10 Things In My Carry On

Traveling can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t do it regularly. Trying to decide what you should bring, and what should be left at home, can cause nightmares putting stuff in and out of bags trying to make up your mind. When packing my suitcases, if I have time lay everything out quickly, put it in my bag, weigh it and gauge where I am. I then take everything out and look through it to make sure I’m not missing something important, or bringing a bit too much. However with my carry on I always pack the same things, and always know what I am going to bring.

This is a list of 10 things that are always in my carry on and why. This is my personal list and I always make sure I have them, but by no means think other people need to carry the exact same.

All of this is packed into my F-Stop Lotus bag so it is well protected, but still fits well into the overhead bin of most aircraft.

1.     Camera Gear – This is kind of a given, but I always want to make sure my gear is with me so I am ready to shoot when I get to my destination. This will also vary depending on the exact shoot I’m doing but will generally included two camera bodies, and 3 or 4 lenses (One body/lens was used to shoot the image below).

2.     Computer/Harddrives – I’m not a huge fan of working on the plane, as I find the small tables awkward and uncomfortable. However during a long layover I try and get little bit of work done. In addition I always have my harddrives ready to upload photos onto after shooting.

3.     Water Bottle – I will rarely buy bottled water. I bring an empty bottle through security and fill it up at the first water fountain I see. I find I always get dehydrated when flying so try to prevent this as much as possible.

4.     Travel Pillow – I’m not great at sleeping, but with the neck pillow I’m able to get at least a little bit of sleep on the plane.

5.     Headphones and Charger – I usually plug in and listen to a podcast on the shorter flights, and will watch a movie if the plane has any available.

6.     ProBar – I’m not against buying food in the airport, especially if I’m there around dinner time. But it’s great to have a snack for when you get hungry, or if you have a quick connection and don’t have time to get a full meal. If I’m traveling on a longer flight I’ll make sure I pack two.

7.     Extra Contacts and Glasses – I never want to forget these. I’ve never personally had an issue but I watched someone lose their luggage and never get it and had packed all his contacts in his checked luggage. He ended up having to ride pow for a week in glasses as they fogged to much when he put goggles over them. If I carry on an extra pair, I’ll never have to worry even if my bags don’t show up.

8.     Tooth Brush – You’re traveling for a long time, you’re eating, and you’re sleeping. Don’t want to get where you’re going and have bad breath.

9.     Travel Wallet – I like this to keep my important documents organized. Passport, residency card, boarding passes, receipts. I also make sure to keep an extra credit card in here in case I ever lose my wallet I at least have access to some money.

10.  Magazine or Book – If it’s a longer trip I’ll usually opt for a book, but if I have a shorter flight I’ll bring a magazine. Adventure Journal, or Nat Geo are usually my go to choices, or any newly released snowboard magazine. Can never get enough of that snowboard content!