What’s in My Camera Bag?

A day I decided to bring my Canon 100-400 f4. Wast treated with this view of Black Tusk and was able to get an up close shot.

What gear do I carry on a regular trip into the mountains? This is an ever-adapting list, and I’m always adding or removing things based on what activity I’m doing.

Some items included in the winter, rarely make it in, in the summer, and vice versa. I try to keep the weight of my pack down, and I think many people would be surprised at how simple I keep it.

An essential part of being an outdoor adventure photographer is being able to move quickly and efficiently. If shooting with athletes, you need to be moving at their speed as not to slow them down. Having an overloaded, heavy pack is potentially going to make this difficult, and isn’t necessary if the bag is loaded with gear you know you’re not going to need.

Before I go out shooting anything, I always analyze the situation and decide on what gear I think I will need. Am I going to be shooting action? Am I shooting landscapes? Is this paid commercial work, or am I shooting a personal project? All these things are taken into consideration before making the final selection of gear.

A simple set up for a day of landscape photography. Canon 5D MkIV, 24-70, 100-400, 17-40, filters, and tripod packed in my bag.

Camera Gear

I sometimes look at other peoples packs and get jealous of how small and light they look, but as a photographer, I would never dream of not bringing my camera.

There are a few standard pieces of equipment that are always in my bag, regardless of the situation. First off is a Canon 5D Mk IV and a 24-70mm f4 lens. The 24-70 usually ends up being my most commonly shot lens. While not perfect in every situation, it’s a workhorse and can be used for a lot. I always make sure I have extra batteries, spare cards and a few lens cloths.

The first decisions I have to make between either a Canon 70-200m f4 or a Canon 100-400mm f4. The longer lens is heavier but more useful on the days where I might be setting up far away from a subject, or athlete. While this lens has more reach it’s not always necessary. The 70-200 is much smaller and allows me to be much quicker moving around. I grab this lens If I know I’ll be limited in distance by atmospheric conditions (snow, rain, fog, etc).

It’s not rare that I will only bring the two lenses. If I’m really trying to move quickly, or need to save weight because I loading my pack with other gear, such as a tent and sleeping bag. I can normally shoot most of what I do with only these two lenses.

Utilizing the 8-15 fisheye. Matt Belzile hitting a jump in the Whistler backcountry.

The next decision is whether I bring something on the wide side. Sometimes I’ll add a Canon 8-15mm fisheye. This lens is extremely practical for shooting sport allowing me to get in really close to make an air or cliff look bigger. However that’s about all I will use it for, the distortion it creates makes it not very practical for other usages.

Sometimes though I do want to shoot a wider landscape, something that includes close foreground along with mountains in the background. For this, I’ll include a Canon 17-40mm f4 wide lens. This allows me to get a wide field of view, without the distortion from the fisheye.

If I’m going out on a paid shoot and there is a high priority to capture images that day I always include a backup camera body. Right now that is a Sony a6300 with an adapter to accept my Canon lenses. I wouldn’t ever want to put myself in a situation where I’m not able to complete a job because of my camera malfunctioning. If I’m shooting personal work, or in a situation, I could easily go back to if something went wrong, I will sometimes cut out the extra body in exchange for the weight savings.

The next things I consider are my tripod, filters and remote triggers. Regularly when doing landscape work I will shoot on a tripod as the shutter speeds I’m shooting at are slower and I don’t want to handhold. If I’m shooting landscapes I will also put my filter kit in my bag. I regularly use an ND filter, a combination of graduated ND’s and a circular polarizer.

I have a few other pieces of gear that will sometimes make it into my bag, such as flashes, but these are very circumstantial and aren’t considered for most days out shooting.

I could easily carry all this in my bag and be ready for any situation that might come at me, but I find it’s much more practical to pick and choose exactly what I need for each scenario. I rarely find myself wishing I had a piece of gear I didn’t bring but often wish I had kept my pack lighter by leaving something at home.

Additional Gear

In addition to camera gear, I always have other gear I bring along. If you unzip the top pocket you will always find a headlamp. I never want to be in a situation where something goes wrong and I’m trying to navigate in the dark. My headlamp is rechargeable so its always fully charged if yours isn’t make sure it has batteries. The next thing you will find is an extra layer. I’ll bring a puffy in the winter and in the summer when the that is a bit much I put in a light layer or a rain jacket. The weather in the mountains can be unpredictable, and it’s good to be prepared for anything.

Jen using the MSR Trail Shot to filter water from snowmelt on a summer day hiking.

The next big thing is water, I don’t always drink it when I’m out, but I wouldn’t want to not have it. In the summer when doing longer hikes I also include a water filter to be able to safely drink from rivers and streams. I use the MSR Trail Shot, and have had great experiences with it.

Every activity calls for specific gear as well. If I’m snowboarding I’ll have extra gloves, goggles, beacon(on my body), shovel, and probe. If I’m splitboarding I include my skins and poles. If climbing, I’ll have rope, harness, quickdraws, etc. If hiking I include some extra socks. If camping, I’ll have a tent, sleeping bag and pad, and stove. It varies so much that it’s not worth going into detail about here.

Depending on the activity I’m planning to do, and how long I’m intending to go I’ll bring some snacks, or more food if I’m planning to be gone longer.

Lastly, I make sure to always have a small first aid kit, in case of an injury. Nothing extensive, but it’s best to be prepared if something happens. 

How to Carry It

F-Stop Anja loaded up for a day hike.

Maybe the most important part of all this is the bag you carry it in. You need something that is comfortable, that protects your expensive gear but isn’t so bulky that accessing equipment takes a long time. I’ve tried a lot of different bags, but in recent years I’ve used the F-Stop Anja. For me, it’s perfect, not too big, but allows me to carry everything I need, and cinch the bag tight so it’s not swinging around wildly when participating in activities, which would hinder my ability to perform.

All in all the best option is what works for you. Be willing to try different setups until you sort when out that works for your situation. Happy shooting!

A self-portrait of me with my loaded camera bag. It doesn’t often get much bigger than this unless I’m spending the night.