Skip to Content

Our Favourite Camera Gear: What We Travel With (2025)

Our Favourite Camera Gear: What We Travel With (2025)

For many years, Beck and I have been travelling the world with our camera gear, photographing the most beautiful landscapes. As world travellers and hiking enthusiasts, we’re always trying to use compact and lightweight gear without compromising on quality. In this article, we’ll list all of our favourite camera gear that works well for backpacking and hiking trips.

Check out our favourite travel gear, hiking gear and packing list

Our Travel Photography Gear

Over the course of our travels, we’ve tried lots of different camera gear. At times, it’s been challenging to find the right balance between having camera gear that’s high-spec and high-quality that isn’t too bulky or fragile. After all, the majority of our photography takes place in the great outdoors. We may be hiking for hours to get to the summit of a mountain just in time to photograph sunrise, battling the elements along the way.

So, we need lightweight and compact gear that won’t slow us down and durable gear that can withstand challenging environments. Even with these preferences in mind, we’ve been able to find excellent camera gear that takes mind-blowing photos and videos. Below, we’ll tell you all about our favourite camera gear, so you know exactly what to take on your outdoor adventures.

FYI we buy our camera gear on Amazon as it’s usually cheaper than buying directly from suppliers. Plus, Amazon is very reliable and trustworthy.

Dan uses camera gear
Dan uses camera gear

Travel Insurance

Heymondo Travel Insurance

We all know accidents can happen to our camera gear and having Heymondo travel insurance could save you thousands of dollars if something goes wrong. Heymondo travel insurance policies cover damage to or theft of valuables such as camera gear. Click the button below to receive a 5% discount!

Compact Camera: Sony Cybershot RX100 VII

You may be surprised to know that Beck and I often use a simple compact camera when we’re hiking. But, we don’t recommend any old compact camera. By far, the best quality compact camera is the Sony Cybershot RX100 VII. We love using this camera when we’re hiking as it’s lightweight, compact and durable, yet it still captures the most high-quality and breathtaking photos and videos.

Below, you can check out some of our favourite photos taken on the Sony Cybershot RX100 VII.

Camera gear
Photo taken by our favourite camera gear
Photo taken by our favourite camera gear
Photo taken by our favourite camera gear

Mirrorless Camera: Sony Alpha 7 IV

Undoubtedly, some of the most important equipment for bloggers is camera gear. So, we like to have some different camera options depending on the situation and what type of adventure we’re going on. On shorter hikes or less demanding adventures to natural attractions or beaches, we’ll pack the Sony Alpha 7 IV, which is a high-quality mirrorless camera. Other than taking mind-blowing photos, it’s actually also one of the most lightweight mirrorless camera options.

Of course, this camera is only as good as its lens! The Sony Alpha 7 IV generally comes with a standard 28-70 mm lens. The photos taken below were shot on the 28-70 mm lens. But, if you really want the best quality and versatility, we recommend the 24-105mm lens, which will take your photography to the next level!

Camera gear
Photo taken by our favourite camera gear
Photo taken by our favourite camera gear

Drone: DJI Air 2S

You can capture stunning aerial photos and videos with the DJI Air 2S. Throughout our website, you’ll notice tonnes of mouthwatering drone photos thanks to Johnny 5 (the name Beck gave our drone based on the 1986 film Short Circuit). Personally, I love flying our drone and capturing gorgeous landscape shots from the air.

Of course, we always want to travel with the most lightweight camera gear. And, indeed, the popular DJI Mini 3 is much lighter. But, because we need something a bit more robust and sturdy when we’re flying high in the mountains, the DJI Air 2S is better for us.

If you’re new to the world of drones, you’ll want to buy the DJI Air 2S Fly More Combo. This package comes with all of the necessary accessories such as a remote controller, spare batteries and a battery charger. We’ve also heard good things about the newest model – the DJI Air 3, which has a better battery life and improved overall performance.

Anyway, below, you’ll find a collection of some of our favourite drone shots captured on the DJI Air 2S.

Camera gear
Photo taken by our favourite camera gear
Photo taken by our favourite camera gear
Photo taken by our favourite camera gear

Action Camera: GoPro HERO12 Black

Hands down, the GoPro HERO12 Black is the best action camera on the market. Overall, the high specs of the GoPro HERO12 are super impressive considering it’s such a small unit. Specifically, the built-in stabilisation is great for capturing your friends, family or yourself doing adventure activities such as hiking, biking or underwater sports. Personally, we love using the GoPro HERO12 for hiking videography and snorkelling photography.

Action camera gear
A turtle

GoPro El Grande Extension Pole

Beck and I enjoy using the GoPro El Grande Extension Pole when we explore the great outdoors. Using this camera gear is an excellent way to take selfies and capture videos of yourself during adventure activities. We use this selfie stick loads when we’re hiking to capture memorable footage of our experience.

If you want to see the GoPro El Grande Extension Pole in action, feel free to watch our Mallorca Hiking YouTube video.

GoPro El Grande Extension Pole
Dan and Beck take a selfie

Tripod: Manfrotto Compact Action

Given the weight and bulkiness of a tripod, it can be hard to justify taking one hiking if you’re trying to keep your backpack light. But, a tripod is an absolute must for us as we often photograph waterfalls, which requires a still shot to use the slow shutter function. Thankfully, we found the Manfrotto Compact Action. This tripod is relatively lightweight but robust and durable.

Of course, if you want an even lighter option, you could consider the Manfrotto Compact Light. This tripod is lighter but less sturdy if you encounter windy conditions. Otherwise, the JOBY GorillaPod is an increasingly popular option as it’s even more lightweight, compact and versatile.

Tripod

Memory Card: SanDisk Extreme Pro SD Card

Of course, you’ll need memory cards for your camera gear! We use a variety of SanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards. We use the SanDisk Extreme Pro SD Card (usually 64GB) for our cameras, but we also use the SanDisk Extreme Pro Micro SD Card 64GB for the DJI Air 2S and GoPro HERO12 Black. Of course, if you take tonnes of video, you may want to consider the 128GB or 256GB sizes.

Another great option is the SanDisk Extreme Pro Micro SD Card and Adapter. The adapter allows you to use the Micro SD Card as a normal-sized SD card. Essentially, it’s like getting two for one!

Memory card

Laptop: Dell New Inspiron 15

Of course, you’ll probably need a laptop to upload all of your awesome photos whilst you’re travelling. Both Beck and I travel with the Dell New Inspiron 15 Laptop. It’s a powerful laptop that allows us to upload all of our photos, do all of our photo and video editing as well as blogging when we’re on the road.

Of course, you may not need such a powerful laptop but just something to help you upload images and book flights and accommodation whilst travelling. In this case, the Dell Inspiron 15 is a highly-rated and popular laptop, that will do the trick!

Laptop

WD External Hard Drive

Once you’ve captured all of your photos and videos and uploaded them, you’ll definitely want to back them up. Beck and I always travel with a couple of WD External Hard Drives (1TB or 2TB).

External hard drive

Anker Portable Power Bank

Keep all your camera gear charged while you’re on the go with the Anker Portable Power Bank. We wouldn’t travel without this high-quality portable charger.

Anker Portable Power Bank

Universal Travel Adapter

Having an EPICKA Universal Travel Adapter is an excellent accessory to travel with to ensure you keep all of your camera gear charged, especially if you’re travelling to multiple continents during your trip.

A universal travel adapter will ensure you can charge all of your camera gear

Backpack: Osprey Skarab 30

So, you might be thinking, what backpack do we use to store our camera gear when we’re hiking? To be honest with you, we’ve tried camera backpacks before and just didn’t find them comfortable or practical. Personally, we both use the same hiking backpack (Osprey Skarab 30), which is designed for comfort and is super spacious. We then use a padded and partitioned camera bag insert inside our Osprey Skarab 30 to ensure our camera gear is well-protected and organised.

Backpack

Earth Pak Waterproof Dry Bag

On some occasions, you’ll definitely need a waterproof dry bag to protect your camera gear. If you’re chasing waterfalls, on a boat trip or a snorkelling or diving tour, it’s best to use a dry bag rather than a regular backpack. And, the best dry bag is the Earth Pak Waterproof Dry Bag.

Earth Pak Waterproof Dry Bag

So there you have it – all of our favourite camera gear for backpacking and hiking. Please do us a solid and share this article on Facebook!

Daniel Piggott

Dan is a travel blogger, physiotherapist, hiker, natural wonder seeker and world traveller. He loves writing travel guides to help his readers explore the most beautiful destinations in the world.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *