I once lost a Gitzo CF tripod with a mounted RRS BH-40 ball head on a hike in Acadia N.P. $$$ Luckily, one from our large group somehow found it on some rocks near a waterfall a couple hours later. Following that heart-stopping anxiety-filled episode I made sure all my equipment had white paint marker name, email and phone numbers written on them (on the L-brackets), and the copyright name and year programmed in all my camera bodies so they get written on the cards. I like to think most people are honest and have enough life experience to know the horror of losing expensive important possessions enough to attempt returning them to their rightful owners. I'm also a believer in lanyards to prevent losing cameras and tripods down cliffs, etc. Also be sure to have your contact info on battery chargers and batteries as they are easy to forget in hotel rooms.