40 Things You Didn't Know You Needed in Your Camera Bag

The camera bag is for more than cameras and lenses. Besides carrying what you need to make photographs, the camera bag is the photographers tool kit and the tools inside tell you about the photographer, their experiences, their needs, and their quirks. I asked a handful of B&H photographers what they carried in their camera bags and came up with this interesting list—in the meantime getting some ideas and some new tools in my camera bag!

1. Rite in The Rain All Weather Spiral Notebook – For notes.

2. Earplugs– For hearing conservation.

3. Sunscreen – My dermatologist once said, “If you are walking around outside without using a flashlight, you need to be wearing sunscreen.”

4. Lip Balm – Chapped lips are bad.

5. Fenix LD12 Flashlight + Extra AA Battery – Always good to have a small flashlight handy for when your larger ones die on you. We have lots of different torches.

6. Zeiss Lens Wipes – Keep your optics clean.

7. LensPen – Ditto.

8. Motrin – Vitamin M.

9. Handheld GPS – Try not to get lost.

10. Disposable Vinyl Gloves – Keeps your hands clean, and allows you to change halogen bulbs.

11. Power Receptacle Tester – Use before you plug in your expensive lighting gear.

12. 3-to-2 Prong Grounding Adapter – A must for using power in older homes and buildings.

13. Multi-Tool – For multi-purposes. 

14. Toupee Tape – I don’t wear one, but I was told it is great for lapel microphones and adhering gels to lights.

15. Carson PO-55 5x MiniBrite Pocket Magnifier – Loupes and magnifiers have Multiple uses.

16. Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Marker – Write something. Label something.

17. Gaffer Tape – 1" Black stored using a Film Canister – Gaffer tape is one of your best friends and it is even better than duct tape! 

18. Spare pair of eyeglasses – Only if you wear eyeglasses.

19. Eyeglass repair kit – For your eyeglasses and lots of other repairs.

20. Midland E+Ready ER40 Emergency Crank Weather Alert Radio – Be prepared! 

21. Monocular – For scouting.

22. Portable Power Packs – Keep your phone (and more) charged!!

23. Make-up kits / perfume – One B&H photographer hands these out to young girls when photographing in impoverished locales.

24. FUJIFILM INSTAX Camera – Great for giving an instant “gift” to portrait subjects while preserving the image digitally.

25. Dryer Lint in a Film Canister – Great for starting fires in survival situations.

26. Fire starter – For igniting #25.

27. Binder clips – Multi-purpose.

28. Silica gel packs – Do not eat.

29. First Aid Kit in Pelican 1010 – For life’s little accidents.

30. Vello COOLTOOL Camera Plate Combo Tool – For repairs/adjustments.

31. Film Canister with $5 in quarters – You never know when you might want to play a video game, shoot a game of pool, or feed a parking meter.

32. Vello Three-Axis Hot Shoe Bubble Level or Vello Two-Axis Hot Shoe Bubble Level – Keep on the level.

33. Three 1-gallon sealing plastic bags – For storage.

34. Water bottle – Stay hydrated.

35. Delta 1 “A” Grip Clamp – Multi-purpose.

36. Cable ties and/or Touch Fastener Straps – Keep your gear shipshape.

37. Snacks – Yum.

38. Tactical Knife – For igniting #25 and other uses.

39. Fisher Bullet Space Pen – Pressurized ink to write at any angle, or in outer space. This Nitecore pen takes Fisher refills, and we have other writing implements that take pressurized refills as well as bust windows!

40. Business cards – Quicker than finding a napkin to write down your contact information.

What do you carry in your camera bag? Let us know in the Comments section, below!