Packing for Filmmaking on the Road: The Essentials and the Ridiculous

After years of traveling for film projects, I've developed what I call the "controlled chaos" approach to packing. It's part strategic planning, part paranoid over-preparation, and part acceptance that no matter how well you plan, you'll always need something you don't have and never use half the things you brought.

Let me walk you through the real science of packing for location filmmaking, the stuff they don't teach you in film school.

The Electronics Situation

First, the cables. Oh god, the cables. I travel with a small suitcase that's essentially a mobile electronics store. USB-C, USB-A, Lightning, HDMI, audio cables, adapters for every possible configuration of international outlets, and backup cables for the backup cables. Because somewhere, in some remote location, you will need to connect two things that were apparently designed by engineers who hated each other.

My laptop charger has its own padded case because laptop chargers are apparently made from the same material as butterfly wings, beautiful but fragile. I also carry a backup battery pack that could probably power a small village, because nothing kills productivity like a dead laptop when inspiration strikes.

Then there's the "just in case" electronics: portable hard drives (plural, because data backup anxiety is real), a small audio recorder for capturing impromptu interviews or starting a BTS podcast and a ridiculous number of memory cards because running out of storage space is the filmmaker's equivalent of running out of oxygen.

The Practical Gear

Duct tape. Not a roll, that's amateur hour. I carry a small roll of gaffer tape that has solved more problems than any piece of equipment I own. Wobbly tripod leg? Gaffer tape. Cable management? Gaffer tape. Securing something to something else in a way that won't leave residue? Gaffer tape. The zip on my bag broke and I need to get home? Gaffer Tape! It's the universal problem solver.

A multitool that includes screwdrivers, because something will always come loose at the worst possible moment. Usually, it's a tripod leg or a camera mount, and usually, it happens when you're in a location where the nearest hardware store is three hours away.

Lens cleaning supplies in quantities that suggest I'm planning to clean the Hubble telescope (I wear glasses so for everyone I use, the production inevitably uses 2). Microfiber cloths, lens cleaning fluid and those little brush things that probably have a technical name I don't know. Because a dirty lens can ruin a shot, and Mother Nature seems to have a personal vendetta against clean glass.

The Ridiculous Over-Preparation

I pack like I'm expecting the apocalypse. Backup batteries for everything, including things that don't use batteries. Multiple phone chargers because losing your only phone charger while traveling is like losing your connection to the modern world.

Emergency snacks that could sustain me through a nuclear winter. Not just any snacks, specifically chosen for their ability to provide energy without making noise when opened (because you'll be hungry during the quietest takes) and for their resistance to melting (because equipment bags get hot in the sun).

The Clothing Strategy

Everything in neutral colors because you never know when you might accidentally appear in frame. And by neutral colors I mean BLACK. Everything I wear is black. Multiple layers because location weather is always either unexpectedly cold or surprisingly hot, never the comfortable medium your weather app promised.

Comfortable shoes that can handle standing for hours, walking on uneven surfaces, and looking professional enough that you don't embarrass yourself in meetings. Plus backup shoes because stepping in something unfortunate on location is practically inevitable.

A jacket with an absurd number of pockets for carrying small essential items. I look like I'm cosplaying as a photographer from the 1970s, but those pockets are invaluable when you need quick access to lens caps, memory cards, or that specific cable that's always in the wrong bag.

And always, always, always, a hoodie. You can go from the heat of the Sahara to the artic temps in an closed set in a day and you'll need it.

The Documentation Kit

Physical notebooks because digital note-taking dies when batteries do. Pens that work in extreme temperatures and on various surfaces. Sharpies for labeling things. Tape for securing notes to equipment or locations.

A small camera for documentation shots, not the project itself, but pictures of equipment setups, location details, and behind-the-scenes moments that help with post-production and future reference. Your insurance company will thank you.

The Reality Check

Here's the truth: I use about 60% of what I pack, and there's always something crucial I forgot. The goal isn't perfect preparation, it's reducing the number and severity of "oh shit" moments when you're far from civilization and trying to capture something that may never happen again.

The most important thing I pack isn't equipment, it's adaptability. Because no matter how well you prepare, location filmmaking is about solving problems creatively with whatever resources you have available.

That said, I'm still going to pack seventeen different types of cables and enough gaffer tape to repair a small aircraft. Because the one time I don't is guaranteed to be the time I need exactly those things.

The difference between professional filmmakers and amateurs isn't the quality of their primary equipment, it's the thoroughness of their backup plans.