My list of essential travel and photography gear for adventurers on the road.
CRAFTING THE PERFECT TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY KIT
After several years on the road, I'm getting close to perfecting my perfect backpacking and travel setup that accommodates all of my photography needs. I now fit all of my full-frame professional photography equipment, drones, laptops, underwater housings, hiking gear, and life essentials in a 50L camera backpack and a 75L travel backpack.
My current gear allows me to travel all over the world, from the Himalayas to remote Indonesian Islands. Of course, extreme weather variations will often force me to change up the pack a little. Sometimes I'll leave the camping gear with family for extended island trips, and I'll pack a down jacket and lightweight fleece for mountain trips. All-in-all, this setup suits my purposes perfectly.
Well, here it is. After all of the back-aches and head scratches, I believe that I have finally created the ultimate list of travel essentials for adventure photographers on extended trips or those living out of a backpack.
So, if you do decide to purchase one of my gear recommendations, I would appreciate you purchasing them through the links. This gives me a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you! So, if you want to support this blog without spending an extra cent, click away!
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Camera Equipment
CANON 5D MARK IV
This is the camera that I use to capture nearly all of my landscape and travel images. The image quality is unbeatable and in my opinion is well-worth carrying the extra weight.
Action Cam
EXTRA PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR
F-Stop TILOPA 50L Camera Backpack with Large Pro ICU
You seriously won't find a better all-round camera backpack than this. Trust me, I've been searching for half a decade. Super durable, weather resistant hiking backpack with customizable camera padding inserts. I use this as my day bag and my camera/electronics bag in transit and on flights. Big enough even for multi-day hikes.
CHEAP STEP-UP RINGS
This is the camera filter photo-hack of the century. These cheap metal step up rings allows me to use my biggest filters on all of my lenses, no matter the filter diameter. Just buy filters for your largest lens and use these adapters to screw them onto lenses with smaller threads.
BACKPACKING TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
OSPREY FARPOINT TREK PACK 75L BACKPACK
I recently switched to this hiking/travel hybrid backpack. Really lightweight, super comfortable mount and a huge middle zipper opening. Best of both worlds for long distance trekking and for living out of. Comes in a 55L version as well if you don't carry as much stuff as me.
Hiking Gear
Lowa Renegade GTX Hiking Boots
I've had these same boots for years and I'm probably going to buy the same ones again. One of the most popular hiking boots in the world due to their affordability and comfort. Also has Goretex to keep your feet dry. I've used these in Australian summer and at 5500M in the Himalayas.
Electronics
As an adventure photographer, it's impossible to escape the need to carry a bunch of camera equipment, electronics, accessories, chargers and not to mention all the other travel and life necessities.
Being able to carry all of these belongings on my back is an incredibly difficult ask that has taken years of culling and replacing to achieve. I still carry much more than the typical backpacker, but it certainly doesn't hinder my travels.
People are often surprised with the amount of equipment and gear that I carry. In saying that, my main priority as a content creator and photographer is producing the best possible images and content for my readers. In order to do this, I prioritize function and weight, shaving off grams in every possible opportunity I get, besides camera equipment. Living a minimalist lifestyle with only a few changes of clothes means that I can carry all of the essentials I need to continue to create content that I am proud of.
Honestly, I wish that i had found a comprehensive travel gear guide like this years ago. I hope that you find this useful.
I have spend a lot of time researching the best prices online for all of these items. I am also continuously checking for price drops to guarantee you the best price possible.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.