Organize Your Batteries (for Photo and Video)

Organize Your Batteries (for Photo and Video)

Storacell battery management

Here is a little help for organizing batteries for your photo/video equipment.

If your camera bag has an available pocket, perhaps you dedicate that pocket to loose batteries. If not, then maybe batteries haphazardly occupy nooks and crannies at the bottom of your bag. While I have often bundled four or more batteries using a simple elastic band, it has been unreliable; the band eventually breaks and the batteries randomly spill about.

My first solution is a filter pouch, which originally was included with a lens filter. Though the filter manufacturer never intended this little fabric pouch to hold a set of batteries, it functions well for that purpose. When empty, the pouch occupies almost no space in a pocket or in a bag. When full of eight Eneloop rechargables, it is still possible to loose the pouch entirely … which is my current dilemma. (I know it’s around here somewhere.)

battery pouch

The second solution is similar, but specifically designed to hold a set of batteries. The Indicator Pouch is divided into two compartments; each will hold four AA batteries or one camera battery, but a DSLR battery might be big enough that the Velcro closure isn’t entirely secure. Optionally, the green or red tag may be used to remind you whether the batteries are charged or discharged. Unlike my old filter pouch, the Indicator Pouch has belt loops on the back side.

Indicator Pouch

Finally, I like Storacell plastic battery holders; see the introductory photo. Different models are designed specifically for different size batteries. Available in a variety of colors, I use orange for AAA and yellow for AA.  The 12-cell AA holder is the perfect size to supply three speedlites.

A solution that I have not personally used is a plastic clamshell box for batteries. Vaguely, I imagine opening the clasp and then all the batteries simultaneously fall to my feet and roll across the floor.

Backpacking and Photography

Carrying a lot of heavy camera equipment on an overnight hiking trip … is a little crazy. It’s just too much weight. For a three-day backpack trip, you might need to carry 35 to 40 pounds of food, clothes, and camping equipment. Add to that 8 to 12 pounds of cameras and lenses, then another 8 pounds for a tripod, you are then carrying 60 pounds. I do not recommend it. That being said, I will do it on occaision to photograph remote locations.

But how to carry all this stuff? “Photo backpack” sounds perfect, but truthfully, these things are designed to carry camera equipment and not much else. Photo backpacks cannot carry all the food, clothing and camping equipment for overnight trips. A hiker’s backpack is necessary. I use a large backpack, stuff a camera bag inside of that, then make daytrips from camp, carrying only the smaller photo bag.

In the past, my camera bag on these trips has been a waist pack plus a small day pack. In fact, the LowePro Orion AW actually comes with both (at least mine did years ago). The waist pack allows fast access to camera equipment without removing a pack from my back.
For my upcoming trip, I will be using a Kata 3N1. This bag quickly converts from a two-shoulder backpack to a one-shoulder sling. On top of that, it has a small compartment at the top, just big enough for lunch and a jacket. Compared to the Orion AW waist bag, the small 3N1-10 is about the same capacity, while the larger 3N1-30 has twice the capacity and still provides fast access to equipment.

My large backpack is an old Kelty Super Tioga external frame pack. Because most hikers today use internal frame packs, most don’t realize that an external frame pack is still a good option in some cases. Some people seem to believe that external frame packs are relics from WWI and no longer manufactured today. Of course, this is false. Just as an example, the ancient and venerable Super Tioga lives on in 2009, though the name has changed. I recently ordered a replacement hip-belt for my Super Tioga, which simply is not possible with an internal frame pack.
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