SD card backup?

The camera DOES NOT format the card, it just clears the File Attribute Table and ensures the DCIM directory is present - that is ALL.

If you get a pure unformatted SD card - not the commercially available ones and try to Format that in a camera it will not do it. A full format also totally deletes all data on the card, which the camera does not do.

The only way to fully format an SD card is by using a PC that has a full format capability.

SP has exactly the right comment at the bottom of his post.

When I shoot weddings abroad I take a netbook and external hard drive.

Card backed up to netbook
Card copied to ext drive

This gives me three back ups card, netbook, ext drive

When I'm on holiday I take a couple of 16 gig cards and no computers or hard drives, I go on holiday to get away from all that tech malarkey

Me too!

I agree in principal, but taking a tablet with a HD screen has proved fruitful both in terms of being able to review photos at a decent size and the ability to browse the internet to find places of interest, book restaurants and to keep in touch with the forum - of course

It depends on the type of holiday. A computer and internet access can be very useful when touring, for booking hotels etc. Easier to search on a computer than a smart phone in my experience. If you are staying in one place it is still good to be able to have a computer available on occasion.
Besides no one forces you to use the computer for anything more than backing up.

We usually depended on the guide books and tried to pre-plan what we wanted to see and do. Food wise usually took pot luck but used a little "common sense" if a cafe was empty at a meal time walked on by Of course its all done on the internet now