Minimalist Packing for City Travel Photography

Everything I’m bringing for a quick travel photography trip to New York City. I usually pack light, but I’m experimenting on this trip with a much more minimalist setup. No computer, just one change of clothes, etc.

Clothing

The name of the game here is merino wool. It dries pretty quickly and simply does not smell even after days of use in a row. That allows me to bring essentially one change of clothes for a 4-day trip. Each night, I’ll hand-wash the socks, underwear, and t-shirt and wear them again in a couple days. In theory, I think I could get by with a single set of clothes, but I’m not going to push it that far. The weather is going to get down close to freezing on this trip, plus some heavy rain, so I’m having to bring a little more outerwear than I would on some other trips. I can’t find my tiny umbrella, so if the weather ends up being terrible, I’ll just buy a small one there.

• Danner Vertigo 917 Boots

• Proof 72-Hour Merino T-Shirt (x2)

• Fjallraven Sormland Trousers

• Icebreaker Merino Boxer Briefs (x2)

• Smartwool Thin Hiking Socks (x2)

• Waxed Cotton Baseball Hat

• Huckberry Beanie

• Arc’Teryx Beta SL Hybrid Rain Jacket

• Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Jacket

• Arc’Teryx Atom LT Hoody

• Merino Wool Base Layer Top

• Merino Wool Base Layer Bottom

• Fleece Glove Liners

Photo/Video + Chargers

My Fuji X-T5 setup is really quite small, especially with the f/2 prime lenses. This is what I used for 95% of my time in Japan and I don’t think I’ll really miss out by not having additional focal lengths. Would I use the 100-400 if I had it with me? Maybe, but it’s just not worth carrying around for a trip like this where I’ll be walking all day long. For YouTube filming, I use a combination of the Fuji, the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, and my iPhone. Plenty good for what I’m making. No computer on this trip—I’ll just do all of that kind of stuff when I get back home.

P.S. Decided to throw the Ricoh in at the last minute as a backup since I had plenty of room.

• Fujifilm X-T5

• Fujifilm 23mm f/2

• Fujifilm 50mm f/2

• Extra Fuji Battery

• Ricoh GR IIIx (not pictured)

• Lens Cloth

• Extra SD Cards

• DJI Osmo Pocket 3

• Anker Nano Power Bank

• Peak Design Mobile Tripod

• Anker MagGo 3-in-1 iPhone/Watch/AirPods Charger

• USB-C to USB-C Cable (x2)

• Anker 30W Folding Charger (x2)

Personal + Toiletries + Bags

Everything, including the 6L sling, will fit in the backpack for travel days, but once I’m there, I’ll mostly just use the sling for exploring around town. I lost my Kindle in Japan and have since replaced it with a Boox Palma 2 for all of my e-reading needs. Big fan. I’m going pretty minimal with toiletries and just assuming that the hotel will have shampoo and soap.

• Wallet

• Sunglasses

• AirPods Pro 2

• Apple Watch SE

• Keys

• Boox Palma 2

• iPhone 15 Pro Max

• Hydroflask Water Bottle

• Matador Flatpak Toiletry Case

• Philips One Toothbrush

• Allergy Pills and Tylenol

• Toothpaste

• Hair Product

• Chapstick

• Sunscreen

• Deoderant

• Peak Design 6L Sling

• Peak Design 30L Everyday Backpack