Kit list for Western USA trip?

Whatever gear you take has to fit in a carry-on legal bag, and you have to be able to carry it! Some airlines have a weight limit on carry on as well as a size limit, so don't be too ambitious in the number of lenses you take - you'll want a book or two for the flight, plus maybe your laptop for the photos.

It will indeed be extremely hot, so a good hat and the ability to carry (and drink!) lots of water is essential. As is good high SPF suntan lotion.

This is the view from Muley Point:

[IMG]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c205/Bargwynbu/MOnument-valley-from-Muley-.jpg[/IMG]

And this is Goosenecks:

[IMG]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c205/Bargwynbu/Goosenecksweb1.jpg[/IMG]

Just to inspire you and get you in the mood

Edit - be prepared for the potential of torrential downpours too - they have monsoon like rains in the summer - be very careful if rain is forecast.

You're definitely missing out

Thanks for the suggestions.
I think I'll end taking the DA 17-70, a DA 55-300 and either the Sigma 10-20 or DA 12-24. I'll probably also take the WR kit lens for when I'm mountain biking and just want to carry as light a camera as possible.
I've got to the end of August to finalise things, so I'll be keeping an eye on the second hand market to see what crops up - anything I don't think I'll use when I get back I can just re-sell without losing a great deal.

If you are hiking up and down Bryce etc. you will want to be as light as possible. It's not just a lot of exertion, it can be quite tricky, not to say dangerous. YMMV but I would make do with two lenses, the DA 12-24 and a 100mm macro. The former for scenery in tight places and the latter for everything else. Lots of lovely little plants and rock details so macro is useful.

Try to visit Moab if only for the Brewery. Fantastic drink!

In my extended wanderings around the SouthWest, my most-used kit includes: DA18-250 walkaround (large spaces), Tamron 10-24 walkaround (small spaces), DA10-17 fisheye (unique angles), FA50/1.4 (dark places). I will minimally have a Raynox DCR-250 also, and some other macro setup, often a couple de-glassed A-type 2X TC's as macro tubes. I also carry some manual primes, but those are for specialty use, and it's way too easy to pack too much glass in my car, heh heh.

I take a collapsible Trek hiking staff with a screw-off head as a monopod, and a table-top mini-tripod. I take lens- and sensor-cleaning gear: Nikon lens pen and Pentax O-ICK1 sensor kit. I take a charger, and extra batteries and SD cards. I wear a wide-brim hat, bandanna, STURDY shoes. I take my National Park pass, for much cheaper admission. I avoid the Kodak Moment shooting positions; easy enough to buy postcards and DVDs of those sights.

I *could* recommend much stuff to see, like Cedar Breaks and Escalante and ancient pueblos in the Four Corners area and the Red Rocks of Sedona and vertical Jerome, but it would be a long list. Just get the AAA auto club INDIAN COUNTRY map for a pretty detailed guide. If you fall in love with the area, I have a historic adobe home for sale not too far from Tucson.