Camera/sound gear is like your 1st Aid Kit – personal, location-specific, outcome-driven and iterative.
See my Personal, Day, Night & 1st Aid Gear List Recommendations

As of May 2026, it surprised me how out of date some ‘recent’ posts were about the state of play in electronics. The key points of difference were;
- Charging was available at all places, and no additional charge was requested (just make sure you have an international adapter and your leads are at least 50cm, as the power points are usually halfway up the wall. I would still take a 20K, as I was charging a drone, a phone, an Insta360 camera, headphones, and Garmin gear.
- Power backup Option. If you use an Insta360 and have the Utility Fast Charge Case (+ two 2,400mAh batteries), you do have a powerbank of sorts…. but note that while the camera batteries total 4,800mAh at their internal 3.85V, the case has to boost that voltage to 5V (or higher for Power Delivery fast charging) to feed your phone. Because of energy loss during this conversion, you only get an effective output of roughly 2,600-2,800 mAh at the charging cable.
- Wifi was largely available, again at no extra charge. It was down at a couple of places due to power issues, and could be slow depending on user demand
- Make sure you have a means to waterproof your electronics – goes without saying……
Cameras
- Insta360 X5, selfie stick, action mount, tripod mount, single battery, microSD V30 256GB
- Canon R5 Mk2 (45MP full frame), RF 70-200 f/4, RF16-28 f/2.8, 3 batteries (one + backup would have been fine), CF Express 512GB *2
- Samsung S26 Ultra (200MP main wide lens f/1.4, 50MP ultrawide lens f/1.9 with macro capability, 50MP 5x telephoto lens f/2.9, and a 10MP 3x telephoto lens.
- DJI Mavic 3, controller, spare blades, charger, 3 batteries (one + backup would have been fine), and a 256 GB microSD V30.
Miscellaneous
- Noise-cancelling headphones (plane)
- Rechargeable head torch
- Corded earplugs. I had used these on the Larapinta to save power, but it wasn’t worth the inconvenience of a dangling cord on the Manaslu Circuit and AirPods or similar would have been a more practical option, given that power sources were not limited
- 20K Nitcore powerbank
- Miscellaneous USB-A, C, Micro, Garmin cables
- Universal charging adapter. The Type G (UK), which features the three rectangular prongs, provided the most stable electrical connection and was widely available.
- Garmin Enduro3 and Garmin inReach mini
- Katadyn Steripen. Very useful for sterilising water at the base and on the go. Water was widely available with good clarity; it just required sterilisation.
- Tripod

