I have two flights on the way to Managua and one domestic flight on a puddle jumper with one stopover. From there a boat ride and a small trek through a jungle. I don't want to check anything in and the weight limit on the domestic flight is 30lbs. Here is my gear list:

HD Cam
tripod
underwater camera housing
XLR attachment
2x lens hoods
3x HDV Tapes
Shotgun Mic
field sound recorder
electric tape
Wireless Lav Mic System
digital camera
duct tape
wide angle lens
filters
4x battery packs

So, priority numero uno was solving the water issue. I decided to buy dry dive bags which my friend Marisa Marchitelli suggest as opposed to spending $90-$299 on waterproof gear bags. The dry bags came in various sizes so I was able to pack all my gear (except the tripod) and still manage to save space for clothing in my backpack which I have to keep at the American Airlines specified size of 45" for carry ons.

I will be gone for 7 days on an island without roads, cars or an electric grid (if anything some places have solar power). Therefore in terms of clothing I am packing extremely light. Since it is pretty cold here in Washington, DC I will be wearing 3 t-shirts under a hoodie, a pair of cargo pants and sandals on the way to the airport - should be quite the sight! I plan on being in shorts most of the time I am on the island so that made packing easy.

With regards to keeping my gear from being a theft target, I started by not bringing a camera bag. - as I stated earlier everything will go into the pack. I am using a large lens bag to put my camera in which in turn I fit into a dry bag. Also, before packing away my HD Cam I took Tara Kocourek's advice and placed black electric tape over any logos or shiny text on my camera. This way, having the camera out in the open would attract less eyes especially if the brand name is not visible.

Unfortunately my tripod is a metallic gray color which sticks out of my pack distinctly like an "X" on a pirate's treasure map. So I bought some black duct take and taped up as much of the silvery gray bits as I could - much better.

The lack of electricity is going to be tough but I think it is going to be a pretty cool challenge. One of my battery packs has a shoot time of 350 minutes. The other, which came with the camera, has 45 max. I think I should be fine if I stick to a smart plan with regards to filming. My biggest issue would have to be isolating the subjects I want to cover and then getting B-roll footage.

Overall I am extremely excited and I cannot wait to share the footage.

to be continued....