What Gear Do Adventure Athletes and Filmmakers Carry?

By contrast, Matador Ambassadors — a collective of adventure athletes, filmmakers, photographers, and musicians — must take much more gear, and often make difficult gear choices with limited space and carrying capacity in the backcountry. Of course, some days are spent at home, on the computer, “geeking out” as Ben Ditto says, “checking the NOAA website” or “on Google Earth, looking at mountains, and dreaming of future adventures.” Ben notes that on these kinds of days, “the best equipment I own is a cast iron skillet and a french press.”

But it’s out in the field where Ben and these Ambassadors earn their living, and “every ounce of photo gear must be balanced out against the importance of having another piece of life-saving climbing gear, a warm jacket, or another thousand calories, and it all must fit into one carry-able load.”

It’s incredible seeing how much these athletes and photographers can take with them into the backcountry, and yet — through continually evolving technology — how little space their equipment actually takes up.

Colby Brown

Ryan Libre

Ryan Libre, 2010 Nikon Inspiration Award Winner, a 2011 Chapnick grantee from the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, a TED speaker, and a grantee of the Pulitzer Center. He can fit the entire list of gear below minus the solar charger in the single MontBell shoulder bag he's wearing in this shot.

MontBell shoulder bag · Fotofile lens cases attached to my belt when shooting · Fotofile “Backpack AW” · Nikon D7000 · Nikon 35mm 1.8 · Nikon 10-24mm · Nikon 85mm 1.8 · PL filters for all lenses · Nikon SB-700 flash · Foto-pro tripod · GoPro Hero 2 · Asus Netbook · (4) 32GB Transcend SD cards · 1TB external HD · HTC Wildfire phone · Zoom H1 hand recorder · Stereo mic with extension cord · Leatherman Skeletool CX · Brunton 26W folding solar panel

Ben Ditto

Ben Ditto (L) reaches places to photograph that few others can.

Nathan Myers

Longtime senior editor of SURFING Magazine, Nathan Myers is based in Bali and continues traveling the world making surf films.

Colin Delehanty

Katie Lambert

Katie Lambert is a world-class rock climber with over a dozen first female ascents across the Eastern Sierra.

Mammut 9.2 Revelation rope · Togir light harness · Quick draws/cams · Metolius Super Dry chalk · Clothes, shoes, headbands · Books, pens, pencils · Camera · The Dolt Kit · Water Black diamond chaos harness · Sterling rope · Static line or climbing rope · Petzl GriGri · Black Diamond NForce ascender · Metolius 5 step aider · Petzl Elios climbing helmet · Black Diamond ATC-Guide

Cody Forest Doucette

Cody Forest Doucette is Ambassadors coordinator and a multi-sport athlete / photographer, equally at home surfing barrels in Puerto Escondido or ski mountaineering in Alaska.

Shon Bollock | Pro Kayaker, Filmmaker | Santa Cruz, CA

Whitewater kayaking is a unique sport to pack for, as you’re trying to prepare for a multitude of disasters / activities. Since paddlers fit all gear inside their kayaks, it’s important for items to not only be light but compact and serve a key purpose in safety, survival, or (my personal favorite) comfort.

Off the water:
Sanuk Mason · Sungalsses · Hippy Tree hat · Extra base layer · Vargo Titanium · Super compact stove and cookware combo · Safety kit (You can never be too safe.)

****This post is brought to you in partnership between Matador and our friends at Intel, whose technology enables so much of the lifestyle in which we thrive. Join us in the conversation on Twitter with #IntelAlwaysOn