What I learned from Costa Rica

I had in my backpack:

• 1.5kg tripod
• 1.05kg Tokina 80-400mm lens
• 0.585kg D80
• 0.560kg Nikkor 18-200mm
• the 0.350kg speedlight flash
• the vertical battery grip
• the original Nikon battery
• 10 x AA batteries (for the flash)
  
• AA recharger
• camera batter rechargers
• and other miscellaneous camera stuff

I got to use the tripod only once or twice. I brought the tripod along a waterfall trail but had left it behind with my dry boots and clothing in the corner of some rocks as I waded the water barefoot to get closer to the waterfall. I also brought it for the volcano tour but we were in a rush I could not use it properly.

I took the 80-400mm lens out only once to test it from a hotel balcony. I should have brought it to the Arenal volcano trip because there were some lava hot boulders tumbling down the side of the volcano, and because there was a Toucan in the far distance that could only be shot with the 400mm!!

The speedlight was useful. I used it many times. I also went through the camera batteries like running water, but I did not have to resort to the 5xAA backup batteries for the flash unit.

So, my backpack would have been a lot more comfortable (by 2.5kg) if I had left the tripod, the 80-400mm lens, and the extra 5xAA batteries home. For my next trip, should I or should I not bring the tripod, the Tokina lens, and the extra batteries? These three heavy gears tend to fall under the only-if's situations. Only if I had brought the 80-400mm to the volcano ... but I didn't because it was darn heavy and I did not expect to see a Toucan there!