Equipment for Finland Wolves Workshop August 2026

My time back in Australia has come to an end, and tomorrow (Saturday) I am heading north again (assuming my flight is not cancelled by the ongoing mess in the Middle East) for a few days in Sweden before I make my way over to Finland for my Wild Wolves workshop. I always look forward to Finland. Every encounter with wild wolves and bears is incredibly special. My thoughts have been turning toward equipment and packing over the last few days, and as it has been some time since I last did a packing list post, it feels time to play a bit of catch-up.

The bulk of the Finland workshop is hide photography (although there are superb landscape opportunities around the accommodation and lakes) and as such telephoto lenses are the order of the day. For this trip, my primary camera and lens combination will be the Canon RF600mm F4L IS on an EOS R1 with a handy 1.4 teleconverter for reach out to 840mm. I will also take a second EOS R1 with the 100-300mm f2.8L IS for opportunities that might present if the wildlife comes closer. For landscape around the lake, I will pack a 14-35mm f/4 L and a 24-105mm f/4 L. A couple of spare batteries will round out my kit, along with a Sachtler fluid head to support the 600mm lens in the hide. Mercifully, I have no flying from Sweden to Finland and will instead take the car ferry, so weight is not a concern.