My Travel Photography Gear | What’s in my Bag

By Roberto – (Updated Dec 2022) 

⏱6 min

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My current photography gear

In this post, you can find a brief description of my current travel photography gear, including cameras, lenses, bags, and other gadgets that travel with me. I’ve had other cameras and equipment before, but I will keep my travel photography gear always up-to-date here. 

A professional Spanish photographer once said in a class: “The perfect gear doesn’t exist, because every photographer has different needs.” What do you want to do with your camera? Do you want to carry lightweight gear for a 3-day hike? Do you want a small camera for street photography? Or on the contrary, do you want the very best gear without caring about size and weight? For my travel photography gear I aim to balance weight, quality, and price.

My Camera and Lenses for travel photography gear

Main Camera – Sony A7RII 

This camera (here on Amazon) is my all-around partner since 2019. This small beast can compete in quality versus other more expensive full-frame options from Canon or Nikon. It has 42.4 MP, which is ideal if you are taking landscape photos. One of the best characteristics is the quality of the sensor. 6 years after its launch, it still ranks in the Top of best sensors by DxOmark. The dynamic range is impressive and it also comes with 399 AF points, face detection mode, and 5-axis stabilization. 

This mirrorless camera only weighs 625g (battery included) and feels great in your hands. Both the viewfinder and screen have significant improvements from previous models. You can get used to it in some days, even if you’ve never tried an electronic viewfinder before. Promise. 

About the cost, thanks to the new models A7RIII, RIV, (and just recently the RV!) it has been reduced to approx. $1,400. You can find it even cheaper under some promotions. For more specs, you can click here.

Weight	Poor battery life
Excellent quality 42 MP sensor	Weird menus
4K video	A tilting (but not articulated) screen
Variety of objectives
Internal digital apps
Image Stabilisation
Excellent quality/cost

Tripod – Vanguard VEO2 265CB 

It is practically impossible to get good landscape photos without a tripod, and it has to be light yet robust enough for your camera (I’ve seen people breaking their cameras due to a weak tripod). I would say that for travel photography and long hikes, more than 1.5 kg would be excessive weight to carry. Again, this is about an equilibrium between weight, stability, endurance, and price. 

Vanguard VEO2 265CB perfectly meets my criteria and has never betrayed me. It is easily portable and is a lightweight carbon fiber travel tripod. The kit only weighs 1.35 kg (2.98 lbs) and comes with a multi-action ball head and can support a maximum of 8 kg (17.6 lbs). The tripod can extend up to 150 cm (59 inches). If you like it, you can find more details here.

Weight (1.35 Kg)	Short for some shoots (150 cm max)
Durability
Multi-action ball kit
Cost

Mini Tripod – SIRUI 3T-35 Table Top/Handheld

I purchased this mini tripod because bringing the VEO 2 was impossible for some city tips or some hikes but I still wanted to take pictures from us with a tripod or do a long expo photo. For that reason, I got this SIRUI 3T-35 Table Top/Handheld that is far for being perfect. It’s a bit tricky to use, because the equilibrium is meh, but it’s handy and useful in many situations.

With a Height of 27, 2cm, a weight of 0, 25kg and a max. load of 4kg, it gives you the opportunity to take some pics when otherwise it’s not possible. In addition, it’s very portable in any backpack or pouch.

Weight	Poor equilibrium
Portability
Maximum load

Ultra-wide lens – Sony FE 12-24mm F4 G 

If you have a full-frame camera and like wide landscape photos, why not get an ultra-wide lens? The Sony FE 12-24mm F4 G is a lens to capture everything you want to frame. Weighing only 565g, this lens offers extremely sharp photos and creates a good portable combo with a7 cameras. Is 12mm noticeable vs a 16mm? Definitely yes. I shoot a lot between 12-18mm and I appreciate having the zoom versatility. 

An important drawback for long exposure photos would be the bulbous glass, which doesn’t allow you to use conventional filters. This forces you to buy bigger filters like the 150mm NiSi or the 145mm Fotodiox. Also, if you want it for astrophotography, the F4 can be a problem for you. However, at the time I am writing this, the new Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM has just been launched, solving this issue for $3,000 🥲

In this link you can find an extensive review about the lens.

Mid-range lens – Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD

When this lens was first released, it was sold out for several weeks worldwide due to its versatility and the quality/cost. It is the lens I use for my all-around photos and it is attached to my camera 70% of the time. If I want a wider shot, I use the Sony 12-24mm. I am still amazed by the Tamron lens’ sharpness and I recommend it as a principal travel lens. It also works well in low light and usually, portraits have usually a decent bokeh.

While the lens is mainly made from plastic, the feeling is good. For less than $900 you can get this fast, silent, and compact lens, which only weighs 550g. I absolutely recommend it. In case you want more info, check a complete review here. 

Great Image Quality	No real wide-angle
Excellent quality/cost	Bad hood coupling system
Lightweight and Portable
f/2.8
Fast and silent

Telephoto lens – Tamron 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD

To close the trinomial of lenses, I recently purchased the Tamron 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III RXD (or just Tamron 70-300) due to its low price, decent sharpness and weight. I missed having a telephoto when hiking and when the Tamron 70-300 appeared I put an eye on this lens. It’s only 545 grams and quite “small” for a telephoto lens. I’m just starting to use it, but let’s see what we can get in future trips.

Note: I had for a while the old Tamron SP 70-300 mm F/4-5.6 Di USD in combination with the Sony LA-EA3 adaptor. It was so bulky that I ended up not using it and I rarely shoot at 300 mm when traveling.

Sharp & Good IQ	Bokeh could be better
Affordable	No Image Stabilisation
Durability	Prone to lens creep
Lightweight
Size

Drone for Travel Photography – DJI Mini 2

I first owned a DJI Spark and I sold it to get the Mavic Mini. It was a big improvement with more than 25 min of flying time per battery and it was ridiculously small and portable, something I loved. After months of flying it in Australia, I felt I needed something with a more reliable connection and able to shoot RAW photography. DJI Mini 2 appeared, bringing this two needs for me, and finally sold the Mavic Mini to buy the Mini 2.

The Mini 2 is easy to carry and pack in a backpack. Its control is reliable and the stability is outstanding. I can say that the new controller with OcuSync 2.0 really makes a difference. The video quality of the Mini 2 is now 4K, compared to the Mini 1 that was 2.7K.

In addition, the new RAW format and 12 MP offers me enough quality for the photos I want. This is why I would definitely recommend it as a first drone (be careful with obstacles) or as a travel drone. If your aerial videos need more quality or versatility, go then for superior models like the Air 2S / Mini 3 Pro or the recent Mini 3.

Lightweight and Portable	Few shooting modes
Flying time	Lacks obstacle sensors
RAW and 4K
Great quality/cost
Easy and fast to fly
3-axis stabilization

Backpacks for travel photography gear

Urban / Short Hike Backpack – WANDRD Duo Day Pack

I bought this backpack on Kickstarter for $150 when WANDRD was raising money for its development, and now you can purchase it on WANDRD’s website for $219. It is the best (daily) camera bag I have ever had. Ever. The 21 L size is perfect for every-day use. The multi-pocket system protects lenses, your laptop, mouse, chargers, or wires. It also has an expandable space for protecting the camera or lenses, which is perfect for long trips or just for keeping everything safe on a flight. Also, it has a double zipper system to reach items wherever, it is water-resistant (I have tested it under light and heavy rain), and the straps are fully adjustable.

👉🏼 Find here the FULL WANDRD Duo Daypack review after 20 months of use

Weight and size	The zippers can be tricky
Compartments and accessibility
Comfort
Materials
Water resistant

Long Hike Backpacks – Shimoda Explore V2 30 L and Vanguard Havana 48 

Shimoda Explore V2 30 L

When the Shimoda Explore V2 appeared in Kickstarter, I fell in love with it. It was exactly what I was looking for: water resistant, wide waist straps, superb materials, customisable with units and pockets… And many more details.

There is a video with the review and more comments in the best backpacks for hiking post. I’d say I really like everything in this backpack, from the materials to the comfort.

Comfort	Vey Expensive
Compartments / expandable side pockets
Aesthetics and Materials
Water resistant and rain cover
Millimetrically designed

Vanguard Havana 48

Before having the Shimoda backpack, I got the Vanguard Havana 48 backpack in 2017 when I was starting photography as a hobby. Since then, it has been with me on many hikes and to many countries. I like the style because it doesn’t seem to be the typical camera bag. It is big and bulky but it offers a lot of compartments, and carrying your gear feels comfy even after a full-day hike.

This backpack comes with a removable pouch in the lower part to carry your gear, and there is additional access from the upper part of the bag, where you can put clothes or other equipment. I can carry all my gear (drone included) plus a jacket or food containers.

There are a few drawbacks to this backpack, in my opinion. First, the space is not optimized, and the pouch does not fit perfectly into the lower part. It comes with a rain cover easy to set, but the backpack is not rain protected. Another drawback is the weight, which is 2.73 kg. Is not an every-day backpack, yet there is a good option for some hikes or if you want to carry all your gear. You can buy it for approx. $130.

Compartments and accessibility	No waist belt
Materials	Weight
Comfort	No water sealed
Good quality/cost

Camera Carry – Peak Design Capture V3 Camera Clip

I don’t know how many times I’ve said to Ellie, “this is the best invention ever!” After trying neck-straps, shoulder bags, and having the camera in the bag, I found this useful but not-so-cheap ($70) gadget from Peak Design. It is one of the best additions to my travel photography gear.

This clip firmly holds your camera to your bag strap, allowing you to easily grab it and shoot in less than 3 seconds. It is much faster than having your camera in the backpack or a shoulder bag, and it also leaves more space in your bag. One piece of advice is to put your tripod or water bottle on the opposite side you have the camera, in order to disperse the weight evenly on each side of your body. 

Cleaning Kit – Movo Deluxe Essentials DSLR Cleaning Kit

This kind of kits provides you all the components you need to take care of your camera, lenses, and sensor. There are many in the market, they are quite cheap ($20-60) and usually come with an air blower, sensor swab, cleaning brush, microfibre cloth, lens pen, and more.

Cheap and useful

Another gadget to carry

This is all my travel photography gear at the moment. As I said before, the equipment changes continuously, just like our interests, styles, budget, or preferences. I have friends who are masters with only two prime lenses, others who always use a 16-35mm, and others who prefer mid or long-range lenses for everything.

My recommendation would be to think about what you really want to do, what inspires you, and what photo style you enjoy the most. Don’t waste your money in many primes or 2.8 lens you are not carrying with you on almost every hike. Instead, buy a trip to discover a new country or buy the backpack you love to carry your motivation everywhere.

Further reading…

New to the world of photography or looking for tips to elevate your photos?