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We believe that great visual storytelling can come to life no matter the make and model of our creative tools. As a curator, director, and orchestrator—a storyteller’s curiosity, creative eye, and well-stocked toolkit are paramount to capturing the stories we want to tell.
With this in mind, we’ve built a list of our favorite outdoor gear to keep every content creator occupied over the next year. It includes trail-ready camera bags, organization tools, basecamp shelter, survival equipment, and pocket-sized gear. You’re sure to find something here to handle all that your creative project throws your way.
Best Bags & Staying Organized
Shimoda Designs | Action X Series Camera Bags →
Hands down, we believe Shimoda Designs makes the best outdoor camera bags in the market. As a content creator – be it a cinematographer or photographer – our camera equipment is vital to telling our story. We simply can’t afford to buy sub-par travel gear.
Made from water-resistant nylon, the Action X30 Backpack is the most well-thought-out pack we’ve used. Multiple access points make grabbing what you need a snap – from your hardshell to the roll-top to your 70-200mm telephoto from the side compartment. Even when stuffed to the brim, the X30 pack fits perfectly under an airplane seat. For those adventures that require a bit more gear, check out the larger sizes: Action X50 and X70.
“It feels like I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect camera backpack for the last 20 years. This seriously is the most comfortable and functional pack I have ever owned. That’s important to me given how much gear I’ll sometimes need to lug around. From the airport to on-location fieldwork, I’ve found my X30 pack to be highly functional and extremely durable. Just this summer I took it to Mozambique where I was working on a conservation story about Nile crocodiles. It was subjected to the most brutal conditions in the bush for 3 weeks: sun, heat, rain, dirt…you name it!”
Chris O’F
Shimoda Designs | Filter Wrap 100 →
Whether you’re shooting bright scenes or looking to slow down your shutter, you are going to need a filter or two. This Filter Wrap holds up to four 100mm filters for fast change-outs. The wrap not only folds up for easy storage but can hang from the tripod, keeping it out of the dirt.
Shimoda Designs | Travel Pouches →
Shimoda’s travel pouches keep all our stuff organized. These zippered pouches contain two divided sleeves so you can store chapstick and Tylenol on one side, and your passport on the other. Did we mention these pouches are also transparent! We were able to keep multiple pouches in our gear bags and find what we needed fast. No more rooting through pouches for your charger or pencil – if you can’t see it on the outside it’s not there.
Best Outdoor Safety & Survival Basics
Adventure Medical Kits | Medical Kit Pro →
A piece of kit we all hope to never use but, should the need arise, your camp will be prepared to render aid for everything from cuts to broken bones. This lightweight kit comes sealed in its own high visibility dry bag so it will be ready when needed. Designed and used by the Yosemite Mountain Guides, this kit not only has supplies, it also has instructions on how to use it. This kit is super lightweight for all the items included.
LifeStraw | Personal Water Filter →
Water = life. When backpacking our first concern is hydration and the LifeStraw is the gold standard for safe personal hydration in the backcountry. Compared to tablets or pumps, the LifeStraw has no wait times, no volume requirements, and no moving parts. Plus, at 9” x 1.2”, the LifeStraw feels right at home in any pocket or pack.
Morakniv | Kansbol Knife with Survival Kit →
With more than a century of bladesmithing experience, Morakniv takes the traditional Puukko knife and brings it into the modern era. The blade is made from Swedish stainless steel and the reflex paracord and fire starter can be attached to the sheath. The rugged design handles everything from cutting branches to prepping a fireside meal.
“This knife is super easy to clip into the sheath on my waistband. It’s very light, strong, and right there when I need it. When I’m in camp I always have this knife on my hip, it stays secure no matter the activity and I can snap it in and out with ease using only one hand.”
Chris O’F
BCB International | Ultimate Survival Kit →
BCB’s Ultimate Survival Kit fits anywhere, from your glove box to the pouch on your waders. With a host of tools and materials to keep you warm, hydrated, or fed, this box is worth its weight in gold. While the multi-tool could be called pint-sized, the old adage of “two is one, and one is none” reminds us that a little pair of pliers beats no pliers at all. This holds especially true when you are trying to tighten down a loose battery terminal on an old Land Cruiser halfway back to camp.
Best Basecamp: Shelter & Accessories
Klymit | Maxfield Tent →
For a backpacking tent, one often has to sacrifice space to save weight. We found the Maxfield Tent gives us the best of both worlds. Despite its generous internal space and added covered vestibule to keep our boots or extra gear dry, the Maxfield stows much easier than many larger tents owing to the ‘roll style’ stuff sack. We like to call it the burrito pack!
“I went camping in the Appalachians and thought there was some light rain in the forecast. Boy was I wrong. It ended up being a torrential thunderstorm! High winds. Sheets of rain. It lasted all night. The inside of this tent stayed totally dry and the fly stayed secured! And in the morning it made for an easy camp breakdown as it comes with a great stuff sack.”
Chris O’F
Klymit | Wild Aspen 0 Sleeping Bag →
The Wild Aspen is our pick for a solid sleeping bag rated to 0 degrees. Our larger footed members found the squared foot box to be a welcome change from the traditional taper of most mummy bags. It packs down small and the compression sack keeps it nice and tight.
“I’m 6’ and got the size Large. I found this bag to be totally lightweight, packable, and warm! It was durable, stood up to abrasion, and the hood stayed snug and kept the air in. I also like that it has a 2-year warranty.”
Chris O’F
Solight | Solar Helix Outdoor Light →
For the ultimate minimalist lantern, we found the Helix to be a great option. With its “origami” packable design, it’s easy to bring more than one lantern and keep everyone at camp illuminated. Bonus: This lantern looks modern enough to use as a mood light in your apartment should you want to bring home the ambiance of camping sans bug spray.
“At first I was questioning whether or not I should include this on the list as it seems like such a basic gadget, but ultimately I realized that’s part of what makes it great. It really is my favorite camp light. I always bring 2 or 3 out with me depending on the type of trip. They are affordable, super collapsible, let out plenty of light, the battery lasts forever, and my favorite feature: they are solar-charged.”
Chris O’F
Matador | Pocket Blanket →
While this blanket is great for setting up at camp or bringing with you on a hike, it’s even better for when you need a clean surface to layout and organize all of your sensitive camera gear. This pocket-sized blanket can be staked down to keep it from blowing away between shots, and for when your shoot takes you to a more sandy habitat, you can use the corner pockets as mini sandbags.
“This is another item I questioned whether I should add to the list because it’s so simple, but I really do love it so much. It is so super versatile, like MacGyver…I have fashioned it into a laundry bag, used it as a scarf on a cold hike, and built a makeshift shelter during a storm. When I take my mini dachshund on a hike, eventually his little legs get tired and he asks to be carried…so I wrap it around his dirty sausage-shaped body – it keeps me and the car clean and dry! This Pocket Blanket comes with me on every trip.”
Chris O’F
Sea To Summit | View Dry Sack →
You’ll definitely want to stock up on these in various sizes and colors. Not only do these dry sacks keep all of your gear organized, they’ll also keep your gear dry in the unfortunate event when your canoe capsizes or you are caught in a downpour. Did we mention you can see what’s inside? They have a window and reflective white interior, a huge plus for finding what you need right when you need it.
“On certain trips, everything in my backpack and duffles are in individual dry sacks, just in case. During a kayak expedition on the Amazon, my camera bag went overboard and was totally submerged. The dry sacks saved the day and the trip. These particular bags are great, I open my backpack and can still see all the gear…there’s my drone, camera bodies, lenses, batteries etc… and they are all dry :)”
Chris O’F
Best Compact Film & Photo Gear
Lume Cube | 2.0 Professional Lighting Kit →
Compact and super powerful, the Lume Cube is an easy way to accent your scenes and interviews. Great for content creators. Great for small productions. Great for traveling light. We particularly like the Lume Cube’s Bluetooth capability so we can adjust brightness levels from our phones when needed.
“I use these lights when shooting both stills and live-motion. Bounce it or aim it into a bolt of lightweight muslin (another item that’s always in my travel kit) and you’ll have a nice soft light. I also like the color gels as they are great for adding accent pops in the background. There are even little grids included in the box if you need to make a narrow beam of light. You can get really creative with this kit!”
Chris O’F
Joby GorillaPod | 5K Tripod Kit with Rig →
More than just small camera support, we like to use it to hold our lights, mics, and accessories. The GorillaPod’s flexible legs allow you to wrap it around a pole or branch for a hands-free video or selfie. It really is the perfect option for the solo storyteller.
“The last thing I want to travel with is a couple of light stands and so instead I use this. If I’m outdoors and have an interview setup, it’s really versatile – I’ll wrap it onto a tree branch near the subject, attach a Lume Cube (hair light), a small digital recorder, and a shotgun mic. This setup makes for a second sound source and lighting all in one small package. I also use it when shooting macro and will use it as support for a strobe.”
Chris O’F
Samsung | T7 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Portable External SSD →
For the visual storyteller, it’s important to always back up your media. We find these solid-state drives to be super small, super lightweight, and super reliable. We’ve put our drives to the test in high altitudes, freezing temperatures, dirt, and dust – they’ve even been completely submerged – and they still work, but it’s not something we recommend.
“Solid-state drives are increasingly my go-to. No moving parts and super small. Maybe it’s a little crazy but I’ll typically triple backup all my content. I keep the content on my SD cards and then back them up onto these 2 solid-state drives. I find them fast enough to read/review 4K footage”
Chris O’F
That’s a wrap
While this past year has pushed us and our gear to new limits, we made up for lost time and hiked further and stayed out shooting in the field longer than the year before. We want you to take this Gear for Adventure Storytellers list, make your plans, and tell your story. Be the driving force in our world of nature and conservation, capture your stories, and convey the meaning behind the mud on our boots!
