Our camera and backpacking gear
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Camera gear
Vlogging equipment:
Our main vlogging camera is the GoPro Hero 11 Black. We use it not only for underwater shots but for shots anywhere (unless it’s a low light situation). The image quality is great in bright surroundings and the stabilization is fantastic. Another great attribute of the GoPro is the fact that the camera is so small, it fits easily into your pocket. And that also means that you can film and most people won’t even notice. We love that because it helps us getting more natural shots of people around. And we are minimalist travelers so having a compact camera is essential to us.
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The other vlogging cameras that we use is the Canon EOS RP (RF24-105mm Lens)for low light situations or when we need to film focusing or zooming on something particular and the Insta 360 Go2 (the smallest action camera in the world) for some b-roll scenes.
Drone:
We are currently using the DJI Mavic Mini 3 and we are very happy with it. Our first drone was the DJI Mavic Pro and after using it for over a year it had a motor failure while flying in Indonesia and it fell into the ocean. After that we bought the DJI Mavic Air and even though we were able to get good shots with it the WIFI signal was not the best and we were not able to fly too far without having connection issues. Because of that we decided to buy the DJI Mavic Air 2 in 2020 and we really liked it. After using it for 3 years we decided to get a newer model mainly because of the weight. In 2023 we bought our current drone which is the DJI Mavic Mini 3. It weights less than 259g and the image quality is fantastic. Based on our experience, that’s the drone that we recommend.
Photography equipment:
For the pictures that we post on our Instagram account we use our Canon EOS RP (RF24-105mm Lens), our iPhone 12 Pro, our Iphone 14 Pro and our GoPro Hero 11.
Laptops and editing software:
Chris was using a Dell XPS 15" since the beginning of our channel (2017) to edit our videos but he switched to the Macbook Pro 16". He used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the videos from 2017 until mid-2021 but he has recently switched to Apple’s video editor Final Cut Pro.
Carol used to have a HP Spectre x360 13" but she recently switched to the Macbook Air 13”. Even though her laptop is not ideal for editing high quality videos (due to its specs) she uses it without issues to plan our trips, edit some short videos (Reels and Shorts), work on some Jumping Places projects and, of course, watch movies and series.
Storage equipment:
Besides all the cameras and laptops, another thing that is crucial while making vlogs is having reliable storage to keep our video and photo files safe. We have been using two WD 4TB Elements Portable External Hard Drives since the beginning of our travels and after some time one of them stopped working. Luckily the one that broke was not the main one that we were using to save our videos so it wasn’t a big issue for us. But since we didn’t want to risk it again we bought a portable SSD. It is triple the price of an external hard drive but it is supposed to be way more reliable and resistant. The portable SSD that we currently use is the SanDisk 2TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD.
Click HERE to see and shop other items of our camera gear on our Amazon store
Backpacking gear
We have just upgraded our backpacking gear (January 2024)! Our new main "backpacks" (well, they are wheeled luggage with straps that convert them into backpacks) are the Osprey Daylite Carry-On 40L Wheeled Travel Duffel Bags. We really enjoy them so far because they are very spacious, carry-on size and you can either roll them or carry as a backpack. Click HERE to check it out.
Other backpacking and travel gear that we use can be found in our Amazon Store.
Carol's curly hair products:
Since we're always visiting different countries in the world, what I use for my hair is always changing but here are some of my favorite products:
My favorite Curl cream of all times is called “Creme de Pentear Nutritivo Crespo Power” from a Brazilian brand called Apice. Unfortunately they are only available for purchase in Brasil as of now. This product does miracles in my curls. Link: https://www.apicecosmeticos.com.br/collections/crespo-power/products/creme-de-pentear-500g
African Pride Moisture Miracle Curl Cream. This is what I currently use to style my hair. Since my curls are very thick I need a product that's "heavy” to be able to deeply nourish it and this works really well. One thing that helps me a lot to make my curls look nice and defined is to style my hair when it's very wet. Not just damp but dripping wet. Link: https://amzn.to/3O06DRh
PATTERN Strong hold gel. This is perfect to use to keep my curl very defined and pretty much frizz-free. I use this in small quantities together with the curling cream. Link: https://amzn.to/3ChClH4
For shampoos and conditioners I am not very picky. I prefer Low Poo products as I feel they leave my hair less dry, but they are hard to find in most countries.
Cantu Shea Butter Intensive Repair Mask: Whenever I find this on stores around the world I buy and use this hair mask twice a month as an intense conditioning treatment. https://amzn.to/3UERdpd