How to moving photos from sd card to iPad without internet service

I am looking to upgrade my iPad to use while traveling to remote places. I want to know if there is a way to move photos (jpeg or RAW) from and SD card (with the apple adapter) to the new iPad Pro or Air....View the photos....throw out the bad ones.... and move the good ones to an external hard drive. This needs to be done with out cell service or an internet connection. This can easily be completed on a laptop. I have talked to Apple Sales Specialists, but I can't get a solid answer about using the iPad. When I have experimented with my current (2017) iPad, it will move them, but not until it completes a lengthy (90 minutes for about 80 jpeg photos) upload to Icloud. Am I asking the impossible?