the wander project dispatches from over there
security
Protecting Valuables on the Road
Every RTW traveler has concerns about keeping their gear safe, especially when they’re lugging expensive electronics or camera equipment. TWP asked photographer Austin Mann (who’s no longer trapped in Ethiopia) to tell us how he keeps his computer, high-end camera bodies and assortment of lenses out of the hands of thieves in the field, in transit, and even when he’s not around to stand guard.
In the Field: Be Inconspicuous
“You’ve got to actively work to keep you gear (and yourself) off the radar of would-be thieves,” Mann says. To avoid looking like a [...]
Theft Proof: Make Your Gear Ugly
There’s a very simple way to ensure that opportunistic thieves stay away from your travel gear: make it less desirable, or rather make it appear less desirable. I once saw a guy carrying a massive green pack that looked like Jackson Pollack’s practice canvas — it had multicolor paint splattered from one end to the other, even on the straps and buckles. It looked wonderfully horrible. Steal it? Most people wouldn’t want to touch it. What’s more, they’d probably assume that it couldn’t possibly contain anything of value. Brilliant.
