Post Summary: The Best Photography Accessories for busy travelers and outdoor lovers!
Traveling with your camera?
Travel photography can be an exciting adventure, one that will provide you with lasting memories for a lifetime!
While we are firm believers that you can enjoy travel photography simply with your phone, photography accessories can elevate and enhance your experience when capturing photos on the go.
Forget scouring the internet and spending hours wading through reviews and comparing items, we did all that work for you here!
We’re rounding up all the products that have helped elevate our travel photography experience, and we hope they can help you, too.
From portable tripods to apps for your phone, we’re sharing the essential accessories for any photographer on the road!
The 20 Best Photography Accessories For Busy Travel Photographers
Pre-Note: This list is a mix of budget photography accessories and investment pieces. (All affiliate links, which help us keep this blog running – thank you!)
We’ve acquired these travel camera accessories over many years, which have been fine-tuned to help us streamline our specific way of shooting on the go.
You absolutely do not need all the photography accessories on this list – just choose which ones are right for you in your photography experiences!
You might also like this blog post: The 25 Best Christmas Gifts For Photographers
Peak Design Capture 3.0 Clip
The Peak Design Capture 3.0 Clip is designed for photographers on the go, specifically when doing outdoor activities like shoots on Washington hiking trails or backpacking in the backcountry.
We used it every day when we were hiking in Glacier National Park and it’s one of the best camera accessories for outdoor photographers.
This clip lets you easily attach your camera to a backpack shoulder strap, with a quick-release tab for easy access to your camera whenever you want it.
Get the Peak Design Capture Clip here at REI. ($69.99)
Peak Design Camera Leash
You’ve spent a pretty penny on your camera, why would you attach it to a cheap strap? One of the best travel photography accessories you can invest in is a great camera strap.
Peak Design does it once again. This time, they’ve come up with the greatest camera strap on the market!
This camera strap is customizable and can help tailor to your specific needs as a photographer.
They also come with their universal anchors, which can easily attach/reattach to multiple devices.
This means you can buy one strap and switch it easily between camera bodies. (Perfect for switching between your DSLR and film cameras!)
Get The Peak Design Camera Leash here at REI. ($39.99)
Photography Editing Apps
You may not have your home office set up when working on travel photography projects.
But that doesn’t mean you have to wait to edit photos until you get home!
If you find yourself traveling on a budget, editing apps are fun photography accessories to try on your next road trip – they are a really good way to pass the time on those long driving days.
We compiled some of our favorite phone editing apps for travel photographers here, including fan favorites like Lightroom and VSCO to some smaller, but equally powerful niche tools as well.
Download some of these editing apps and play around with them before your next trip!
Additionally, download some of these other road trip planning tools to help make your trip seamless and worry-free.
Memory Card Case
Once you take the photo – where are you storing your memory cards?
If it’s in a pocket or random zipper in your backpack, it’s at risk of getting damaged in transit!
Keep those precious files safe in a memory card case. We have this one by Pelican that can hold up to 24 separate cards. This tough, water-resistant case keeps cards from getting smashed or dropped.
It also adds a little bit of bulkiness, so you don’t have to search for tiny cards in the bottom of your bag – you can just grab the case!
Get the Pelican 0915 Memory Card Holder From B&H Photo Here. ($19.99)
Memory Card Reader
Do you have a photo you just can’t wait to edit? Don’t wait until you get home – you can edit on the go!
This inexpensive card reader is an easy addition to your travel photography accessories kit.
It has card reading slots for CF Cards, SD, MS, and MicroSD for a versatile file transfer experience on the go.
Get The Kingston 3.0 USB High Speed Media Reader at B&H Photo. ($18.99)
ACUPWR C350D Travel Car Power Inverter
The ACUPWR C350D Travel Car Power Inverter is a lifesaver for photographers who are constantly on the go.
With options for 2 USB ports and an internationally adaptable 110 Volt Power Outlet, you can easily charge your gear in between locations – even on an international trip!
It’s absolutely one of our most important road trip essentials as travel photographers!
It comes with its own fan and adapter/converter, so you won’t ever have to worry about it overheating.
You can easily take this between your own car, rental cars, and more for charging power anywhere you go.
Get The Bestek Car Power Inverter Here on B&H Photo. ($59.99)
BioLite Charge 40 Power Bank
BioLite Charge 40 Power Bank ($49.95)
The BioLite Charge 40 power bank is freakishly light and slender, so much so that it can easily fit in your pocket for portable power.
With its useful USB ports AND USB-C port, you can easily use it with any device (phone, iPad, other tools) for extra juice on the go.
We like to charge these when we’re driving so we always have power. Never be without power on the trail!
We added this power bank to our backpacking gear checklist, so we are able to run our hiking apps and charge our two-way satellite communicator. It’s also nice to have backup power in case our camera gear needs a boost!
SANDISK Extreme SSD Portable Hard Drive
There have been plenty of times where we have been editing photos in the car and then proceeded to hit a bump in the road – disconnecting our hard drive from our laptop. BUZZKILL.
Since then, we’ve learned to invest in gear that can take our rougher-than-normal lifestyle, which is why we recommend the Sandisk Extreme SSD portable hard drive.
This external hard drive doesn’t have a spinning disk, which means it’s faster than most portable hard drives (up to 550MB/s read speeds).
It also boasts dust and water resistance (not to be confused with waterPROOF – don’t drop it in water, folks!) and has been tested to withstand drops up to two meters.
Get The Sandisk Extreme SSD Portable Hard Drive at B&H Photo. ($149.99)
Stasher Bags
Not the kind of travel photography accessory you expected, right?
Stasher Bags are perfect for travel photographers who care about sustainability and their impact on the environment.
From film storage to hiking snacks, these versatile bags can be used and reused…forever! The possibilities are endless with Stasher bags.
Personally, we like to use them as a catch-all for smaller items like batteries and small attachments. They are watertight, so you can seal items for some extra protection against the elements.
This comes in handy for river rafting trips, rainy climates, and photoshoots near the ocean.
Get Stasher Bags at Anthropologie Here. ($10-$20 each
Cord Organizer
Laptop chargers, card readers, aux cables, adapters…the list will never end! As a traveling photographer, it’s essential to keep gear organized on the road.
This convenient wrap storage bag has tons of places to store your cords; everything from clear zipper pouches, elastic loops, and see-through pockets for easy access.
We always keep at least one of these cord organizers in our travel bag ready to go!
Get The Lowepro Gear Wrap Here at B&H Photo. ($21.99)
Otter Box + Pop Socket Collab Phone Case
This phone case is an absolute dream for traveling photographers. Not only does it provide the iconic protection of bumps and falls from Otter Box, but it also brings in the convenience of a Pop Socket for ease of use.
Bonus – it lies flush with the back, so no more extra bulky space!
Make sure to pair it with Pop Socket’s car mount, so you can easily use your GPS on the go.
It’s the perfect little accessory that fits on your car’s vent, and you can take it off and bring it from car to car with you!
Get The Otterbox / Pop Socket Collab Phone Case at B&H Photo. ($53.96)
Cotopaxi Waist Pack
Do you ever wish you had more pockets to store your gear at arm’s length?
The Cotopaxi Bataan 3 Liter Hip Pack pretty much takes care of that problem.
Sling it across your shoulder or attach it at the hip, this colorful zipper pouch gives you extra roomy storage for batteries, gloves, memory cards, and even a small camera!
Get The Cotopaxi Bataan 3L Hip Pack at Backcountry.com ($29.95)
WANDRD (Backpacks and Duffels)
After trying backpack after backpack for travel, we’ve discovered that WANDRD is the best for our photography gear on the go.
From their carefully placed zippers and pouches to the thoughtful touches like a passport pocket, small grab pouch, and 15inch laptop sleeve, WANDRD thought of everything for the traveling photographer.
GET THE WANDRD PRCKE 21 Backpack here at Backcountry.com ($184)
Velcro Cord Straps
Nothing is worse than a mess of cords in your bag! If you’re like us, you’re constantly traveling from place to place, which means constantly packing and repacking your bag.
To keep sane, we use these velcro straps that attach to our cords for easy and neat storage at the end of the day. It’s the small things that really make a difference!
Get Rip-Tie 3.5′ Mini Cable Wraps at B&H Photo Here. ($4.95)
A Travel-Sized Tripod Is One Of The Best Photography Accessories To Buy!
A travel tripod is an incredibly handy travel photography accessory for solo travelers, long-exposure lovers, and everything in between.
Peak Design has two kinds we really like – The Aluminum Travel Tripod (3.4lbs) for easy toting, and the Carbon Fiber Version (2.4lbs) for super-lightweight travel (like a backpacking trip).
If you’re looking for a travel tripod with a little more versatility, we also recommend the JOBY GorillaPod Mini Tripod. This one has legs that can wrap around surfaces and easily accommodate uneven surfaces.
Camera Lens Protectors
Berty and I are constantly misplacing lens caps.
We stash them in coat pockets and then forget where they are (sometimes until next season!). It’s hard to protect them when each lens in a different size, too!
That’s why we were on the hunt for a universal lens protector – and we found one by GVB Gear.
These rubber lens covers protect all sizes between 60mm-110mm, function as front AND back protection, and grips extra tight.
These are great “just in case” travel photography accessories to store in your camera bag pockets. You paid a lot for those lenses – spend a tiny bit extra to keep them safer, too!
Get GVB Gear Front And Back Professional Lens Protectors From B&H Photo Here. ($12.99)
Lens Cleaning Kit
Whenever we take our cameras on Pacific Northwest hiking trails, our favorite photo locations on the Oregon Coast, or add them to our backpacking gear, we ALWAYS bring along a cleaning kit!
This one from Sensei has a retractable brush, cleaning tissue, bulb air blower and some cleaning solution to keep your lenses free of dust and dirt. It’s a useful gift for film photographers and digital photographers alike – perfect for a stocking stuffer!
It also comes with a convenient zipper pouch to keep everything in one place too.
Get The Sensei Lens Cleaning Kit From B&H Photo ($14.99)
What are some travel photography accessories you like to use? Share your tips and gear recommendations in the comments below!
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