I’ve been shooting religiously with GoPro cameras since they came out way back in the day. Love those little monsters. At a minimum, I travel with three or more Hero3’s for any shoot – I’ve just found they just come in super-duper handy for all sortsa great stuff. BUT…. taking into account mounts, memory cards, chargers, spare batteries and all miscellany associated with the GoPro and you’ve got yourself quite a load of gear to keep track of.
That’s why I’ve come up with a pretty tight little system for packing & traveling with my GoPros. The above video really gives the full insight, but all cooked down into a tasty little reduction, it smells something like this:
1. Find ONE bag/pack that can carry everything (for Belize I brought a Dakine Mission)
2. Separate gear & accessories into smaller pouches (ThinkTank little pouches described in the vid work nicely here)
3. Clearly label said bags (make the labels moron proof – and really visible in low-light / bleary eyes / tired person can read them without question)
4. Take EVERYTHING in this bag with you every time, regardless of shoot location – you never know when the need/opportunity for a funky mount may arise. (I know this might not sound like good advice, but trust me, it is. Take it from me, this is the only way you’ll ever NOT forget something random.)
5. Get creative. There are tons of ways you can mount a GoPro (see the egg-timer and scuba mask mounts in the vid), as well as clever ways to extend battery life. Use them all.
This vid above comes at you pretty fast, so feel free to ask questions and I’ll jump into the comments and answer. Got GoPro tips / thoughts / hacks of your own? Do share ’em.
What Memory Cards / capacity do you use? You stated the Micro SD Cards — any particular brand and what capacity do you recommend? For the Gopro 3 — Im guessing you need larger cards for the new improved formats? Right now I have the Gopro2 so would be interested in knowing what you use?
I love the backpack – that zips open completely from the back, went to the web site and couldn’t find it – can you provide a link? Thanks for always sharing your knowledge!
Baller. I’d never seen those Think Tank packs…brilliant. I have 3 or 4 GoPros I’ve acquired over the years & it’s always a nightmare to keep track of everything. I designed a Pelican Case type setup, but it just got ugly & I really missed the soft-sidedness of a backpack. This is good stuff…thanks Chase!
thanks Bo! this is a good way to simplify all those little parts!
Very interesting to see how you organize your equipment and your workflow. Have been following you for a longtime. You have been a huge inspiration on my road to professional photography. I’ve finally made it!
great to hear you’re living your dream chad – like so many of us in this industry. glad to have helped even if just a little – i’ll keep doing my part if you keep doing yours.
Thanks for the great video and tips Chase. I see a lot of photographers using the same red tape to label their gear, even on actual lenses, lights and such. Can you/anyone tell me what type of tape this is and can it be easily removed without leaving any sticky residue?
the tape to which you are referring is simply “gaffer” tape. or “gaff” tape more casually in the industry. it is a necessary staple on every photo shoot / set / studio. can buy it at any pro camera store – comes in bunch of colors. we always have black, white and this orange on hand in large volumes.
Thanks Chase. I should have known it was plain old gaffer tape. Cheers!