In order to maintain this site, we’re bringing a bunch of stuff with us. But we’re making up for it by only bringing one change of clothes. Seriously. So here is a list of the equipment we’ll be using to make this project possible. **This list is incomplete, but will be added to from the road**

The Laptop

Most of this would be impossible without a laptop. For this project, I’m using an Apple Powerbook G4 with 1GB of RAM.

The Video Camera

The world is going high-def, and so is bigtripblog.com. I’m using a Sony HCR-HC1 high-definition camcorder. It’s small and light, yet takes amazing video in native widescreen. I’m really looking forward to getting some great video with it.

Tripod

A sturdy tripod is really important for taking good video and night-time photos. After much searching, I settled on a Bogen-Manfrotto travel tripod. I wasn’t looking forward to lugging a heavy tripod all around the world (in addition to all the other equipment), so I went with this highly collapsible one. It also doubles as a photo tripod, so it should be perfect for me and Val.

Mic #1

To get audio from interviews, I’ll be using a small lavalier microphone made by Shure.

Mic #2

I’m also planning on doing a little podcasting, and capturing the sounds (in addition to the sights) of the places we visit. To do this, I’m using a pair of Core Audio binaural microphones. You wear them by your ears so they pick up the same sounds your ears do. When played back through headphones it sounds like you’re actually there. Look for posts with With Audio! next to the title, and you’ll be able to listen to background sounds while you read!

Recording Equipment

To record the binaural sound, I’ll be using a Sony Hi-MD player/recorder. It fits in your pocket and records uncompressed CD quality sound.