Hey Rachel! I’ll have to double check but I’m pretty sure it was a SeaLine 10L dry bag.
Don’t laugh, but I used it for obvious things like keeping electronics dry and secure while on/near the water, but also for doing laundry! 😛 I filled it with a few clothing items (mostly underwear) and water and soap and then shook it up. I swear by it! I’m sure there are tons of other uses but those were the two that were most important to me!

The mini surge protector is one of my favorites! So is New Zealand! Enjoy both 🙂

Hi Laura! New Zealand is amazing! Have you been?
The Belkin mini surge is probably my favorite item on this list. You’ll need a converter for NZ (their plugs have three flat sides) and make sure whichever converter you need has a three prong side for the Belkin to plug into. It’s awesome because you get the USB spots to charge as well, which should be helpful for the devices you mentioned.
Hope this helps. Have a great trip!

Just a thought…you can have either a scarf or a camera around your neck at all times! That was pretty much me while traveling…although that doesn’t solve your question about protecting the camera while in the bag 😛 Let me know what you end up doing, perhaps I can start doing the same! Happy travels!

Thanks Anne! Your suggestions have been very helpful! I have been thinking of buying a insert to put into my purse or backpack to protect my camera a bit. But I may just wrap a scarf or something around it for those times that I won’t have it around my neck. Thanks for your help! I look forward to reading more about your travels in the future.

Hi Erin! Glad you found the post useful. In all other trips I carry a small camera case for my DSLR, but there isn’t much room in it for anything other than the camera. For this longer trip, I placed it in my small bag without much protection, as I wanted to be able to bring other items along with it and didn’t want to carry more than the minimum.
One easy way to add extra protection (without taking up precious space) is to simply place a thick (clean) sock over the lens. Bonus if you actually wear the sock (multi-tasking!) Or you could fit a plastic screen over the display to protect from scratches (also without taking up any space.) I also would sometimes pack items in my backpack (such as a scarf) around the camera for padding.
I think it depends how irreplaceable your camera is to you. Mine took a few minor damages, but those were mostly while it was out around my neck. For me, it was more important to use the camera (and save space) rather than worry too much about protecting it.
Hope this helps!