Wet wiping & dry wiping of camera gear?

[Box Brownie]

For some years I have not 'challenged my gear' with extremes of condition but our upcoming visit to Botswana I feel the need to account for extra precautions i.e. suitable cloths to wipe the gear once dusty and then wipe it down once again when clear of dust.

I am thinking of decent size microfibre cloths e.g. the sort that sportspersons and campers might use?

So hence the question, what do you use and would recommend.

I will likely take a blower to clear any gross dust as needed.

For all the decades I have been taking photographs, I sometime find myself re-visiting such basic things

TIA for your experiences and suggestions

 

[Mitesh]

I would suggest just doing whatever you normally do and are comfortable with. I didn’t wipe my cameras and lenses down even once during a recent 19-day camping safari. Once or twice I used a rocket blower to clean dust off the front elements. I kept some Zeiss lens wipes and a lens brush on hand, but never used them. Just try to keep them covered when you’re not actively shooting and when the vehicle is moving. A towel works fine for that (I prefer to keep my cameras out and ready to shoot, so didn’t put them back in my backpack until the end of the game drive).

Once I returned home, I used an air compressor to blow the dust and dirt off the gear, and then wiped it all down with a damp cloth before drying. None of my dials or buttons feel gritty in operation, so I think I probably got them sufficiently clean.

 

[DRwyoming]

For anything other than optics just a clean dry towel will work. I sometimes carry a soft chamois cloth for that kind of stuff but in a pinch will use a clean hotel towel or wash cloth to dry wet gear. For optical surfaces, yeah microfiber cloths are the way to go and they're also good for things like LCD surfaces but no need to go crazy with them for wet lens or camera bodies.

Also for what it's worth I try to use a clean cloth to blot dry wet camera gear and avoid any kind of wiping motions that can drive moisture into seams on things like the lens barrel. Just dabbing the wet gear can dry them off without moving the water around and pressing it into cracks and seams like the gaps on either side of focusing rings.