Hello all,
I'll be climbing Mt KK in August and it will be my first time doing so.

As a photography hobbyist, I plan to take lots of pictures too (esp scenery and hopefully astrophotography). But since I've never done something like this before, I was hoping if some experienced LYN members could give me some tips on preparation.

I'm currently using a Fujifilm XT-1, and I was informed that as the temperature drops, battery life would probably deteriorate too. So I'll be getting a spare battery just in case.

I plan to bring two lenses up, the 35mm 1.4 (~50mm FF equivalent, really lightweight) and a samyang 16mm f2 (~24mm ff equiv)

I currently own the lowepro urban sling that can fit my gear BUT it would mean that I will need to carry two bags up to Mt KK (other bag for clothes etc.) so I plan to get another bag system hopefully.

I need recommendations for a bag and a decent cheap tripod. I don't plan to invest in a hardcore adventure DSLR backpack (using a mirrorless system so I don't need that much space IMO, also I won't get the chance to use it often). But I was hoping if there was some sort of bag within a bag system out there...

Was told that my group will be using porters, but I'd prefer to carry some of my gear by myself. Because we're staying at a hotel for a day after our descent, I was wondering if there were lockers that we could store non-essentials at. I really have no idea how to work it out though: should I just get a huge bag that can fit clothes for 3D2N and extra accessories + my gear and let the porter carry it?

Any extra advice for photogs during the climb?

Thanks!

i climbed kk together with my Sony A77 + 1650 zoom. u will take two day for u to reach the top. first day u will reach at the last shelter and u will continue the climb early morning (2 am) next day. ur porter will bring out all ur items to the last shelter. all u need to carry is jacket + water + extra cloths or other for u to reach last shelter (mostly start to move like 10 am and reach there like half day - depend on ur stamina). porter will charge per kilo. u can to rent a hiking stick.

when u reach the last shelter, weather there is super cold and the water is freezing. if u really can stand the cold u bath and u change. it might be too tiresome and u rather not change or bath or brush ur teeth. u might not able to sleep well due to the high attitude and ur body need time to adapt.

then early morning next day, u will leave mostly everything at the shelter, besides water at gears u want to bring. the air will started to become thinner and thinner. each kilo u bring will slow u down. i think it is better for u to bring a zoom lens. u might not have energy to change lens, but still depend on ur stamina. it will be quite challenging once u started to climb and it is good u have place to put ur camera and gears.

This post has been edited by Alexes: May 10 2014, 06:12 PM

wah you make it sound super hard haha! I'm planning to train hard for it although I've been actively going to the gym while following a strength training routine. Am still young and fit so I think I'll take my chances with the lens changing. But worst come to worst, I'll keep my 16mm on when I go up the peak.

So that means that we can leave our clothes etc. at the last shelter right?

i am old and no stamina... haha

yeah. everything will be left there. ur guide will ask u to bring one bottle of water and sweater and headlight. but i advice u to bring more water and no bag. u need more water than energy bar... u climb in dark and there places which is steep slove. so better careful with ur gears...

at the very top of kk, it will be jam pack. is good u have 16mm... if not, hard to get a good portrait shot at the top and not to forget the scenery. between nice camera u got there. much lighter and i seriously like the buttons and dials...

Just an additional advise, be careful with your gear when climbing.
My friends works there and you will not believed how many people had dropped their dslr / phone / digital camera while taking pictures.
There's also possibility of moist form inside your lenses and will bring the risk of fungus growing problem later.

I will skip the prime in the final climb.. You will not have much opportunity to use it.. You are better off with a UWA or 10mm lens.

Youth is not an advantage against altitude sickness.. neither is being super fit. It is how your body will adapt to the thinner air.. Best you give your body enough time to adapt. those that climb too fast will normally suffer.. so dont be the first but also dont be the last or there will be no food left and not enough time to rest.

If your camera has high enough ISO then you will not need a tripod.. Evening up there is often wet so being able to shoot the sky is limited.. Get a gorrila pod will be a better option. Even a 1 kg lite tripod can be an issue to bring along..

If you have a long tele then you may find its use in some areas but little opportunity.. I had a 55-200mm but found little use.. was on my 16mm with UWA (effective 12 mm) most of the time..

If you are concern with cold weather / battery.. keep them close to your body but in plastic bag..

I only use a cotton sling shopping bag to keep my hardware! Convenient and have it in front of me all the time.. Back pack for lesser use stuff..

Do bring along a macro lens if your are interested in the flora.. on your way up.. and yes lots of squirrels so a long zoom will give it will need plenty of distance.. they are super fat and cute too!!

If weather condition is good, sunset can be great for day 1

All of us leave our stuff in the room to do the climb but you must be back in time too or you will have to pay penalty.. Chk out.. Also you can leave your extra baggage in left luggage at foot hill.. so no need to take all the extra up..

One last tip.. if you find taking ice cold shower is out of the question.. bring along talcum powder to dry clean.. I find Snake Brand to be the best..!

Have fun and show us your pix..

This post has been edited by ChinWY: May 10 2014, 09:29 PM

Thanks guys, will upload pix here when I get them. And unfortunately, I can't buy a zoom ):

First of all, it is mount KINABALU, with only one K. Mount Kota Kinabalu is not the proper name for it



Here's a breakdown of the climb (usually):

Day 1:
1. Start hiking from Timpohon Gate or Mesilau Trail at around 9 a.m. You can hire porter to carry your stuff or bring on your own. Porter charges around RM10 per kg one way. Bring a raincoat. Make sure your bag is waterproof or can be covered quickly in case of rain. Try and pack your clothes in plastic bags for extra insurance in case your bag has a leak.

2. Make your way from Timpohon gate or via the Mesilau trail towards the restaurant / rest house at Laban Rata. It's around 6km if using the Timpohon trail. Mesilau is longer but better scenery (that's what I've been told. I only went up through Timpohon). Do look for the change in types of trees as you climb up. As others have mentioned: Beware of fat squirrels Throw your rubbish into the bins with the covers so the wildlife won't choke on plastic.

3. You will usually reach Laban Rata (the restaurant) in the afternoon, depending on your fitness. There is no cut-off time. Just make sure you reach there for dinner, which is at 4:30 pm. If your sleeping quarters is at Gunting Lagadan, then it's another 100-200m walk after the restaurant. Try to eat (carb loading heh heh) and get some shuteye early.

Day 2:
1. You will have to wake up around 1:00 a.m. in the morning to get ready. Buffet breakfast is around 2:00 a.m. at the Laban Rata restaurant. You can leave your stuff in your room at Laban Rata or Gunting Lagadan because you don't need many things for the final push to the top.

2. After breakfast, make sure you have your gear ready.
Essentials:
- Torch light (headlamp is best - frees your hands for climbing)
- Bottle of water (500ml - 1litre bottle is good enough, better if it has a strap if you're not bringing a bag up with you)
- Energy rich food. Yes, you can hardly eat anything at 2 a.m. so bring along stuff like snickers, chocolate bars, energy gels etc...
- Your camera, in a waterproof bag. Sometimes it rains
- Go and do your business. No. 1 or no. 2. Make it quick. heh heh.

3. There will be a short safety briefing. Listen carefully. Then start climbing at around 3:00 am. Climb at your own pace. If you need to stop for a breather, let the faster climbers go past you. Always stay on the path where people can see you.

4. You should reach the last checkpoint at Sayat-Sayat Hut where you have to show them your tag so they can do a headcount. This is also the place with The Last Toilet. There are no toilets after this point. Also you can refill your water bottle from the pipe near the gate.

5. After this hut, you will be climbing the granite rock face. There are some ropes you have to use for climbing, so try and keep both hands free for this.

6. Sunrise is around 6:00am. If you wanna see it, try and reach near the top by 5:45 am. When you reach the peak, be prepared to line up to take photo. There may be a ton of people up there. The view of Low's Gully is spine-tingling. Try not to fall in

7. Go down from peak, check in at the last checkpoint again so they know you're still alive and on the way down.

8. Must reach your lodgings and checkout from there by 10:00 or was it 10:30am or they will penalise you RM100 per hour after the checkout time.

9. Climbing down to Timpohon Gate will be using a whole different set of muscles from climbing up, so be prepared to suffer. I suggest you do lots of squats with weights. I also suggest you hire the porter to bring your stuff on the way down.

10. Enjoy.


P.S.
Electronic equipment care:
Since it is cold up there, batteries will not last long. One way is to keep your batteries close to your body to keep it warm. Not recommended with camera bodies or lenses bcos the temperature difference when you whip it out to take a snap may cause fogging.

Smartphones: Bring spare batteries or those powerbanks because the cold will shorten your battery charge, and also because you may experience power disruptions. There are power sockets in the rooms to charge your electronic stuff.

Exercises:
Climbing involves lots of cardio, so that is a must. Going up and down with a loaded backpack will involve lots of legs, so try and do more squats and stairmaster. I can tell you, after returning from the trip, you will dread looking at stairs for a week. Maybe less if you have good training.

And don't forget to get your certificate from the main office before departing.

This post has been edited by chucky: May 12 2014, 03:01 PM

I'm climbing in July.
I'm only bringing my gopro and my phone lol.
Keeping all the DSLRs, tripod and lens at home.
I heard the view is just so-so anyway.

Yeah, try and pack as light as possible. A 2-bag system (1 for clothes, 1 for gadgets) is also good. This is so you can keep your expensive toys with you when you go for dinner / walking around without bringing all your clothes with you.

I'm planning to bring my Mindshift Panorama bag with me.
Basically a single bag with a detachable belt strap.

One of the most awesome photography bag when you travel/hike
http://digital-photography-school.com/mind...ackpack-review/

I'll be climbing Mount Kinabalu in exactly one month, June 14. And I have almost the exact same gear set up as the TS - Fujifilm X-T1 and 35mm 1.4 lens.

Thinking about getting the Fuji 14mm 2.8 before going up there.

haha nice! what bag are you planning to bring along? I'm taking the suggestions of one of the posters above to bring a separate bag since he said we can store our clothes etc. at the rest stop.

You might want to check out the Samyang 16mm f2 too though, I reckon that I wouldn't need AF for a wide angle lens for landscapes especially with the very capable EVF and MF assist that the XT1 has!

My fingers were freezing when I took off my gloves to take photos at the top. I had to take off my gloves to tweak the settings as the auto-mode was quite problematic.
Hope you have a way of overcoming this.

Alexes is right, the top can be jam packed with ppl, but it really depends on your time of arrival.
When I reached the top, it took another hour before the sunrise. My partner and I were the first few to arrive, we spent an hour hiding behind rocks trying to evade the chilly unforgiving gust. If you don't wish to miss the sunrise, you should first focus on climbing to the top. My advice is don't stop too much trying to take photos during the ascend at 4am (you can only see the stars and city light below anyways). Those exotic flowers and rocks will be well lit when you descend. Snap photos of them during your descend instead.

This post has been edited by Pacmangoku: May 15 2014, 12:55 AM

I have thought of bringing a camera bag on top of my hiking bag. But I really want to bring as little as possible. So I'm just going to keep my camera in my hiking bag or mostly around my neck/shoulder.

I've been thinking Samyang 12mm f2 vs. Fuji 14mm f2.8. Two things are holding me back from the Samyang -
1. Yes I would use MF for landscape but I plan to use wide angle for other things as well after my trip. I really like the look of portraits taken with wide angles. So I don't know how comfortable I'll be with a lens without AF.
2. How is the IQ compared to the Fuji, which I've heard is excellent.

Very important: bring a plastic bag or something to waterproof your bag. On the way to the summit, there will almost be no shelter to shield your camera from the rain.

But if the rain is heavy, it's highly unlikely you will be allowed to attempt the summit anyway.

On the first part of your journey there will be pondok every 0.5 km. But good idea to waterproof/rainproof everything anyway.