Best Camera Gear for Your Next Road Trip – CNET [CNET]

Summer is just around the corner, and if you’re heading out on a once-in-a-lifetime road trip, you’re going to want to capture every moment you can. And that mean’s you’ll need to pack plenty of camera gear and photography equipment. But with limited space, you’ll want to make sure you’re only bringing the essentials. I put this list together while on an epic multithousand-mile road trip across the United States to help you determine what you need to bring, and what you can afford to leave at home.

I brought copious amounts of camera gear with me — and while I didn’t need all of it, what I did end up using, I ended up using a lot. This is a list of the gear that worked great on my trip, along with some alternatives that might work even better for you.

Selfie stick

I don’t have a strong recommendation for this one, other than to say selfie sticks are great (when you’re not in crowds, that is) and you should find one you like. Even I, who has what one friend describes as “freakishly long arms,” find great use in a selfie stick. They let me capture photos and videos that would be impossible any other way, especially with a 360 camera that automatically deletes the stick from the final image or video. 

I recommend getting one with tripod-mount screws on both ends, which gives you more options on what you can mount and how you can mount the stick itself. Similarly, make sure you get one that can hold all your cameras and phones. 

Camera remote

I find these to be super handy, though depending how you’re recording, it might not be. It’s a simple Bluetooth remote that lets you control when the camera starts and stops recording along with changing modes, settings, and so on. True, you can use the camera’s app on your phone instead, but I feel like I spend half my life trying to get cameras to connect to their apps, so sometimes a remote is easier. Sometimes the remote won’t connect either. It’s a hassle either way. Oh well.

GoPro makes one for their cameras, Insta360 makes one for theirs.

Tripods and other mounts

One last thing. Tripods and mounts. You probably don’t need a full-size tripod, few people do. A small bendable model can be super handy though, letting you mount the camera to just about anything and get a great shot with you in it. I’ve had good luck with Joby GorillaPods. I have an older version of this one.

Also check out suction-cup and dash mounts. I have a tiny dashboard and tiny windshield, so it was a lot harder to find something that worked. So what I’m using probably won’t work for you. Generally I’d recommend mounting the camera as high as possible, if you can, for a better view. 

I’ll end with my favorite, an antenna mount. Unscrew your antenna and install this mount. When paired with a 360 camera, it lets you get an exciting and unique view of your adventure. I got one of these and put a selfie stick on top of it, plus a 360 camera, to get the drone-like footage of the Rim Rock Drive video I linked above. How well this works is going to depend on your particular vehicle, however.

Read more: Best Tripod for Photography and Video in 2022

As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, airplane graveyards and more. 

You can follow his exploits on Instagram and YouTube. He also wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-sized submarines, along with a sequel.