your gear and photograph each item,

I use a Pelican back pack and travel with three cameras, 4 lenses, flash gear and accesories. In March I brought the Canon 200mm, f2.0L with me... but, that's for professional work...

If your not working, travel with a mirror less. You don't need a zoom or all the extra weight.

I always recommend the Fuji x100F when I can. Learning to walk about, instead of Zoomiing in on every thing. That will make for better photos, and make you a better photographer...

traderjohn Loc: New York City

"Keep your wits about you and do not get caught in crowded situations among strangers"
I'm guessing 99.9% of the people he will be around will be strangers and tourist destinations tend to be crowded. He should have his stuff insured with homeowner/apt policy.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

I suggest you stop reading horror stories and, instead, attend to stories of people who travel and never have any issues with theft. Like me. And I've been to Africa twice and to most European countries. With full frame Nikons. That advice to cover the names of your cameras is nonsense. Take out floater insurance.

Bigmike1 Loc: I am from Gaffney, S.C. but live in Utah.

While living in Germany in 2015-2016 I never had a problem. Germany up until the influx of refugees from Syria has always been a safe country. When I left Dresden in November, 2016 they were preparing for an influx of refugees. I can't say what the dangers are since then. I had an Olympus E-620 and two lenses. I carried it over my right shoulder with my hand on the strap much like I used to carry my M-1 while on active duty. I never had anyone approach me in a threatening manner. In fact on several occasions I handed the camera to Germans we met for them to snap photos of my wife and me. We were not tourists so did not stand out from the general population. Whenever we went into downtown Dresden we saw crowds of tourists. If any of them were targeted and had their cameras ripped off I can't say. It always appeared pretty safe to me. In May and June of 2000 I did an MI mission with the army in Belgium and while there traveled around with a rented car and never had any trouble at all. Of course I wasn't carrying and expensive camera at the time.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

jdubu and rmorrison1116 above have both provided excellent advice.
The only thing that I might expand on is that the OP/TECH USA URBAN Sling (cross body) works very well by keeping the camera load well distributed and close to the body.
OP/TECH USA also sells handy attachments for all (go to their "Home Page") of their straps, such as battery holders, memory card holders, provision for extra bodies, etc.
The "Urban Sling" strap is almost infinitely adjustable with a simple pull strap, and it has no visible brand markings. It also has the (rear) embedded cable to prevent the slash and grab thief.
I adjust the "Urban Sling" strap so that I can comfortably keep my hand on my camera grip. Using their Sling straps you may always raise your camera to your eye in one quick motion as demonstrated on their video.
I personally have three OP/TECH USA Slings and they have been all over the world serving me well in all respects. They are made in the USA with quality materials and have a generously padded strap.
Two final points, Their prices are excellent for the quality you receive, and I do not work for OP/TECH USA.
https://optechusa.com/urban-sling.html
Enjoy your trip!
Smile,
JimmyT Sends

gdbeeler Loc: Redlodge Montana

It doesn't have to even be a foreign country. A friend was giving us a tour of San Francisco, and we stopped at an over-site. While out of the car, the window was smashed, and bags were grabbed. Luckily, my camera was in my hand and the thieves missed the camera bag. In their rush, all they got was my clothing bag, but also my friends wife's purse. While looking for the police station to make a report, we saw a police officer talking to a homeless person, and asked for directions; the officer just shrugged, so the homeless person told us how to find the police station.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I agree about OP/TECH products; I'm a big fan of OP/TECH and I have their connectors and straps on all of my cameras. As for slings, I have OP/TECH and Black Rapid.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

I would agree that you should take as little as possible. You will do a lot of walking in European cities. There is a limit of what you can carry anyway. So plan strategically and eliminate redundancies. My basic travel pack is my Sony A7 III with the 24-105mm lens and the Zeiss Batis 18mm, and I take a small Canon G9X for situations when I do not want to flash the big camera and as a backup. For European cities, you probably don't need a lens wider than 18mm and longer than 105mm or 135mm.

For African cities and landscapes, the same is true. For photo safaris, you obviously you need a longer lens.

Regarding the safety issue: I have traveled all over Europe and Latin America, and have been to Africa three times recently. I have had only one incident: my backback was sliced open at a bus station in Ecuador. I was traveling alone, and nobody watched my back. I lost a charger and a spare battery.

The world is a much safer place than we think it is; it is not filled with thieves and crooks. Just because unknown places fill us with fear and anxiety does not mean that they are unsafe. But there certainly are pickpockets around who will take advantage of you if don't pay attention. So I certainly agree that you should think about how to protect yourself and your property before you travel.

Generally your exposure to risk is higher in busy areas with a high number of tourists. Some people claim that Italy is bad, but I recently spent two weeks in Sicily without any issues. I certainly would have been more careful in Rome. Last year, I had a carefree trip to Galicia in northwestern Spain, but I would have been more careful in Barcelona.

About your camera: some tips have been mentioned. Use a neutral strap. Avoid large cameras and large lenses. Keep your camera in a bag when walking around. I learned that backpacks make you vulnerable. I use a sling bag for my camera and lenses. The advantage is that it does not look like a photo bag. I can carry it in the back, on the side, or in the front if I need to. I can take my camera in and out without taking my eyes off the street.

Carry your valuables in a pouch you wear underneath your clothing. Keep passport, credit cards, exposed memory cards, larger amounts of cash in there. I do not recommend fanny packs. It is easy to cut the strap and walk away with it. Keep your wallet in the front pocket. Monitor your surroundings, always. But don't let your fear take over your trip.

jdubu Loc: San Jose, CA

I agree, but I still use my DSLR on trips. I listed what I packed in my PacSafe backpack earlier, but that is what I packed to travel. For daily walks, etc. I did not carry everything, I had one body the 2 zooms, flash and either monopod or tripod. That depended on where I was planning to go that day. The first day it all seemed heavier, but after that, I didn't notice any problems carrying the gear. I have a G15 that was my on the spot backup or used by my wife.

I also always dumb down my wallet contents and leave the wallet at home. I carry a copy of my ID, a copy of my passport, a low limit CC and five or ten euros in what is more like a folding card case in my front pocket or zippered pocket on the leg. My actual IDs and cash are in a money belt. I went through a couple money belts until I found one that felt secure and totally comfortable for all day wearing.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

I used to as well, until I got my Sony A7III full-frame camera. I switched because it is smaller and lighter than full-frame DSLRs. (Also the technology in it is pretty awesome.) Now I travel with that. There is no point in leaving your best camera at home.

I agree with all your points. There is so much more to be said about this topic.