What’s In My Kit Bag?
One of the most common questions I always get asked is what I carry around the world with me – what backpack I use, what camera gear I shoot on and what travel essentials I’d recommend.
So to help get you prepped for your next adventure here’s a run down of what’s in my personal kit bag…
Looking for details of my travel camera gear? Check out this post!
Osprey Farpoint 55L
I’ve tested out a lot of backpacks over the years and since using the Osprey Farpoint I’ve never looked back. Rugged, well built and well designed the 55 litre version has more than enough space for everything I need.
In fact I could probably get away with the 40 litre version!
Read Review & Check PricesNomatic 30L
When it comes to carry on luggage I need something that is sturdy and well organised – as all my electronics are in it!
I’ve recently switched over to the Nomatic 30 litre carry on bag and to be honest I haven’t looked back!
It has plenty of room for my laptop, cameras, drone, cables and pretty much everything on this list, as well as being study, durable and pretty stylishly built!
Chumlee Firewire 5’11 & 5’5
I’ve tested out plenty of surfboards over the years but this is my current favourite board for the road!
It still packs in 38L of foam (31.7 for the 5’5), so there’s plenty of float on this bad boy and I’ve been riding it as a quad setup which is super fun.
Great board for a variety of conditions and the size and weight make it ideal for travelling.
Check out my full Chumlee review here
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Firewire Seaside 5’8
So after a few years of absolutely frothing on the Firewire Chumlee my friend gave me a blast on his retro fish and I immediately knew I needed one in my quiver!
Que the Firewire Seaside by Rob Machado – fishy enough to look great and enjoy some serious carving but refined enough and with a quad setup that gives it heaps of drive, power and speed.
In fact this is now my go to board and I’ve used it everywhere from the Solomons Islands to Sri Lanka and the Mentawais!
Check out my full Seaside review here
iPhone 11 Pro
After all the best camera is the one you have on you and my iPhone is never too far away!
For travellers the amount of helpful apps you can download to make life easier is nuts too – a few of my favourites include Touchnote (turns your photos into postcards), TrailWallet (great for tracking your spending) XE (for currency conversion), Instagram (obviously!), Google Maps (bets way to find your way around) and Starling (my travel bank account).
GoPro Hero 8
I’m a long time fan of GoPro (I even had their very first 35mm camera years ago!) and the Hero 8 Black is one of my favourite gadgets. Not only is it super robust, waterproof (10m without housing, 40m with) and has a whole heap of mounts to capture every conceivable activity and angle – but the video stabilisation is absolutely insane, giving clean, crisp video.
Definitely recommend taking one on your journey!
Check out my full GoPro Hero 8 Review here.
Read Review & Check PricesDJI Osmo Pocket
Alongside the GoPro my DJI Osmo Pocket is my go to filming camera. It’s not going to be a travel essential for most people, but for anyone looking to get into videography it’s well worth checking out. Full 4k 3 axis gimbal for cinema quality video – it takes a little getting used to (you’ll walk around like a crab!) but with epic results.
Check out my Osmo Pocket review here
DJI Mavic Air 2
When it comes to aerial photography and video the DJI Mavic Air 2 is my go to. I have also travelled with the Mavic Pro and also the original Mavic Air, but the new Mavic Air 2 offers the ideal balance of size and specs.
4K @ 60FPS, 48MP photos and 34 minute flight time – its the perfect tool to capture the adventure.
Light, portable and fast it’s helped me capture some incredible footage on my travels and comes with me everywhere.
Grab the Mavic Air 2 Fly More Combo for best value and extra batteries.
Read My Review HerePXC 550 Headphones
Now I never used to be a fan of headphones or listen to that much music but when Sennheiser asked me to test out the PXC 550 I was instantly converted!
Not only are they wireless and with up to 30 hours of battery life (great for long haul travel!) but the noise cancellation on them is epic! I actually wander around airport wearing them with just that feature enabled…it’s like having your own little slice of peace and quiet in your bag!
Check out my full review of them here.
Sandisk SSD
If you’re capturing all the adventure of life on the road make sure you back it up! SSD drives (solid state drives) are not only more stable (as they have no moving parts) but they’re incredibly small, compact and lightweight too!
I highly recommend the Sandisk SSDs – including the 1TB as they’re super fast and great for backing up heaps of photo and video content!
Read Review & Check PricesGDome
A lot of people ask me how I shoot the over/under water shots – and the paired with the Hero 7 the GDome is the answer.
Although not quiet as refined as the Knekt Domes it’s they’re definitely much easier on the wallet and produce awesome results.
They’ve also recently release a universal dome which works with every major phone and action camera on the market too, which is pretty amazing!
Palm Bay Bali
If you find yourself in Bali soon (one of my favourite places on the planet!) and are looking for some epic surf gear then I highly recommend you get in touch with my buddies at Palm Bay Bali.
Not only do they produce quality surf gear at really affordable prices but they’ll even deliver it direct to your guesthouse too. They’ll even meet you at the airport with all your new gear and even wax up your board so you can head straight to the waves!
Fins, leashes, sunnies, traction pads and a whole heap of awesome other gear!
Read Review & Check PricesSun & Earth Zinc
Alongside taking care of my eyes in the sun, taking care of my skin whilst surfing is also on my mind!
The crew at Sun & Earth Zinc have created some amazing zinc cream, made with certified, organic ingredients using solar power!
Perfect for a day of surfing (or being in the water full stop) it’s also mad in Byron Bay, one of my favourite places on the planet!
Reuseable Water Bottle
One of the most useful day to day items I take on the road with me is a reusable water bottle – anything that cuts down on plastic is good with me!
The Moon bottles come in a range of colours and keep hot drink hot for 12 hours and more importantly cold drink cold for 24 hours!
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