I usually carry a 2L icewater bottle with me wherever I go, so I definitely have to minimize what I carry with me so I’m not lugging around 4-5kg around everywhere.
Generally, if I’m not looking for anything specific, that’ll just mean a very basic Jansport backpack with:
- A camera (D3300)
- One or two lenses (Sigma 105mm f/2.8 + Nikon 55-200mm)
- Small first aid kit (alcohol wipes, bandages, tweezers, antihistamine)
- High-power flashlight
However, if I’m in a damp enough region, I will bring my springtail kit, for photographing and collecting springtails, mites, pseudoscorpions, and other mesofauna:
- 3-4 10mL vials full of ethanol + glycerol for specimen killing and storage
- ultra-macro lenses (kludged-together stock Nikon 50mm with +50mm of extension tubes, and a proper 5x Laowa 25mm)
- plastic pipettes and paintbrushes to capture specimens (I need to make a proper pooter, I know)
- 5mm graph paper for photograph backgrounds
I almost always hike at sunset/night, so that eliminates the need for sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, etc. I’m weirdly lucky when it comes to bug bites, I’ve never had a problem with mosquitoes or ticks.