Part 3: Photography Gear and Backup
In the previous parts we covered the packing list and how I protect my personal belongings. (If you're interested, check out how I organize trips using Notion as well.)
Here I'll write about what camera I carry and how I back up photos when I'm traveling for a long stretch without a laptop.
How My Gear Has Evolved
Cuba & Colombia (2019) My first big trip was completely spartan.
- Sony A6300 with a single prime lens — Sigma 35mm (which gives roughly a 50mm field of view).
- No spare battery, no extra accessories.
- I had only 3–4 SD cards. When one filled up, it went straight into the hidden money belt.
Australia Same camera, same logic, but I added a 56mm lens (roughly 85mm equivalent) for portraits and wildlife.
Morocco (2022) — First Steps with Fujifilm I switched systems to a Fuji X-T3 with a 35mm lens (50mm equivalent).
- The camera hung around my neck at airports the whole time.
- A huge gain in size and weight — especially since I was only carrying a 40L backpack.
Southeast Asia (2023) — Building a Backup Workflow For the trip through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, I had a Fuji X-T5 and 3 lenses (23mm, 35mm, 56mm). When you're shooting that much material, you need serious backup. But I didn't want a laptop.
What I brought:
- iPad
- SD card reader for the iPad
- External SSD
The Backup Process
- Each evening I removed the SD card from the camera.
- I connected it to the iPad and imported the day's photos.
- I disconnected the SD reader and connected the external SSD.
- I copied the files from the iPad to the drive.
That way I always had the photos in two places — the original SD card, which went next to my passport, and the SSD.
Today: Leica Only On more recent trips I now carry just a Leica Q3 with its built-in 28mm lens.
- Zero extra weight in the bag, no lens changes.
- The 28mm wide-angle forces you to get very close to your subject to make the shot. You end up with more real contact with the world.
For me the rule is now this: one camera, one (or at most two) lenses, and a solid backup with an iPad/tablet and SSD. Carrying 5 kg of gear just makes you not want to take the camera out of the bag.
