Essential Travel Equipment (My Comprehensive Travel Packing Guide)
In the world of long-term adventure travel, having the right gear can make all the difference. Here's a comprehensive guide based on expert recommendations and the latest 2025 guides, designed to help you navigate diverse environments with ease.
Luggage:
For overland or long trips, consider the durable and spacious 33-Inch Gonex Rolling Duffle Bag. For carry-on travel, the 16-Inch Gonex Underseat Luggage, with its organized compartments, is ideal. For those who need space for camera gear, the Boundary Supply Errant Pro Backpack + Camera Cube is a functional choice for mixed urban and outdoor travel.
Basic Gear:
The 23ZERO Swinga Camp Chair offers hammock-style comfort, portability, and a 300 lb capacity, making it perfect for relaxing after days on the trail. The LAEK Adventure Microfiber Towel is a quick-drying, lightweight, and durable towel with a topographic design, easy to pack and hang anywhere.
Backpacking and Camping Gear:
The Garmin fenix 8 AMOLED Sapphire Watch offers superb battery life and accurate GPS for backcountry navigation, while the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ Poles are lightweight and durable trekking poles suitable for varied trail conditions. A lightweight ultralight headlamp, such as the NU25, is crucial for nighttime navigation and camp lighting. Zpacks Pillowcase/Stuff Sack and MSR Gear are recommended for ultralight and compact packing options.
Travel Clothing:
Prioritise breathable, adaptable garments suitable for varying climates and activities. Items like the Seahawk V2 LTD shirt combine comfort, breathability, and easy packing by laying flat. Use quick-dry and durable fabrics such as microfiber towels and lightweight layering pieces.
Tech Gadgets:
The Sony ZV-E10 II is a compact mirrorless camera with improved autofocus and sharp 4K video, great for hybrid shooters (photos and video). The Sony RX100 VII is the best compact camera alternative for travel in 2025 due to its size and image quality. The GoPro Hero 13 Black offers upgraded stabilization and sensor ideal for action shots. The DJI Mavic Mini 4 Pro is recommended for aerial photography with great portability. Accessories like the Peak Design Capture Clip, travel chargers with international compatibility, portable batteries, and accessories keep devices powered and versatile.
Photography Equipment:
A versatile lens kit, such as 16-70mm F4 and 10-18mm f/4 lenses, provides varying focal lengths. Adequate storage like 128GB SD cards ensures ample photo/video storage. A camera backpack specialized for photo gear protection and easy access is a must.
In summary, gear should focus on lightweight, durable, and multi-use items that maximise comfort and functionality across diverse environments encountered in long-term adventure travel. Prioritise quality backpacks and luggage for secure, organised packing, versatile clothing for various climates, reliable navigation tools, and high-quality yet portable tech and photography equipment to capture memories effectively.
The author's basic, standard travel gear includes a filtered bottle, packing cubes, multi-tool, travel pillow, travel scarf, earplugs, toiletry kit, flatpak bottles, passport wallet, travel scale, folding duffel, and headlamp. The author's clothing choices are lightweight and wrinkle-resistant. The author currently travels with up to 3 different bags: a rolling suitcase, a hiking backpack, and a camera daypack. The author's favourite lightweight travel suitcase is the Victorinox Suitcase, known for its strong locking zipper, tough outer shell, and quiet 360-degree wheels. The author uses an amazing carry-on camera & laptop backpack for day hikes with camera gear, which has room for snacks, water, jackets, full-size tripods, and more.
The author checks a bag due to having more camera gear for their travel photography business and having kids. The author's outdoor gear for backpacking, trekking, and camping includes a Nemo tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. The author has only had their checked-bag lost 4 times in 10 years of regular travel, with the bag showing up the next day in all but one case. Only once did it take a week to get the author's bag back, but this does not happen frequently. The author uses a Sony A7R III, GoPro 9, Mavic Air 2, travel tripod, 16-35mm, 24-70mm, microphone, and camera clip for their travel photography. The author packs 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 5 t-shirts, 2 dress shirts, 2 sweatshirts/sweaters, 5 pairs of underwear, 5 pairs of socks, 1 swimsuit, 1 pair of sandals, and 1 pair of shoes when traveling. The author carries a power bank, travel plug, Kindle, headphones, and a camera for their electronics.
This synthesis incorporates the latest 2025 gear insights from credible sources across adventure travel, ultralight backpacking, camera gear, and travel essentials.
Ensuring a comfortable and efficient lifestyle while traveling, one should consider the Boundary Supply Errant Pro Backpack + Camera Cube for mixed urban and outdoor travel, providing ample space for camera gear. For those seeking to unwind after days on the trail, the 23ZERO Swinga Camp Chair offers hammock-style comfort and portability.
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