Seven useful things to have in a photo bag other than your gear

Besides a camera, lenses, and other photographic paraphernalia, there are a few things worth having in your photo bag.

1. Cloth tape usually doesn’t leave any sticky residue, so it can be put to a variety of practical uses: from improvised weather sealing to fixing broken stuff.
2. A foldable backpack or shoulder bag. Something like an AmazonBasics Ultralight Packable Day Pack fits in the palm of your hand when folded and weighs almost nothing. It’s durable and can hold a lot of stuff. It’s also water-repellent, so you can use it as a makeshift rain cover for your photographic gear.
3. A microfiber towel can come in handy in many situations: from wiping off sweat, to covering the camera when shooting in a drizzle. On a rainy night, a clear plastic bag and rubber bands can be used as an improvised rain cover for your camera and lens.
4. A power bank and a long soft microUSB cable. Keep a high-capacity power bank in your bag, and use a soft microUSB cable to charge your camera and devices when you are on the move. When traveling, the long cable allows you to charge devices with the bag tucked under the seat. Soft cables are more flexible than regular ones, so they are more convenient in use.
5. Business cards. No further explanation needed. Instead of regular size business cards, you might opt for Moo MiniCards. They are easy to carry around, and their quality is top-notch.
6. A notebook and a pen. Sometimes writing using a conventional pane and a notebook is more practical and enjoyable than pecking on minuscule virtual keyboard of your mobile device. It could also be a nice change after a long day of peering into an electronic viewfinder and staring at the camera’s screen. Storm Writer notebooks from ONYX AND GREEN are my personal favorites. They use stone paper, which has a velvety texture and is both moisture- and tear-resistant. Alternatively, Rite in the Rain also offers a wide range of water-resistant notebooks.
7. A charger with several USB ports. If you happen to carry several battery-powered devices with you, a charger with multiple ports can come in handy when you need to charge them all at once.

About the Author

Dmitri Popov is a tech writer and an amateur photographer. You can see more of his photographic work on EyeEm and Getty Images, and read his blog here. This article was also published here and shared with permission.