My Travel Gear

Have you wondered what travel gear I’ve been carrying in my backpack during my Round The World trip?  Well, here it is!  Every product listed below is essential to my travels in one way or another, and I recommend every one of them since I use them pretty much to live on the road.

My Daypack: aka. The “Office”

Gregory Imlay 22: For years, before traveling with a drone, I used this daypack since it is big enough to use on long hikes, like Kilimanjaro and the Inca Trail, but small enough to use on a daily basis to carry my camera and “daily use” stuff while in the city. In it, I carried my computer and electronics. I still have this day pack and use it whenever I’m not carrying the drone.

Manfrotto Aviator Backpack: This is the backpack I use when carrying the drone and extra camera equipment. It is small enough to fit in the overhead compartment of most planes but big enough to hold my DJI Phantom 4, 4 lenses, a DSLR camera, external hard drives, a laptop, and some extra stuff.

What I carry in it:

DJI Mavic Pro Drone: I used to carry a Phantom 4 Drone, and I still do sometimes, but now I’m mostly carrying the Mavic since it is smaller and easier to travel with. These are my new babies, which I nicknamed Johnny 5 (remember Short Circuit?) and Little Johnny 5. Surprisingly they are very easy to fly and the video/picture quality is superb. I love traveling with them (one at a time, of course) and taking aerial shots all over the world. Stepping up my photographic game!

Macbook Pro 13” Retina with Touch Bar: I just love Mac. The power and performance it has is way better than what any small netbook might have.  It’s great for heavy editing of videos and images without losing processing performance.

iPhone 7: I use it to stay on top of my social media, emails, blog, google maps directions, and what not. This is honestly one of my most essential tools since these days I do pretty much everything with my phone.

Sony a7rii Camera: One of my goals is to produce good quality pictures that record and tell the story of my travel experiences. With the Sony a7rii, I’ve been able to significantly improve my photography’s quality. It is a full-frame, mirrorless camera, with such high picture quality that I’m still learning how to get the most out of it. This camera body is a bit expensive, but it was an upgrade from my Nikon D5200, which was much cheaper and very good, quality wise.

Sony FE 24-70mm f4: Of course, A full-frame camera body is nothing without quality full-frame lenses. This is my standard day to day lens for street photography and videos.

Sony FE 16-35mm f4: With the same high quality as the previous one, I use this wide angle lens to shoot landscapes and buildings, since I can fit more of what’s in the scene with this lens.

Sony FE 50mm f1.8: This prime lens is great for depth of field, videos, and shooting portraits.

Sony FE 70-300mm f4.5-5.6: This is a good zoom lens to get close ups of things I can’t get close to; like animals in the wild.

Western Digital My Passport 2TB Portable External Hard Drive: I use it as a backup and as extra memory.  One thing you learn while on the road is the ridiculous amount of Gigabytes pictures can consume. Plus, if anything happens to my computer, I have a backup of everything in here.

LaCie 1TB external Hard Drive: Yup, apparently 2TB are not enough for me. I chose LaCie because just like Western Digital, these hard drives are compact, light, resistant, and reliable.

Kindle E-reader: This has saved me from countless hours of unproductive boredom on trains, planes, and buses… or simply anytime I feel like reading.  It’s light and slim, so it’s easy to carry.

Dark Energy Portable Backup Battery: These days the battery life in most devices is pretty slim, or am I just using them too much? Anyways, this small battery, about the size of an iPhone 5, can charge your iPhone up to 5 times with one full charge, and charge up to two devices at once.

GoPro Camera: I might not use it as much as I would love to, but I find it useful to create time-lapse and get some really cool wide angle or action shots.

Ikea Egg Timer: As dumb as it sounds, I do carry an egg timer with me all the time. No, I don’t cook eggs, but this timer is perfect to create rotating time-lapse shots with the GoPro since you can place the camera on its flat top and let it rotate freely.

Petzl Headlamp: I use it for extreme things like caving and for mundane things like having a spotlight when camping or walking at night on an unlit street. (yes, that happens every now and then)

Moo Business Cards: Hey, I have to promote my blog!  These cards are super cheap for the great quality they have.  I love them, so I recommend them.

x-mini Speaker: I love to amaze people with the sound quality of this mini speaker.  Any time I’m traveling with friends or in a group, there’s always the chance to play music out loud.  This speaker always delivers…

Dynex Travel Adapter Plug: This all-in-one converter has worked perfectly for me, and it is not too big, so it’s easy to carry.

Charmin Travel Toilet Tissue: I always carry these!  Small packs, so they fit anywhere, and they have saved me a few times I’ve had nature’s call in the most undesirable places (just think, Africa!).

My Main Backpack: aka. The “Closet”

Gregory Z40: This backpack is super streamlined, so it is really light and resistant. I’ve found that 40L is big enough to carry everything I need for long-term travel while still keeping my load on the lighter side. It has well padded straps, a sternum strap, and hip straps, as well as a comfortable and ventilated back padding. Seriously, this backpack is really good.

I used to travel with an Osprey eXos 58, which is really good too, but I prefer to force myself to travel light than to have more space, thus, weight.

What I carry in it:

Icebreaker T-shirts: Icebreaker t-shirts are designed with the active traveler in mind, so they are light and “smell resistant”.  Sometimes it’s hard to do laundry on the road, either because of lack of time or facilities, so it’s good to have a few of these.

Ex-officio underwear: This underwear is really good for travelers and active hikers since they are light, comfortable, quick dry, and are made with “smell resistant” fabric.

Sea to Summit Tek Towel: This camping towel is small enough to carry, but good enough to dry me properly.  Plus, it dries itself pretty quick.

Eastern Mountain Sports Rain Jacket: This is ideal to have if you’re into hiking or if you’re visiting a destination in its rainy season.

Craghoppers hoodie jacket: I carry one Craghoppers jacket that comes with mosquito repellent integrated in the fabric (safe on the skin), protects against UV rays, and is quick dry.

Travel-Size Toiletries: I have a small bag where I carry enough toiletries to last a couple weeks.  These include everything from personal hygiene and styling to vitamins and meds. I simply buy them as I need them wherever I am.

Smartbag: I learned from experience that it’s good to have all your clothes and electronics safely stored in airtight travel bags (at least while in transit).  While any bag can do, I’ve found Smartbag to be very good, resistant, and durable.  They’ve helped keep everything dry when I get caught under the rain or when my backpack gets thrown out of a boat into the sea (yes, that did happen once).

First Aid Kit: Again, another thing I never fail to carry and this one I also learned from experience after I had an accident in an archeological site in Honduras where no immediate medical assistance was available.  My first aid kit is small enough to fit anywhere in my backpack, but it has all the essentials to treat any common injury.

12 t-shirts: In addition to the Icebreaker t-shirts, I have regular t-shirts for everyday life. Including the Icebreakers, I have a total of 12 t-shirts. And, if they have cartoons on them, I’m in!

10 underwear and socks: In addition to the exOfficio underwear, I have regular underwear, mostly Calvin Klein underwear and Puma socks.

5 short pants: These shorts I’ve bought along the road, wherever I find a good pair that I like. These include swimwear.

1 pair of jeans: Yes, I do carry jeans. A regular pair of jeans from American Eagle.

1 pair of Havaiana flip flops: These, by far, are the most comfortable pair of flipflops I’ve ever owned.

1 pair of Puma sneaker: I’ve always liked Puma. They are light, comfortable, and look good with most type of clothes.

 

Disclosure:  Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase.  Please understand that I have experience with all of these companies and products, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something.  Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.