Useful items in your bag (that other smart photographers forget)

[Ari]

A miniature screwdriver set with about 30 interchangeable heads for quick repair of the metal field or monorail.

[BrianHook]

A flashlight is an emergency tool that one must carry with him.

[Regular Rod]

+5.5 Reading glasses, just to slip on for under the cloth, faster than a loupe and lets you see all the ground glass without having to move almost out of the dark cloth to see it all.

RR

[DG 3313]

I store my film holders in Ziploc freezer bags to help with dust control and a penny to open the battery compartment of my Pentax spot meter.

Don

[Jody_S]

If and when the ice finally breaks up this spring (?), I will throw in a couple of handwarmers into my bag, just in case I fall through the ice again this year. Besides that, all I bring is a flashlight and a 6-pack. I also have an old dark cloth made from leatherette that is waterproof, I use that as a blanket when I have to sit or lie down on snow or ice.

I'm looking for something like a sled that I can pull on ice, and will double up as a floating catch-all for working in deeper water in the summer. As it is, I can only use 4x5 in deeper water because that's the heaviest bag I can safely hook onto my tripod while working.

[Joe O'Hara]

A plastic shower cap from the motel fits over the 4x5 if it's drizzling. And a short bungee cord that will stretch from the center column hook to the ground when I'm standing on it, for when it's windy. I also carry a plastic foam knee pad from the garden store because man those rocks get hard fast when you're kneeling on them trying to focus.

[AtlantaTerry]

There have been some interesting lists mentioned here with some items I had never thought of.

As for me:

Elastic sweat band.

A baseball cap with two LED lights built-in. Mine was a gift but they are available at camping stores and some hardware stores. The cap keeps your eyes shaded and you always have a flashlight with you to point the way when your hands are full or you are using a hiking pole.

For CREE LED flashlights, look into ones powered by an 18650 battery. This battery is based on battery technology first developed for laptop computers. They are rechargeable and pack a heck of a lot more power than 2 AA or AAA batteries. Plus, most 18650 flashlights have an SOS mode. Now any time I'm out and about I carry an 18650 LED flashlight in a ballistic Nylon case on my hip next to my cell phone which is in it's own ballistic Nylon case. It has come in handy many times when unexpected events occur in daily life. (At age 68 I'm still a geek. )

I purchase my 18650 LED flashlights from eBay vendors. Be sure to purchase the ballistic Nylon case from the same vendor so everything fits. Oh, and you will need an 18650 charger, too. The flashlights which are made of sturdy aluminum cost about US $8 to $10 and the batteries about $2 or $3 each.

Each of my 4x5 camera cases has it's own 18650 LED flashlight standing in a corner.

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I'm surprised no one mentioned a snake bite kit.

Also, I have seen advertised (but not used) straws with built-in filters that supposedly allow one to drink water from any source.

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Question: does anyone carry an FRS radio? Would they not be useful to receive weather reports or to call for help when out of range of cell phone towers?

[John Berry]

I have found that a quick police call of the area before I walk away makes sure that everything I have decided to put in my bag is there so I don't have to make a trip back.

[NancyP]

This is an interesting thread. Doremus Scudder and BrianK seem to be Eagle Scout material - you both have gotten your systems down.
People have mentioned screwdrivers, but my tripod (Feisol) and all the QR stuff I have use hex wrenches - always carried with the tripod.

Jody, could you look for a tiny inflatable or hard-shell plastic flat-bottom boat?

[Jody_S]

This is an interesting thread. Doremus Scudder and BrianK seem to be Eagle Scout material - you both have gotten your systems down.
People have mentioned screwdrivers, but my tripod (Feisol) and all the QR stuff I have use hex wrenches - always carried with the tripod.

Jody, could you look for a tiny inflatable or hard-shell plastic flat-bottom boat?

I was thinking of something much smaller, about the size of a large bassinet for washing babies, or perhaps a large collecting basin for oil changes. My gear is generally in a lawyer's style document case, I have one with wheels and a retractable handle, and one without. Plus a tripod, and sometimes a small bag of incidentals. I would consider a child's snow sled for winter use, but they don't have high enough sides to use on the water, and generally have holes for brakes or something as well.