If you have a special landscape photographer in your life and you’re not sure what to get them for Christmas, here are a few practical ideas to get you started. This list is based on years of spending long days out in the wet and cold. Over time, I’ve learned a bit about what works and what doesn’t, and the items on the list below have served me very well.
Flannel shirts are a staple of any outdoorsman’s wardrobe. They’re warm, durable, and comfortable. I happen to like Woolrich products quite a bit, but anything well-made will do. The one above is a nice heavy weight, there are lighter weight options, and shirts with a lining, too.
I like ivy caps because they’re a little bit more stylish than a beanie or a hunter’s cap. Get one with earflaps: they tuck underneath the hat when you don’t need them, but they’re good to have. Even with a hat like this, you might still need a hood when it gets really cold. As an urban outdoorsman, I wear my ivy cap to brunch, Whole Foods, and to play bocce ball at Floyd New York 1, as well when I’m out for a day out in the woods.
I think the Carhartt quilt-lined jacket is probably the best jacket you can buy for active outdoor work. I have a nicer wool coat that I wear during the week, but I wear this jacket when I know I’m going to get dirty. It’s rugged, warm, and reasonably weatherproof. I have had nylon jackets that were more weatherproof than this, but I tend to rip them up when I’m out in the brambles.
A good fleece vest adds an additional layer of warmth for those really cold days without adding too much bulk. I wear a heavy backpack and need to be flexible while I’m out, so this vest has become a staple.
Gloves have long been a problem for me. Bulky gloves limit my ability to work, but thin gloves do not keep me warm enough. I just discovered these neoprene gloves on Cool Tools, so I haven’t had the chance to test them throughout an entire winter yet. I can say from my first few uses that I like them a lot already. They are warm, waterproof, and less bulky than other kinds of gloves. The only downside is that they make my hands smell a bit rubbery. Apparently hunters have known about these for years. I find them very useful because I can write and adjust my camera without taking them off. Ever try to pull a darkslide with regular snow gloves on? Trust me, it doesn’t work.
Silk underwear from Lands’ End. Just trust me on this one.
Smartwool socks: warm in the winter, but versatile enough for the spring and fall, too. I like to keep a second pair in the car in case my feet get wet while I’m out. Sierra Trading Post offers good deals on these socks.
Equally important are warm shoes. My Bogs are my most treasured piece of outdoor gear. They’re made of neoprene, which is what wet suits are made from. They’re completely waterproof, and surprisingly warm. These aren’t hiking boots, but they’re great for mucking around on a frosty morning. If you’re going to do some serious time in the mush, you might want to look at these, which are a bit more rugged. Either way, you will not regret owning a pair of Bogs.
I’m not kidding, I love my plaid ties. Obviously these are for more formal occasions, but they still give off the vibe that says “Hey, I’m an urban outdoorsman.” Lands’ End is having a sale on these, in fact, spend some time in the Land’s End overstock section, there are some very good deals to be found.
Now to make the switch from clothes to tools, here are some of the tools that I keep on hand, regardless of the season.
This one might seem a bit obvious, but I am constantly surprised by how useful a Swiss Army Knife can be. You have to stick with the name brand here, please don’t cheap out on this one. I’ve used mine to to unlock a stuck shutter on a Hasselblad, bend a jammed cable release back into place, remove splinters, and sharpen pencils. Small, light, and useful: exactly the kind of thing you want in your bag.
The iPhone might not be a practical item for everyone, but it has revolutionized my life in the field. Maps, GPS, digital camera, compass, weather: all crucial information that I now have at a moment’s notice. Here are a few of the apps that I find useful for landscape photography:
If I had to choose two applications that I couldn’t live without, it would be Google Maps and Weather Bug Elite. Having instant access to highly detailed weather reports and radar has changed my life. OffMaps allows you to download maps and use them offline, which has come in handy more than once. The built-in stopwatch is also helpful for long-exposures, and has replaced the dedicated digital timer I used to carry. The one downside to the iPhone is that it doesn’t work without gloves. I have been considering an iPhone stylus to overcome that small problem.
Thankfully I haven’t needed this storm whistle yet, but it’s cheap, light, incredibly loud, and seems like a good thing to have around in case I ever fall off a cliff. Hopefully I’ll have some gorp with me too, and maybe an e-book to read on my iPhone while I wait for rescuers.
And while I’m stuck in that crevasse awaiting rescue, I’ll be enjoying a hot cup of tea! Contigo claims that this cup will keep liquids warm for up to four hours, which is probably a stretch, but let’s just say that it’s incredibly pleasant to enjoy a toasty beverage after an hour or two out in the snow.
You gotta have a water bottle, and I’m not too keen on the idea of plastic. After a couple of years of use, mine is pretty beat up, but it will probably last forever.
This is one of those products that was not at all obvious to me, but now I can’t live without. The Burt’s Bees On The Move Kit comes with all three of my favorite Burt’s Bees products. I knew all about lip balm, but discovering hand salve was a wonderful day for me. How often do you come in from the cold with your hands all dry and cracked? I keep this stuff in the car (the lip balm is in my backpack at all times) and salve up regularly.
Ball bungees and carabiners go hand in hand. I would add zip ties and gaffer’s tape to this list, too. Whether it’s hanging my backpack off of my tripod to keep it off the ground or just looking for a place to clip my light meter for a few minutes, I have several of these floating around in my bag at any given time and find them incredibly useful.
It’s not a fanny pack, it’s a waist pack! Well, whatever you call it, I don’t care how it looks, it’s dead useful. I carry a backpack and a small canvas shoulder bag for my film holders, and yet I still needed a place to stick a few essentials like my light meter, my focusing loupe, my notebook, and anything else that I needed to keep handy. I never thought I’d say this, but I really do love my waist pack.
An all-weather notebook and pen are essential. I have ruined a few Moleskine notebooks before their time by dropping them in a puddle or using them in the rain. These tactical notebooks are smaller, but just a few dollars. You can get bigger ones too. I prefer to use a pencil, but mechanical pencils jam and break and traditional pencils need sharpening. Having a pen that can write upside-down and is guaranteed not to leak is a good replacement.
My wife taught me about the genius of the headlamp. This isn’t something to keep in your bag for everyday use, probably, but it comes in very handy for night photography. Trying to adjust a view camera with a flashlight in one hand just isn’t very fun at all. This is probably one of the more ridiculous things you can wear, though (especially when coupled with the fanny pack waist pack above), so it’s understandable if you choose a regular flashlight over this one. A cellphone works in a pinch; if you’re using an iPhone there are dozens of free flashlight apps, or just open your Safari browser to a blank page.
So, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree with any of my choices? Did I miss anything? What are some of your favorite outdoor products that I should put on my own wish list?
The urban outdoorsman in his natural habitat
