My super lightweight travel YouTube setup#Super
In a previous post I wrote about my full size YouTube travel camera setup. In situations where I’m taking a lot of kitesurfing gear, I might have to pack less camera gear for it all to fit. This is the super light setup I take with me when I’ve got to go as minimal as possible.
Camera
iPhone cameras are great. If you’re just starting out on YouTube, you should be filming on your phone. I’ve been filming more and more on my iPhone because the workflow is just so much easier, and I always have it with me. I shoot using the filmic pro camera app, mostly because it keeps the footage separate from my camera roll on my phone. I don't want to mix my personal footage with my YouTube footage. There are a lot of controls and options with the filmic app, I’ve just found that I don't want to mess with most of them. One thing I do use is the feature that lets me use my Apple Watch or my iPad as a monitor to see what is being filmed on my phone.
The other app that I love is the Final Cut Pro camera app. It’s a bit confusing because you might think that it was a competitor to the filmic app, but ultimately it's just good for filming multi camera settings and syncing them quickly. I can shoot with my iPad camera, and two iPhones, and the footage immediately syncs to the iPad for quick editing. This is an incredibly fast workflow.
Action camera
When I have to pack light, I bring the GoPro 11 mini. It doesn’t have a screen, but I’ve been shooting with GoPros enough to be able to film without missing the screen too much. It has almost all of the features of the bigger GoPro 12 but it’s a bit lighter and has a smaller psychical shape which fits much more easily in a pocket.
Tripod
The Moment MagSafe mount tripod is the single best MagSafe mount I’ve ever used. I’ve tried countless times to find cheaper replacements, but the magnets are never quite as a strong. I love using this thing to mount my iPhone very quickly to a tripod. Below you can see a Oben table tripod, with a small tripod head, and the Moment MagSafe tripod mount.
Mic
For a mic, I still mostly rely on my DJI Wireless mics version 1 ($139). They work great on the iPhone, and I can use them with a lav or a shotgun mic. If I need to have a shotgun mic with me on a trip where I have to pack extra light, then I bring the Sennheiser MK200 ($75). It’s small, sounds great, has built in wind protection, and comes with a really effective additional wind muffler ( I'm filming kitesurfing so it’s always windy).
Monitor
The iPad is a pretty light weight option, and one that I often have with me even when I’m packing minimal gear. But that doesn’t mean I need it. In a pinch, in ultralight situations, the Apple Watch can act as a monitor that’s good enough to make sure that I’m at least in frame.
SD card holder
When I have to pack really light, I still want organization so that it’s extremely clear which cards are empty and which cards are full and should not be deleted. The lightest option I’ve found is these SD cardholders that are the size of credit cards. I get one color for empty / delete cards and one red color for cards that are full and should not be deleted.
Camera bag
I typically don’t bring an actual camera bag. If I need a pack that I can throw my camera gear in, then I’ve got a light weight travel pack that I can put in a suitcase. My version is a Tufa Mochilla that I don’t think they make anymore, but you can get something like this from Patagonia or this Fjallraven.
