Toothbrush or camera?

I had a difficult decision to make on our recent tour of the Kalahari and Namibia. We had just arrived at the Felix Unite base camp on the banks of the Orange River for a three-night kayaking trip. In front of me stood a handful of 25-litre plastic buckets. These needed to carry all of our gear for the next four days. Priority items ranged from clothes to toiletries and all the extras we’d require for a seven- and a nine-year-old. My beloved camera gear wasn’t on that list. I’m not a pro camera guy although I see myself as a dedicated amateur. Over the years I’ve invested in quality mirrorless equipment and a range of good lenses, plus the latest DJI drone. I had already decided there was no way I could carry it all down the river. At the last minute, in a moment of madness, I repacked my gear. I left out some of my “essentials” and managed to squeeze in my drone, my Panasonic Lumix GH5 camera, two lenses, a tripod and some filters. In the end I was able to properly capture the epic landscapes, take aerial photos and videos, and record the kids and their friends enjoying this incredible experience. It turns out that my camera gear was in fact at the top of my own personal essentials list! SEAN UYS, Durban