When You Really Need to Pack Light – What Camera Gear Do You Take?

 

When You Really Need to Pack Light – What Camera Gear Do You Take?

There are days when you can roll out the full kit: multiple bodies, heavy lenses, tripods, lighting, audio recorders…

And then there are days when you can’t.

Sailing on the Thames. Hiking. Travelling hand luggage only. Filming at an event where you must move quickly. Or simply when your back says, “Enough.”

So what do you take — and what do you leave behind?

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1️⃣ The Ultra-Light Option – Smartphone

Weight: Almost nothing
Flexibility: Very high
Control: Limited (but improving)

Modern smartphones shoot 4K, stabilise beautifully, and edit on the device itself.

Perfect for:

• Quick social posts

• Behind-the-scenes clips

• Spontaneous sailing footage

• Fast turnarounds

But…

• Limited dynamic range compared to larger sensors

• Audio still needs help (add a tiny lav mic)

• Fixed lens limits creativity

For pmrsailing-style daily updates? A phone can be absolutely enough.

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2️⃣ The Compact Hybrid – Mirrorless Body + 1 Lens

A camera such as the Canon EOS R5 C (or similar hybrid body) paired with a single versatile lens — for example a 24–105mm.

Why one lens?
Because changing lenses:

• Slows you down

• Introduces dust

• Makes you carry more

With one good zoom you can:

• Shoot wide establishing shots

• Capture portraits

• Film mid-range action

Add:

• 1 spare battery

• Small on-camera mic

• Lightweight travel tripod or monopod

That’s it.

This is often the sweet spot between quality and portability.

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3️⃣ The “Serious but Sensible” Video Setup

If you’re filming something more structured — perhaps science demonstrations in your lab or a planned sailing shoot — you might bring a compact cinema body such as the Canon EOS C70.

But keep it disciplined:

• Camera body

• One zoom lens

• Shotgun mic

• 2 batteries

• No extras

No sliders.
No second camera.
No five-lens collection.

The rule becomes:

If it doesn’t earn its place in the bag, it stays at home.

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🎯 My Personal Packing Rule

For River Thames sailing days or family filming:

• One main camera

• One lens

• One microphone

• One support (mini tripod or monopod)

And that’s all.

The electric Whaly is already carrying safety kit, lines, batteries and camera mounts — so weight matters. The lighter the kit, the more likely it gets used.

And unused kit produces exactly zero content.

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💡 A Helpful Mindset Shift

The question isn’t:

“What might I possibly need?”

It’s:

“What will I realistically use?”

The lighter the setup:

• The faster you react

• The less tired you become

• The more natural your footage feels

Sometimes constraints improve creativity.