5 Essential Photography Gear To Bring On A Trip

Memories last a lifetime, but memories captured on film last for eternity. Whenever we travel, we seek to preserve some of the sights we experience– of mother nature’s boundless glory and customs and traditions completely foreign – through photography, whether it’s through the eyes of a professional, DLSR-wielding photographer or a backpacker with just an iPhone. Before you hit the road again, make sure you’ve covered packing ground by checking out our recommended essential photography gear guide.

A set of filters

Think polarizing, neutral density (ND) and UV filters – they weight basically nothing but can be a complete photo game changer. Filters are definitely an essential photography trip gear if you’re looking to do a spot of landscape photography, as they help with scenes featuring expansive blue skies or bodies of water or allowing you to achieve optimum exposure. This set by Hoya includes all 3 and comes with a handy pouch for easy packing and added protection.

A portable tripod

We all know too well how some tripods can be heavy and bulky – issues you definitely don’t want to be dealing with while traveling. Designed for professional camera rigs, we love Benro Go Plus Travel FGP18A for its light aluminium body (just under 2kg) that supports up to an impressive 10kg max load. We consider it an essential photography gear in general and not just for travel as this tripod also features a built-in monopod and has spikes attached to its feet, perfect for all sorts of terrains.

 A solid, plane-friendly suitcase

 If you can’t avoid having to bring a ton of gear for say a work shoot, then you’ll definitely need to include a sturdy roller suitcase as part of your photography trip gear. For this, we love the Airport International V3.0, featuring in-built locks, padded pockets for your 10-inch tablet and 15inch laptop and a reinforced handle, breeze through the airport without breaking a sweat. It fits up to 2 griped DLSRs (with lenses) and an additional 2-4 lenses and weighs less than 5kg. The bag even comes with a length of cable so you can attach it to something (like a sign post) and keep it safe while you’re out on the field.

Ziploc bags and silica gel packets

If you’re traveling to cold countries or humid, rainy climates, your best line of defense against moisture is an old-fashioned Ziploc bag loaded with silica gel packets. If you’ve been shooting all day out in the cold, place your camera and lens in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag and only open it once it comes to room temperature. This prevents condensation, which can really damage your camera’s sensitive electrical components. We like lining our gear bags with extra silica gel packets too, because the climate difference between a dry plane and humid rainforest can also be a threat. They cost next to nothing, but could potentially save you thousands of dollars. Bet you didn’t think we’d be including this nondescript item in our essential photography gear guide.

A rugged hard disk

A sturdy hard disk that can withstand the elements is definitely an essential photography gear, especially if, say, you’ve joined us for one of our 10 day expeditions. As you’ll most likely be shooting in RAW format, you’ll find that you’ll burn through your memory cards in no time. Plus, having a duplicate of all those amazing photos in a hardy, back up drive is always a good photography practice, whether you’re traveling or not. We recommend The Silicon Power Armor A80, boasting a waterproof, rigid aluminum casing that has passed military-grade drop tests. It can even endure 500 pounds of force, while transferring your data at high speeds thanks to its USB 3 interface.