I decide to push on – the site I had considered simply feels too exposed given the weather. It’ll be a fair few hours of challenging hiking to the next camp ground – so a long day, but hopefully a better night’s sleep. Wow, what a place though.
For the past years I’ve put together a post on what gear I’ve used over summer. Earlier notes: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
I decide to push on – the site I had considered simply feels too exposed given the weather. It’ll be a fair few hours of challenging hiking to the next camp ground – so a long day, but hopefully a better night’s sleep. Wow, what a place though.
What gear would you bring on a bucket-list trip? Equipment that’s proven & that you’re familiar with? Or do you try to upgrade to whatever top of line option you’re able to afford?
I don’t think there’s ever a right or wrong answer to a question like this, but it was one that rattled around in my mind for a bit ahead of summer this year.
But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
First off, just to mention it – summer is generally a pretty good indicator for where I’m at with regard to gear preferences. I tend to travel away from home for a bit – as well as shoot more than I usually do in my day to day – resulting in me being fairly considered in what gear I bring along (hence the annual writeups).
This summer I had a few trips planned, to places renowned for their natural beauty no less. Consequently – I was mulling on the gear topic even more than I usually do.
Overall, I found myself quite happy with last year’s setup. But something new and shiny always beckons. A part of me was thinking that perhaps now would be a good time to try out digital medium format. Or maybe this was the time to upgrade to a newer camera. Or trying some new, exotic lenses.
Ultimately though, I ended up recognizing that familiarity tends to outweigh specs when it comes to making work you’re happy with. So, I mostly stuck with what I knew and trusted. There was one substitution however – where I had a rather clear rationale. Let’s circle back to this one.
Anyways, a springboard into the pieces of gear might be the different activities and stints of travel I had planned. Similar to last year, there were two distinct parts to this summer’s agenda, where the gear choices differed a fair amount between them. Here’s what was on the docket –
A good chunk of summer was spent away from home with the kids. The most noteworthy stint was a trip by train to Italy. Exploring the Dolomites was something that I had been wanting to do for years. What a place! We also squeezed in a few days at the beach. Simply put, an incredible trip!
For documenting time spent with the kids, there’s no gear I prefer more than a Leica M.
So, in the bag went my all-time favorite camera, as well as two of my all-time favorite lenses.
Namely –
For the seventh (!!) year running – this was my camera of choice. I couldn’t be happier with how it shoots, as well as its output. Plus, it’s nice and compact with exceptional battery life. Still love it!
A while back, I asked myself over on Instagram why I ever shoot anything else than this lens. I just find that it renders so incredibly nicely. And even though it’s a little larger than some slower options, it’s still compact and well handling enough to bring on extended trips such as this one.
In all, an incredible lens and an all time favorite.
Another long term staple and favorite – the 75 has found its way into my bag at a frequent basis over the past few years.
It offers an even prettier rendering than the 50/1.2, but with some slight handling trade offs.
Embarrassingly I’ve still yet to wrap up my review of it (I’ve needed more focus on other fronts of life lately) but it’s certainly safe to say that this is an incredible lens!
As always, there were also a few extra bits and bobs brought along. One tiny piece of kit in particular proved a surprisingly fun addition:
As the kids (especially my youngest) showed interest in shooting during summer too, I dusted off this old compact. It’s hardly seen any use since phones got good enough for basic use (for me, this shift happened clearly with the iPhone X). But, it turned out to be quite a fun addition to the bag. The kids enjoyed using it a lot, which was fun to see, and actually got some rather nice snaps (even of yours truly).
Plus, I too grabbed a few frames with it. And I must say that even though it’s not as engaging an experience as with a full size camera, it’s still much nicer to shoot than any phone. And the images out of it do still look quite nice. With that said though –
It’s hard to beat a smartphone for convenience. With recent models, they’re also highly capable with regard to image quality. I held on to my iPhone XS for years, but after its screen finally breaking I upgraded to the 16 Pro. I still can’t say I enjoy shooting with a phone, but at least it makes for a great backup – and with some care, a very competent one at that (frequently beating the RX100 on image quality). Also, I quite like it for capturing snippets of video as a complement to the stills I generally focus on.
In terms of my main camera bag for this stint, it’s unsurprisingly (for long term readers at least) the brilliant Hadley Pro. I still find it just the right size, very well designed and incredibly durable. I’ve had mine for over 10 years now, and it’s only showing minimal wear. Nice.
Soon enough, it was time to head home and prepare for the next stint of travel –
As excited as I was about spending time in Italy – the true bucket list item on the summer itinerary was a ten day trip to Iceland (without the kids).
I had visited once before, 20 years ago, and have wanted to go back ever since. It’s such a wild and otherworldly place, where I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface on all there is to see.
On the docket whilst on the island was:
Now, before getting to the gear, I do feel a few words on the experiences of this trip are warranted.
The Laugavegur hike, in particular, was such an incredible experience. It was my first extended solo hike, and I must admit heading out on it with some trepidation.
Reading up on the trail, it was clear that it’s a demanding one, where weather can also become adverse and temperatures low. There are also a few water crossings – something I hadn’t done a ton of previously.
There’s an option to stay in cabins along the route, but I was intent on camping – it’s a compelling part of the experience with hiking to me. That in turn necessitates bringing well considered hiking gear. Fortunately, here too I had equipment I was comfortable with and confident in (for those interested, I included some notes on the hiking and camping gear below).
Beyond practical and equipment related considerations, I was also unsure how I would feel about hiking alone.
But, it all worked out great!
The trail was for sure challenging, with a few sketchy sections, but ultimately less demanding than some others I’ve taken on. The water crossings were also not too bad. The equipment held up perfectly, even during a few cold and windy nights. Plus, I really enjoyed the experience of hiking on my own – being able to keep my own pace was really nice. It was also surprising how social of an experience it ended up being, where I wound up chatting with all sorts of fun and interesting folk during the days on trail.
In all – this truly felt like an experience of a lifetime.
The rest of the trip was also absolutely amazing. It was possible to squeeze in a lot during the remaining few days and many of the places visited were truly breathtaking.
In all, a trip I feel very happy and fortunate to have had the chance to put together and experience.
With that though – on to the gear.
The criteria for what to bring to Iceland were quite similar to last summer’s hiking trip in the north of Sweden, since I’d be in the wild once again. So – I wanted a piece of kit reasonably light & compact, with weather sealing, USB charging, as well as great battery life & image quality. Plus, a long range zoom.
Since I noted last time around that I was very happy with the kit I landed on then, it’s probably no surprise that I stuck with a similar setup for this trip.
Though, there are some tweaks, which we’ll cover below.
I stuck with the same camera – the brilliant A7C. It really has a ton going for it. It’s compact, handles well, offers brilliant image quality, rock solid auto focus, image stabilization, weather sealing, as well as great battery life & USB charging.
My only reservation with it is that the viewfinder is rather small and has somewhat poor eye relief (which means it’s even worse for users with glasses, like me). Still, it’s servicable and far better than just a back LCD.
Overall – a wonderful piece of kit!
Picking up the Tamron 70–300 (full review here) last year was key for some of the things I wanted to get at back then. Namely long range in a compact form factor.
I became quite smitten with the lens. Despite the compactness, it proved a great performer. Plus, I ended up really enjoying the focal length range.
Still, as I noted already back then (as well as in my review), I did at times feel like a slightly wider starting point would improve on how the lens would fit with my mindset for shooting in these ranges.
Enter – the 50–300. I picked it up used during spring and it quickly proved a nice upgrade over the 70–300.
The range is nigh on perfect for the type of shooting I’m keen on doing when out hiking. Plus, the image quality is fantastic throughout the range – certainly very impressive for a zoom!
Another fun addition is that it focuses much closer – offering an impressive 1:2 magnification ratio that I’ve enjoyed experimenting with.
Beyond that, there are some additional improvements still: nicer build quality, image stabilization, an added function button, plus – a zoom lock.
With all of this, Tamron has basically addressed all my nitpicks with the 70–300.
There are some tradeoffs though – the 50–300 is a bit heavier, as well as a fair bit more expensive.
So, it’s a less easy recommendation than the 70–300 (that I still find excellent), but one that fits me and my preferences really well. It’s safe to say that I was very happy to have made the upgrade and to have had it at hand during the trip.
Attentive readers will spot that this is also a substitution compared to last year. Back then I brought the Samyang 45/1.8 as a backup lens. This year, I downsized to this absolutely tiny 35. I do like the 45 more, but for this instance, compactness was key. Despite the small size and low price, it’s a solid performer. It didn’t see much use though. I simply enjoyed the Tamron so much that the 35 stayed in the bag for most of the trip, so it hardly counts.
I still really like the Peak Design capture clip – I’ve found it a great way to keep the camera out of the way, but still easily accessible while hiking. Highly recommended!
Looking back at fond memories, gear always becomes incredibly secondary. What stands out are the moments, the places, the people.
Still, I do of course enjoy both the act of photography, as well as having some shots to help with recalling some moments. And I obviously do prefer them looking nice and to my tastes.
So from that perspective, having gear at hand that allows me to achieve said things – without getting in my way – is sort of the ideal state. These days, I recognize that there are tons of different configurations that can get me to this point.
Either way, I couldn’t be happier with what I had in my bag this summer.
The Leica is such a proven quality at this point, but I still love it. The Sony + Tamron setup, on the other hand, opens up other, creative opportunities that work really well for me in the specific contexts I’ve been using it in.
More importantly though – this summer turned out wonderful. Being able to take on two trips I’ve been wanting to do for so long, as well as spend quality time with some of those near and dear to me, means it’s one I’ll remember for a long time to come.
For those interested, here are a few quick notes on the hiking & camping gear I was using during summer.
A great backpack – well designed, durable, spacious, and with a great carrying system to boot. Love it!
A solo tent had been on my wish list for a while. For shorter jaunts, camping with my bigger tent isn’t an issue. But for extended hikes, it’s not feasible to carry – it’s too big & heavy. So early this year, I picked up the Enan.
Just as with camera equipment, hiking gear is an exercise in compromise. I knew I wanted something sturdy, that would hold up to adverse conditions. I’m also pretty tall, so need something reasonably spacious. And, I prefer freestanding designs. Also, at the same time, I wanted something light that wouldn’t take up too much space in my pack. But – surprise, surprise – nothing exists that meets all criteria. Every option available trades off on one or several of these aspects.
So, the tent I ended up choosing didn’t tick all the boxes. It’s far from the lightest option and it’s not freestanding. Still, on the flip side, it’s very sturdy, tall enough for me (though I wouldn’t call it spacious), and still relatively light. Plus – it’s quick to pitch, and has a huge vestibule (that I like for storing my pack out of the elements, as well as for basic cooking, in case the weather’s poor).
Now that I’ve had it for a while, I can confidently say that I find it a truly excellent tent and a huge enabler for me to get out with confidence.
I’ve been relying on a Marmot Trestles Elite Eco sleeping bag and a Sea to Summit Camp Mat sleeping pad. I’m decently happy with both, but the pad in particular is bulkier and heavier than I’d like, so I’ve been eyeing some potential options. Still, these bits of kit have worked well on a fair number of hikes by now – so thumbs up overall.
I tried out this stove, as a compact alternative to my trusty Trangia. I was quite impressed with it! It’s small, light, cheap and feels very well made. I did exchange it for a Soto Windmaster after this trip though, due to the preheater pipe on the Blade being bent incorrectly* and the store not having another one available. As great as the Soto is, there were aspects I liked better with the Firemaple stove. Impressive given that it's much more affordable.
* It was bent away from the burner, instead of close to it (helping with cold weather performance). Not sure if it was a manufacturing issue, as I did pick up a demo unit – the last unit in stock. Either way, I didn't notice this until just prior to heading out on the trip. Fortunately, this didn't impact performance in any noticable way.
One of my favorite recent additions – a foldable filter holder for making proper coffee. A big upgrade over a plastic one I’ve carried in the past.
These hiking boots have held up really well over the past few years. I’ve found them very sturdy and comfortable.
I picked up a set of trekking poles ahead of the hike. I chiefly wanted them for added balance and stability during the trail’s water crossings. For this use case, they were great and I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to be without them (one crossing in particular was somewhat challenging).
But, I also found them nice to use during other sections – in particular for more technical stretches or during downhill climbs, where they helped offload the knees and aided with stability (which was nice when carrying 16kg+ on the back). In terms of the specific make & model, they’re nothing special. I went for a fairly cheap pair as I didn’t know how I’d get on with using them. Still, they worked well. And as a general addition, definitely recommended.
Overall then – some great hiking gear, in addtion to the photo gear we’ve covered at length above.
Photos in this article were made using the Leica M Typ 262 or Sony A7C. The images of the camera and lenses were made using the Sony A7C or iPhone 16. Exif-data is intact. Open any image in a new window for a closer look.