WHAT GEAR ARE WE USING ?
When we started TTG back in May 2018 we had zero photography and videography skills. The only camera we owned was a cheap £30 digital camera. I (Chris) did a lot of research on what to buy to be able to start documenting our adventures. What we choose needed to be easy to use, good value and give us the result we wanted.
The hardest part of creating content is actually starting, because you never think your content is good enough to show publicly. If you want to create content – jus go for it! You can even start with your phone and still create great videos and pictures.
If you want to know what we are currently using, then we have created a list of our main items.
We get a lot of messages asking us what filming equipment we use to create our YouTube videos so we have created a list of the main items we currently use. We hope that this helps you start creating.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
This is a great all round beginners bridge camera, it has good frame rates for low motion as well as good zoom. They now also do a FZ2000 so I may be upgrading soon
K&F Concept Tripod
If you have camera and want to zoom in or take long exposure shots you need a tripod. This tripod is great, light and comes in it’s own carry case
Go Pro Hero 8
You can’t beat the quality of GoPro. The GoPro and above has great audio and stabilization and features such timelapse. All of our walking talking clips and footage whilst we are driving is filmed on our old GoPro 7 (Hero Black) Recently we have got GoPro 8 Black
JM-D Wireless Shutter Remote
We like to take pictures of us both from a longer distance than the length of my arm. The Lumix camera does have a timer mode, but with a shutter remote you can take as you want with the click of the remote control
4 TB Lacie Rugged Hard Drive
As full time content creators it’s essential that we have reliable hard drives to back up our data. We have been using the Lacie Rugged hard drives since we set off. They have great capacity and are hard wearing and reliable
SanDisk Extreme PLUS 64 GB
Having the right memory card is essential for our filming to keep footage high quality
After living and travelling in ‘Trudy’ our home on wheels since May 2018, we have found and used a number of van life essentials that can make life on the road easier and more comfortable. And we want to share these with you.
If you have a plan to travel with your caravan and park in the most remote locations, and this plan includes electricity, Jackery Solar Saga will more than meet your need.
Explore 500 Power Station will be a great solution to charge your devices or cover your other essentials with the electricity you get from Solar Saga.
Life Saver Jerry Can
Having safe water is one of life’s essentials and this is exactly what the Life Saver Jerrycan does. It allows you to drink any water (except salty). It also allows us to do our bit for the planet by not having to buy bottled water when we are in countries where the tap water is not potable. Needless to say we use this everyday!
Power Oak 1500 W Power Bank
Having sufficient power on the road is essential and if like us, you wild camp a lot then this one’s for you. We use quite a lot of power charging our cameras, computers, etc and having lockdowns has really tested Trudy’s power supply. We regularly ran out of power, but since being given one by PowerOak to review our life has changed and we haven’t run out of power since. This is a wonderful solution for off grid power
Power Oak Solar Panel
You need a solar panel to charge your PowerOak power bank. They are excellent and foldable / portable pieces of kit. we have also added connection to Trudy, so if the power bank is fully charged we can plug the extra solar panel directly into the leisure batteries
Bad Elf GPS
Knowing where you are is essential for any trip, and some of the places we’re planning to visit ae known for poor or no mobile signal. we invested in the Bad Elf GPS which plugs directly into our phone or Ipad to pick our GPS from satellites when there is no mobile reception.
Foldable Water Bags
We get water on the road from a variety of sources. We used to carry a hose around but realised that most places we fill up it either didn’t work or wasn’t convenient. These water bags were just what we needed. They even fit under sink taps, we really can fill up anywhere.
Ridgemonkey
Talk to any van lifer in the UK and they probably have a Ridgemonkey. It’s a necessity if you want to cook a variety of different things on a gas ring. I have even made fresh pizza in it- by closing it on a low heat it acts like an oven. Another item we use most days.
If we are not in our van Trudy then we are armed with our backpacks and heading into the unknown. Here are some of our favourite travel items.
Overboard 100% Waterproof Backpack
When we go out for the day, we always have our Lumix camera and sometimes we even carry one of our laptops, not the kind of items that you want to get wet. We bought one of these backpacks each, so we know that our tech will stay dry in heavy tropical downpours or even if we accidentally fell in the water!
Travel Adapter
A must for any traveller! We love this one because it has everything we need and we can plug in multiple USB cables at the same time, great for charging all those batteries
TSA Approved Combination Padlock
Padlocks are another essential for anyone travelling. When you’re flying you can lock up your suitcase or backpack. TSA approved locks means that is airport security need to check your luggage they can do so without breaking the padlock. We also use them in the hostel lockers to lock away our valuables.
Chris loves Craghoppers because they are very durable and last very long. This is what you should be looking for while travelling with a van.
Keeping our adventure sustainable is one of our main focus. To do so we are using Earth Breeze detergent sheet.
‘The products contain affiliate links, which means that we receive a small commission for any items you purchase’
