4 Handy Items to Keep in Your Camera Bag

Monday 29 December 2025, 16:08 by Nando Harmsen | 4,448 views | 18 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

To take photographs, you need a camera and lens. Perhaps a few other things too, such as a flash, tripod or filters. What you take with you depends on what you are going to photograph. I have four handy items that you should really always carry with you.

Having to carry them is of course a strong statement. But it can be useful to always have these four things in your bag. I am not talking about a spare battery or memory card. I mean less obvious items.

1. A multi-tool

You know them, the complicated multi-tools from Victorinox or Leatherman. They can be relatively large and heavy. They often have enough tools built in for a plumber or DIY enthusiast.

No more loose Allen keys
That is not what I mean. I mean a simple multi-tool like the one from SmallRig. They replace all the loose Allen and Torx keys that wander around in your bag. I wrote an article about it before.

2. A torch

You need light to take photographs. If you are in dark situations, it can also be useful to have some extra light with you that is not needed for the photograph, but for yourself. A torch is handy then. Preferably a good one, as those are reliable and often more useful.

A good torch is always handy to have to hand.
Use it to rummage around in your bag in a dark room. Use it if you end up photographing in nature for longer than expected and dusk has fallen. Or if you go out in the evening.

3. A tea towel

Take along the familiar tea towel that has already been washed many times. You normally use this kind of cloth to dry your beer or wine glasses, and other glassware. It also works perfectly for the glass on lenses.

A tea towel is perfect for removing drops or dust from the lens
A well-washed tea towel does not shed fibres, absorbs moisture perfectly, and you can also use it very well to dry your camera or lens. It works infinitely better than the expensive microfibre cloths, because they do not absorb moisture.

4. A notepad and pen

There are situations where you want to make a quick note. You can do that on your smartphone, but writing something down is often quicker and easier. Or you can give someone a note, an address or a website.

Business cards and a working pen in the bag.
You can of course also use business cards instead of a notepad. Just make sure there are enough in your bag. This is something I am often short of. Time to take my own advice. Oh yes, make sure the pen works.

Are there any other items?

You may not need some of these items very often. But you can guarantee that the moment will come as soon as you take them out of your bag. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, as the saying goes.

Having useful items in your bag is good, but do not overdo it.
There may well be more of these small items that come in handy when you go out. Do you know of any more? Perhaps something very specific, or something very general. Share them in a comment below this post.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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18 comments

Mac wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 08:34 | reply
Garbage bag.

A large one so you can put it on damp ground, and then sit on it when taking low-angle photos.

and a small one. If you come across some litter in nature, you can pick it up and put it in that small garbage bag.
Translated from Dutch.

Wouter Vroom wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 11:07 | reply
- small roll of toilet paper
- (blister) plasters/tick card/DEET
Translated from Dutch.

sjef Silvertand wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 12:08 | reply
Instead of a pen, it is better to take a pencil. In cold weather and moisture, it still works, but a a pen does not.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 6 January 2026 at 09:29 | reply
Good point.
Speaking of points... a pencil sharpener is useful too, because if the point is broken...
Translated from Dutch.

Henri Faile wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 12:34 | reply
a grey card is always handy for the right color
Translated from Dutch.

Ad Bervoets wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 12:49 | reply
This is also always in my bag: thin tent peg + clothespin (handy for fixing a twig or flower for macro photos), spare glasses, air blower for dust, plastic bag(s)
Translated from Dutch.

Ans wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 12:57 | reply
Take a pencil with you,
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 13:08 | reply
Instead of a flashlight, a headlamp.
Instead of a tea towel, a large lens cloth.
Not to forget a filter set.
Translated from Dutch.

Corinne de Kroon wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 13:42 | reply
Everything you mentioned I also usually have in my bag as standard.
What I almost always also carry is an extra SD card. Weighs nothing and I've already needed it once. And often a small bar and small bottle of water, because you're often out longer than you thought beforehand.
Translated from Dutch.

Bernard wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 14:56 | reply
On a photo safari I take as little as possible with me to avoid lugging and hauling around stuff you might need. For me: a small camera bag, camera body and one or two lenses, but in any case an extra 64GB memory card, because if there's something you can find yourself short of...
Translated from Dutch.

J. van Hamond wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 17:52 | reply
A 20-cent coin to tighten your tripod head more firmly under your camera
Translated from Dutch.

Guill. wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 19:33 | reply
A small first aid kit with contents, bandages, iodine, etc. It's so easy to prick yourself on a blackberry bush.
Translated from Dutch.

Jos wrote on Wednesday 31 December 2025 at 02:59 | reply
I never go without a lens pen. Also one or two microfiber cloths. Notebook, ballpoint pen, pencil, small Swiss Army knife, blower bulb and brush (actually a small paintbrush). Glasses wipes (because I wear glasses) and wet wipes for dirty hands, so my gear stays clean. For long outings I also take a power bank (and cable!) with me. Obviously spare batteries and memory cards, but that goes without saying.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 6 January 2026 at 09:30 | reply
That's quite a collection...
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Wilfried wrote on Wednesday 31 December 2025 at 11:30 | reply
a foil thermal blanket.
Can provide protection against heat, cold, serve as a reflector screen and you can use it as ground cover on the ground to stay dry and clean
Translated from Dutch.

Jos wrote on Wednesday 31 December 2025 at 15:10 | reply
As standard, I go out with 2 extra SD cards and 2 batteries (in a belt bag). If an SD card goes bad, I will prevent it from being used any further. On the PC I can still recover data, but that chance is greater if nothing else is written to it.
Translated from Dutch.

John Patrick Nan wrote on Wednesday 31 December 2025 at 21:00 | reply
The little lamp is of course excellent, a headlamp even better but in my opinion indispensable: make sure that the lamp can also be set to "red"; it doesn't dazzle and is certainly less disturbing when you are photographing in the dark with others.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 6 January 2026 at 09:28 | reply
A few comments
If you're alone, a headlamp is no problem. If you're with a group, it's a nightmare. The beam of light goes in all directions and bothers everyone around you.
Red light is only meant to protect your own night vision. Red light is a disaster, however (especially in a group) because the camera does see it, and it's virtually impossible to remove it decently from the photo.
So use it when it makes sense, and from experience I know that it rarely does.
Translated from Dutch.

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