RVs, post processing and...

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Dan Oster

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Hello,
My wife and I will be retiring mid-June of this year. We have purchased a trailer and have plans for some extensive travel in the western US once the latest grandchild is born this coming August (Being a grandparent is the best gig ever!).

Equipment:
Nikon D500, Fuji X-T1, Sony DSC-RX10.

Interests:
Wildlife and landscapes.

I am interested to know what folks do in terms of image storage; post processing software; and laptops while traveling with an RV. I anticipate spending time in areas without Internet or cell service.

Additionally, how does one keep their gear secure in an RV?

Dan
 
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I have a laptop with Lightroom installed. Every evening I export the images to LR and backup the laptop to a separate hard drive. For really important trips, I keep the images on the memory cards and store them separately. This can get a bit spendy but if it’s a once in a lifetime trip it’s worth it. Usually, I keep the separate drive in the truck with me.

RV locks are junk but most reputable RV parks are reasonably secure. That said, my camera gear goes with me.

We boondock quite a bit. We have a large dog (which is noisy but completely harmless) and we are armed. We have never had any trouble camping in the bush but my in-laws had an incident that caused them to stop boondocking. The larger dispersed camping areas are mostly OK if you have neighbors and you meet them. Sort of the neighborhood watch thing.

We travel with a Verizon Jet Pack for internet. Many RV parks have poor internet service even if they offer it. It even lets us use a smart tv. Cell service in general can be erratic. Not all service providers cover everywhere. There are large pieces of real estate not well covered by any provider. Satellite radio works great in Kansas, not so much in the Olympics.

Just my experiences, your mileage may vary.
 
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We use similar methods to pnbarne.

Get a good laptop with a quality display - I use a MacBook Pro, but most of the surface tables / laptops have good displays as well. You'll also want to make sure you have enough processing power and a large HD if you plan to store on the laptop.

Another thought, depending on the RV, is to take something like an iMac. I took my 27" with us last year when we did the D6 review and it was wonderful to have my primary computer along. We don't have a huge camper - just a 24 foot unit - but it worked well.

I too offload and backup every night. I don't store on my memory cards, but I do have a copy of my images on the laptop / iMac as well as a pair of Samsung 2TB SSD external drives. I use these. Note that they do come with software, but I simply reformat the drives - I've seen the software brick one of these drives from a workshop participant when they couldn't recall their password. So, just reformat and use :)

(BTW - I HIGHLY recommend SSDs and NOT spinning disks - I've seen WAY to many spinners die on workshops)

For an extended trip you may need more drives - especially if your computer won't have enough storage. Always keep these drives separate, preferably have one with you and the backup somewhere else. Since I use my computer as well, I have the computer in one location (usually the camper), a backup in the car somewhere (NOT in a camera bag or something likely to be stolen in a smash-and-grab), usually slid down the back of a seat pocket with a bunch of garbage or something. I'm also not overly concerned about someone breaking into the camper. It's possible, but I've camped since I was a kid and if you add up all the trips, I've likely spent a couple years total in an RV or tent and have never had a single issue - and it's rare to run across someone who has. Not saying it can't happen, just unlikely, especially in established campgrounds.

For software on the road, I use Lightroom and maybe Photoshop. I usually don't do a ton of post-processing while I travel, but I'm usually not gone for more than 6 weeks either.

Have a great trip!
 
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One thing to think about is license checks on service based software like Lightroom and Photoshop. Depending on how you pay for the Adobe plans you either need to have internet access for license validation every month or if you pay annually every 90 days. For something like RV touring in North America this shouldn't be an issue but if you'll get really far off the grid for extended periods it's something to consider.
 
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Dan Oster said:
Hello,
My wife and I will be retiring mid-June of this year. We have purchased a trailer and have plans for some extensive travel in the western US once the latest grandchild is born this coming August (Being a grandparent is the best gig ever!).

Equipment:
Nikon D500, Fuji X-T1, Sony DSC-RX10.

Interests:
Wildlife and landscapes.

I am interested to know what folks do in terms of image storage; post processing software; and laptops while traveling with an RV. I anticipate spending time in areas without Internet or cell service.

Additionally, how does one keep their gear secure in an RV?

Dan
Click to expand...
We lived in our 40 foot 5th wheel full time for 8 years. I had a Mac mini which lived in the area over the fridge as a file server and did all PP on a MacBook Pro. The minI had one main ‘data’ drive with the original photos and other files on it. There were 4 or 5 USB drives...I used 2.5 inch Seagates for heat purposes...attached that got daily, twice weekly, weekly, and monthly clones of the data drive using CarbonCopyCloner. Also had a drive in the truck and in the car that got updated monthly or so. All connected via wifi except the mini server that we put in Ethernet when we built the rig. If you’re interested in more details on our IT setup drop me a PM and I will be happy to give you as many as you want...but going net places, getting neat images, and keeping them backed up was very important to a retired systems admin guy like me.
 
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I basically do what Steve does. Back up every night to at least 2 external HDs - same ones Steve uses. Re-use cards. If you have no power, perhaps your generator/solar panels/batteries can power the computer to allow down load and back up. I take ALL my gear. Sometimes it is all with me in the truck. Sometimes I leave the 600mm in the 5th wheel. All my gear is ensured. I don't stress about something happening to it.

Since we don't live in the 5th wheel, I wait until I get home to do any and all processing. I may do some culling during down time, but my laptop isn't color calibrated and I prefer a larger monitor to do serious editing.

Occasionally I have to resort to a stop at McDonald's or such, to check internet, etc. (like at Mom's where there is NO internet! LOL!).
 
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Steve said:
LOL, been there, done that! More than I care to admit!
Click to expand...
Libraries too...another place we spent a lot of time. And despite working in the Pentagon for many years...the Superior WS library has about the fastest internet we ever found. There’s also a quite excellent dive bar there as well...Anchor Bar and Grill...the burgers are outstanding and a beer lookked like a pitcher...2 burgers no 2 beers and the bill was 20 bucks.
 
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Thank you, thank you one and all!

I will be ordering the Samsung T5 drives and storing them in the truck; hidden. I’m just not sure I can trust my memory to hide something with trash...hid my phone under some trash at the National Bison Range and then A few hours later was digging through the trash can at the visitors center...

In terms of security we are going to change out the locks on our trailer and put a safe in the truck. I’ve hiked extensively in the Cascades and olympic Mtn’s of Washington, the Selkirks in Idaho and, as a kid my parents took us camping all around the country. Never had a serious problem so far, but...

I will look into a laptop that has enough memory and processing power for Lightroom; a program I’ll need to buy and learn. I don’t know much about computers but I’ll probably get an apple product. My phone is a iPhone 5s that gets used and has been bullet proof all these years.

It might make sense for me to pay the Adobe subscription annually as I do spend a fair amount of time at a place with no service. I did not know that one had to connect with Adobe on a regular basis.

Accessing the Internet at McDonalds or a library is good advice.

Neil, thanks much for being willing to provide some advice on networking. I will be laid up for most of the month of May so I will try and connect.

Again, thanks much for the help.

Dan
 
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Dan Oster said:
Thank you, thank you one and all!

I’m just not sure I can trust my memory to hide something with trash...hid my phone under some trash at the National Bison Range and then A few hours later was digging through the trash can at the visitors center...

Dan
Click to expand...

To clarify, the "trash" in the back of the seat is stuff like old napkins, wrinkled up tissues, clean wrappers, etc. It stays there all the time and is not tossed. The idea is if someone reaches down, it grosses them out before they get to the drive. However, all the stuff is clean so no worries for me :)
 
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Dan Oster said:
Thank you, thank you one and all!

I will be ordering the Samsung T5 drives and storing them in the truck; hidden. I’m just not sure I can trust my memory to hide something with trash...hid my phone under some trash at the National Bison Range and then A few hours later was digging through the trash can at the visitors center...

In terms of security we are going to change out the locks on our trailer and put a safe in the truck. I’ve hiked extensively in the Cascades and olympic Mtn’s of Washington, the Selkirks in Idaho and, as a kid my parents took us camping all around the country. Never had a serious problem so far, but...

I will look into a laptop that has enough memory and processing power for Lightroom; a program I’ll need to buy and learn. I don’t know much about computers but I’ll probably get an apple product. My phone is a iPhone 5s that gets used and has been bullet proof all these years.

It might make sense for me to pay the Adobe subscription annually as I do spend a fair amount of time at a place with no service. I did not know that one had to connect with Adobe on a regular basis.

Accessing the Internet at McDonalds or a library is good advice.

Neil, thanks much for being willing to provide some advice on networking. I will be laid up for most of the month of May so I will try and connect.

Again, thanks much for the help.

Dan
Click to expand...
Ok...give me a shout if you need help. One of the new M1 macbook pros and a LR subscription should do...and you will need a couple external drives to store the photos on...Lightroom will make a copy to a second location while importing. Internal storage on the 1st gen M1 laptops will preclude storing many photos internally...why is why I’m waiting on the 2nd gen that will likely have more storage as well as ports for the externals so no hub is needed. Whether you need networking in the RV depends on how many people you’ll have along and whether you need full time connectivity as well as how much money you are willing to spend. Cloud storage isn’t your friend in the RV...internet speeds and bandwidth limits prevent that. I had a server in our rig that had the master photos on it and drives in the truck and car with backup copies in case the RV burned up or whatever.
 
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