Tips for Visiting the Khuzeymateen | DM Jones Photography

One of the things l like to do upon return from any major trip is to reflect a bit on what worked and what did not. Overall, my trip to the Khutzeymateen grizzly bear sanctuary went very well. Fortunately, I had no major travel issues. The weather was good, and, of course, the bear photography opportunities were excellent. Staying at the Khutzeymateen Wilderness Lodge was also a treat. The accommodations, food, and staff were all nothing short of excellent.

In my blog Packing for the Khutzeymateen, I listed my basic travel setup for clothing and photography gear. Everything was designed so I could go full carry-on for every leg of air travel.

Clothing:
As far as clothing, what I brought was spot on for the twice daily photo excursions on the zodiak. I typically wore a Mountain Hardwear LS T-Shirt as a thin next-to-skin baselayer. Over that I wore a Smartwool lightweight zip-neck top and an Arc’teryx Atom LT jacket. For wind and rain protection, I wore and Arc’teryx Beta SL Gore-Tex hard-shell jacket. Often overlooked is a simple buff for covering the neck. It makes a big difference. On my head I wore a Mountain Hardwear Micro-dome hat. Gloves when I was not working a camera were Outdoor Research Stormtracker gloves.

Down below I wore Patagonia Capilene 1 bottoms, Marmot Scree Pants, and Marmot PreCip rain pants. My feet were always warm and dry with wool socks and Merrell Mid waterproof boots.

Other guests made use of Mustang Survival Suits provided by the lodge. They are bulky but very warm and highly water resistant. Had I not brought the good gear I did, I would surely have used them. The suits are also a good option for anyone wanting to pack even lighter. Even though what I wore sounds like a lot, I felt it to be more comfortable and less bulky than the suits.

All this and the other pieces listed in my clothing list in Packing for the Khutzeymateen were packed into a Patagonia Black Hole 40L Duffel. This duffel fit easily into the overhead bins of even the smallest aircraft I flew on, a De Havilland Dash 8.

Camera Gear:
All of my camera gear and 13″ Macbook Pro were carried in a Gura Gear Kiboku 22L+. This backpack easily accommodated my two camera bodies, three lenses, and accessories. It also was able to fit under airplane seats. That was important to me as I was assured to never have to deal with the possibility of having to check a camera bag.

Gear Packed in the Gura Gear Kiboku 22L+ Backpack:
Nikon Z6 II
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
Nikon 24-70mm f/4
Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6

4x Spare Batteries and Charger
XQD and SD Cards and Card Reader
82mm polarizer and Step Up Rings (for the 100-400mm and 24-70mm)
Lens Cleaning kit (Microfiber Cloths, Zeiss Lens Wipes, and Blower)
Cables (USB-C and USB-micro B)
2x USB Wall Chargers
Anker 10,000 mAh USB Battery
2x Camera Neck Straps (with Peak Design anchor clips)

Other Electronics and Support Gear –
13″ MacBook Pro and Charger
2x Samsung 2T T7 SSD Drives
iPhone and Charger
Ear Buds
Passport/Travel Documents

I used the Nikon Z7 II as my main camera and easily shot most of my images with it. On the photo excursions, I mounted the Nikon 24-70mm f/4 on the Z6 II and the Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 on the Z7 II. I did not use the Nikon 14-30mm f/4 for but a few shots. I would likely leave this lens back if I did the same trip again.

The Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 was a very good choice for this trip as it gave me lots of flexibility for shooting bears close up as well as those further out. I debated whether to bring my Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF but ultimately decided not to based on what I had read about shooting in the Khutzeymateen. Even though it was not a major issue, I would have preferred to have had this lens along for the trip. There were enough occasions where the extra reach would have been nice.

Faster primes, such as those with f/2.8 or f/4 maximum apertures would have been nice as the light during inclimate weather limited shutter speeds and/or drove up ISOs. Fortunately, bears are not fast action subjects, so shutter speeds on the order of 1/640 with ISOs less than 2500 with the slower zooms were pretty much the norm and just fine.

If I were to shoot with fast primes, I would recommend only a 300mm f/2.8 or a 400mm f/2.8 with a teleconverter or two for occasional extra reach when needed. The typical 500mm f/4 and 600mm f/4 primes are just too unwieldy and limiting for most of the photography situations I encountered.

There are certainly other ways to go as far as photography gear goes. A 200-600mm zoom or the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 would also be very good choices. A lot of other photographers had them and came away with excellent shots. The only downside is that they are much bigger than the typical 100-400mm. However, the extra reach is nice and would have been welcome on a few occasions.