I’m often asked about the equipment I use, so here’s a list of my fave bits of gear that I use on a regular basis. I’ve purchased all of these personally and have included some details about why I enjoy each.
If you’re considering purchasing any of these items, some of the links I’ve included are affiliate links which means you don’t pay anything extra but I receive a small commission if you’d like to support the site 🙂
My Photography Gear
Pentax K1
The Pentax K1 range is considered one of the best astro and landscape photography cameras on the market and out competes most comparable systems.
Pentax also maintains it’s traditional K-Mount lens system which allows me to utilise over 50 years of lenses from film and digital cameras.
Samyang/Rokinon 85mm ƒ1.4
This has to be my first pick as a general purpose hiking, nature and landscape lens for picking out details in the landscape and shooting in low light.
It’s fast, manual focus, and reasonably sized so nearly always lives in my kit.
Samyang/Rokinon 16mm ƒ2.0
This one is a little out of place since upgrading to a full frame DSLR, being an APS-C lens.
But! It’s been a workhorse for most of my landscape and astrophotography shoots for many, many years and will continue to do so.
It’s entirely manual focus like the rest of my kit and performs amazingly for wide night sky shots.
Pentax SMC 100mm ƒ4 Macro
This one of my film era lenses I absolutely love, and also one of the best K Mount macro lenses available.
I pair this with a set of tubes to give very shallow focus macro shots with almost no extra weight or space in my bag.
Sirui W-2204 Tripod with K-20x Ball Head
This tripod setup is stable, light and packs small. It’s featured in my hiking tripod guide too.
Waterproof legs help save salt and sand from stiffening the legs which killed my previous tripod.
The stronger and smaller K-20x ball head has also made pano images easier with degree markings and dual spirit levels, win win!
NiSi V5 Pro Filter Holder and Polarizer
This filter system saves me and makes shot set up way easier on every trip.
Square filter slots mean you can invest in filter brand of your choice while taking advantage of the front mounted polarizer which is the best I’ve used and lives on my camera most of the time.
LEE Soft Grad Resin Filters
I’ve had glass filters break and crack before, which can ruin a whole trip.
I also prefer the soft edge grads since they can be stacked and reversed to give similar results to hard and reverse grads without needing them all.
Pentax MX
The best 35mm camera ever made – my opinion.
The Pentax MX is 100% mechanical, all manual and built like a tank.
Shooting landscapes for days in remote wilderness? Forget batteries, SD cards and auto focus. This thing will shoot forever, is lighter, smaller and more fun.
Kodak Ektar 100 and Kodak Portra 400 35mm Film
Kodak Ektar 100 is a bit slower but has extreme dynamic range, is especially useful in mixed light and will always bring the shot home.
My second choice is Kodak Portra 400, which is a little faster and easier to shoot handheld with stronger saturation.
My Video Gear
GoPro Hero 4 with Deyard Aluminium Case
It’s not new, fancy or pretty. But it’s compact, functional and gets the job done.
I use an older GoPro Hero 4 and have it mounted in a case I found online by Deyard which has a cold shoe mount on top for my external mic or a light.
Rode Video Micro
This small external microphone easily mounts to the cold shoe on my GoPro case and is tiny enough to stay out of frame when I’m recording.
SwitchPod
The SwitchPod is a super light, small and ingenious tripod for vlogging and video.
It’s sturdy and durable so will easily fit into my pack or strapped to the outside without needing to be adjusted every time I get it out.
My Hiking & Backpacking Gear
Deuter Futura 26 Backpack
I’ve jumped between camera bags, military packs, hiking packs and vintage rucksacks to land on the Deuter Futura 26L as my main pack.
It’s super comfortable, has a fairly light capacity but can easily accommodate 2-3 days in the wilderness with my full setup.
ResQ Link+ 406 PLB
This PLB is one of the smallest and lightest I’ve been able to find, and does not have an annual registration fee.
It is also buoyant so will float if I’m shooting seascapes or out on the water and get into trouble.
Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt
This EE Revelation Quilt is a super light, very compact and very warm alternative to a sleeping bag.
Probably my favourite piece of hiking gear, it’s made a huge difference to the weight and size of my pack.
Thermarest Z-Lite SOL Sleeping Mat
I’ve punctured inflatable sleeping mats before and it suuuucks waking up to cold earth.
It’s a bit bulkier to pack but it’s a trade off I’m comfortable with, I just strap it to the outside of my bag and forget about it.
DD 3x3m Tarp
Another nearly always item, the DD 3×3 Tarp is my primary shelter for both ground and hammock camping.
With multiple tie points and a square layout there’s several configurations I can use in the trees or on the ground to stay dry.
DD Camping Hammock
When I’m hammock camping, this small and light DD Camping Hammock is my go to.
It has a zippered section and tie points for an under quilt, and I’ve run my own permanent ridgeline so it’s an almost instant setup.