Wilderness Photography & Preparedness

It’s always good to be ready for the unknown when hiking or camping with or without our camera gear.  Short-term food packs are suitable for hiking, camping, photographing, emergencies, aliens, zombies, weather, or war. Get ready now. Food prices are going through the roof. These packs are good for twenty-five years.  But see our list of must-haves below for your photography camping journey.

Hiking, Photography, and Possible Emergencies

Combining hiking and photography is an incredible combination. Great exercise, an outdoor experience, and the images to take home as memories are priceless. There are some things to consider when going out, even a tiny distance from civilization or your vehicle, as safety precautions. Most people think that just going a short distance from the car means safety and survival are not a concern. You should always be prepared with the basics, even if you don’t go far into the woods and out of sight.

Being Prepared for Emergencies

Preparing for emergencies and thinking ahead is not too tricky when heading out in the wilderness. Of course, you want to, first of all, avoid going out when bad weather may approach, but sometimes it can hit unexpectedly. Be prepared with basic survival things such as water purifiers, pocket knives, and compasses. If you get lost or injured and have a clean water source, you can survive until rescue finds you. A pocket knife can help when you need to build shelter, and a compass can at least head you in the right direction.

We always recommend bringing a water purifier, a pocket knife, a good quality jacket and hiking shoes. This is your essential minimum in preparedness for hiking and possible emergencies.

And if Armageddon starts you’ll also be ready!

Photography Gear Protection

While hiking with expensive camera gear, we also must consider protecting our equipment and ourselves. We use all the products from Think Tank Camera Bags. They have backpacks specifically designed for protecting your gear. Some lucky ones carry 10 thousand dollars worth or more of gear. No matter what the value, you want to protect it.

We recommend getting insurance on your gear. A lot of us do a side business of some sort with photography. You can get a general liability policy with camera gear and all office equipment protected for as low as $250.00 a year. We have a policy that started at that rate, but with all of our photography equipment, it is now up closer to $500.00

My friend Tom tells a story about when he was out hiking with his dog. He had a camera on a tripod, and the dog’s leash got tangled around the tripod in the water with the camera on it. The dog ran to chase a bird, and there went the camera straight into Jordon Pond.

Plan Your Photography and Hiking/Camping Trip

Don’t forget to research where you’re going and bring maps along with you.  Another important issue is to figure out what camera gear you’ll be using and try to bring only what you will be using Again, Think Tank has bags, and backpacks that we entrust cameras, and lenses to be protected in.  Be sure to check out the weatherproof gear in the event you do encounters inclement weather. If you are out hiking in the heat you would be in need of a backpack with room for water bottles. The products we recommend are high-ranking in the areas of good quality, durability, and functionality.

If you are headed to the backcountry a lot more thinking and planning should go into the trip. Carrying all your camping gear and photography gear is hard but well worth it when you obtain images that no other human being on the planet Earth has ever taken or will take.

Here is a list of some things to b sure to take while camping and photographing.

What to Pack for Photographing While Hiking & Camping

Camera Gear

  • Camera body
  • (1) zoom lens
  • (1) wide angle
  • Lightweight tripod
  • Shutter release
  • Several Camera batteries
  • Several Memory cards
  • Intervalometer – for making overnight milky way movies
  • Waist pack with filter pack

Hiking Gear

  • Hiking Boots
  • Quality Jacket
  • Socks
  • Gloves
  • Sleeping Bag
  • Tent

Emergency Gear

  • First Aid Kit
  • Bear Spray
  • Compass
  • Pocket Knife
  • Water Purifier
  • 1-2 survival food pouches

Overnight Gear

  • BackPack
  • Pack cover
  • Tent, tarp
  • Sleeping pad
  • Pillow or stuffable pillowcase
  • Meals
  • Energy food
  • Energy Beverages
  • Stove & Fuel
  • Cookset
  • Dishes & Utensils
  • Lantern
  • Water treatment