For our trip to Europe, Rae and I are packing ultra-light. For me, this means my high-performance yet bulky SLR will be staying at home. I’ll be taking instead a Canon PowerShot A610. The past few days, I have really noticed how heavy the 1D-series cameras are even with “light” lenses like the 24/1.4 and the 85/1.8. My shoulders are going to thank me! Sure, I’ll miss the features and functionality of my SLR, but I justify the decision by saying I’m on holidays, not on the clock!
The new airport restrictions also mean we’ll be checking in most of our luggage. I don’t want any hassles with TSA, so I’ll leave all the electronics in the checked-in bags. Guess the 15-hour flight will be dominated by sleep, watching the in-flight movies, and reading travel books!
With each trip I’ve taken, I’ve gotten better at reducing the amount of stuff that I take. This time, I’m trying to fit everything in an REI Flash UL Pack. Rae is taking along an REI Traverse pack. At 1,050 cu. in., I’m going to have to get creative with the amount of clothes that I’ll be stuffing into the Flash!
tow.com 
Wow, that’s pretty light Adam! Hope you and Rae have fun on your trip!
Thanks! Everything fits in a big duffel bag, which we’re taking solely for check-in purposes. Don’t want our backpacks walking away without us from the baggage claim! I neded up putting the Flash UL into another REI book bag. Makes it easier to carry the other stuff of mine too :)