Tour Packing List
Touring is full of adventure and excitement, so make sure you don’t forget to pack anything. Here’s what I tend to bring on the road depending on the type of tour.
VANS / SPRINTERS
Generally, less is better. When there’s eight people living in a passenger van, things get cramped. My go to are a carry-on suitcase, my camera bag, and a tote bag or fanny pack for daily use.
Suitcase
Clothes:
8 shirts, 7 to wear out and 1 to sleep in
2 pairs of pants
Sleepwear
1 pair of shorts / workout bottoms
As many pairs of socks and underwear as you can fit (I aim for 14 pairs)
1 jacket or hoodie
2 pairs of shoes, 1 regular use, 1 easy-to-put- on (etc. slides, slip on vans, can double as shower shoes)
Small laundry bag
Toiletries:
I generally use a toiletries bag that I can easily transport into a Planet Fitness or a friend’s house when showering.
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Contacts or glasses, if applicable
Towel, don’t forget one!
One or two skin care products
Face wash / makeup remover
Hairbrush
Hair ties and bobby pins
Portable perfume / cologne
Deodorant
Dry shampoo
Small bottles of shampoo and conditioner
Body wash
Razor
Tote / Fanny Pack
These are just suggestions of things I like to bring, you may have room for all of them or only some, but here are some ideas! Anything I keep in here, I generally have next to me in the van.
Book
Laptop
Gaming console (Nintendo Switch, iPad)
$40 cash in smaller bills
Wallet and phone
Any medication
Headphones
Snacks
Chapstick or portable perfume
Phone charger
Camera Bag
Depending on the size of the tour, I’ll bring my thinktank camera backpack for my gear. There won’t be enough space in the van or trailer for my full sized SKB, and odds are, I won’t need to bring that much gear anyways. Everyone has their own gear setup, but here’s what I normally like to bring.
2 extra camera batteries and 4 extra flash batteries (I like these rechargeable ones)
Battery charger
Lens wipe
Backup SD card
SD card reader (Try this one if you don’t have one built into your laptop)
2 External Hard Drives (I use this one, one copy in my bag, the other in my camera case)
External Camera Mic
Earplugs
Main camera body
1 fisheye (totally a preference, but I like using it to switch up the perspective)
1 wide angle (20mm 1.4 is my favorite)
2 zoom lenses (24-70mm 2.8 & 70-200mm 2.8)
Film camera (Olympus Stylus Zoom and a Polaroid)
Extra film (I love Portra 400 or Kodak Gold 200)
Buses
This is the time to pack some of the extras that you might not have had room for in a smaller vehicle. I still try to keep my bag count to 3, but I’ll upgrade to a checked-size bag, my SKB roller camera case, and a backpack with an empty tote bag inside.
Clothes:
12 shirts, 11 to wear out and 1 to sleep in
4 pairs of pants
Work uniform, if applicable
Sleepwear
1 pair of shorts / workout bottoms
As many pairs of socks and underwear as you can fit
1 or 2 jackets or hoodies
3 pairs of shoes, 2 regular use, 1 easy-to-put- on (ex. slides, slip on vans)
A dress or button up (Basically anything you’d want to wear if you need to get dressy!)
Bathing suit
Toiletries:
I still recommend the toiletries bag for showering at the venue and for easy consolidation in the bag.
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Contacts or glasses, if applicable
Full skin care products
Makeup remover
Hairbrush
Hair ties and bobby pins
Portable perfume
Deodorant
Dry shampoo
Shampoo and conditioner
Body wash
Razor
Probably won’t need a towel, but check with your TM first
Camera Bag
When I’m allowed the space, I bring some extra things to play with while working. Try not to bring anything you know you really won’t use, but this is a great time to test out some new products. I’ll use my SKB case to hold all of this.
4 extra camera batteries and 8 extra flash batteries
2 battery chargers
Lens wipe
2 backup SD cards
Power strip (sometimes, most of the time there’s enough outlets)
SD card reader
SSD (I velcro mine to the back of my computer and use this adapter to plug it in)
Extra hard drive cord
External Hard Drive
External Flash
External Camera Mic
Earplugs
Main camera body (Canon R6)
Secondary camera body (Canon 5D Mk IV)
1 fisheye
1 wide angle
2 zoom lenses
Film camera + film
Portable tripod
Light diffusers or flash modifiers
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You can decide if you want to bring all of this or none of this; it's simply a compiled list of what I tend to bring. Every tour is different, so use this guide to your liking!