I recently faced a conundrum that I'm sure other photographers have faced at one time or another: I had planned a backcountry trip with friends but I didn't know what camera gear to bring. Specifically, I'd be kayak-camping on the Colorado River. The conditions would be sandy and wet with the possibility of a full blown dunk in the water. I'd need something simultaneously cheap (in case I dunked it), rugged (in case I dunked it), and good (because I wanted to take good pictures). What I chose was the ancient (by camera standards anyways) Nikon D300.