I am scatterbrained. I have a tendency to run out the door and discover later that my binoculars harness is somewhere else, so I have to carry my binoculars in my hand, or if the weather is cold I can stuff them in my coat pocket. Having a bag to carry gear between home and car is no guarantee that this won’t happen, but it helps.
In simpler times, a pair of binoculars, a field guide and a notebook and pencil were all I needed. Actually I didn’t bother with the writing implements – I just wrote down the species I saw later on, using the field guide to jog my memory if needed. Now that I am counting each individual and visiting multiple locations in a day (sometimes 10-20!), that isn’t feasible. Then there are the camera and spotting scope, and doo-dads to enhance their use. It’s inevitable that a bag would be needed to carry some of this stuff.
The bag itself is an 18” Craftsman tool bag with side pockets (but not enough pockets – never enough pockets!).
In the bag (in no particular order):
A set of Lenspens for cleaning binocular, camera and spotting scope lenses
A set of tick twisters for tick removal
Lyteshow electrolyte drops
Zeiss lens wipes
Toe warmers (charcoal, air-activated)
Extra camera lens cap since I lose stuff
Clean face masks
Digi 1st TC-04 Hand Tally Counter (for counting waterfowl) (actually 2 because I thought I had lost one [I hadn’t])
Binoculars (Nikon Monarch 7 8×42)
Camera (Nikon P950)
Extra Nikon camera battery (off-brand doesn’t work)
Camera (Canon R7 + 150-500 mm zoom lens)
Extra Canon battery
Snacks! Protein bars, apples, cheese, chocolate &c
Flashlight (with red light) for owling (this one’s battery recharges via a micro-usb jack!)
Extra flashlight in case the first one isn’t as charged up as I thought)
Phone
AYL Soundfit Portable Bluetooth speaker for owling during Christmas Bird Counts
Binocular harness (it came with the binoculars. I have to remember to take it off and put it my bag or leave it in the car before I go back into the house, otherwise it stays on my coat, then falls off the coat in the closet and stays behind when I go out again 😂 )
Update: better binocular harness!
Update: I have “modularized” the bag, so that I can have the doo-dads for a particular application stored together in a zipper pouch. It makes everything a lot easier to find.
Carried separately:
Kowa TSN-884 spotting scope
Kowa TSN EX-16 1.6x extender
Manfrotto MT190X3 tripod
Manfrotto MVH502AH tripod head
What’s missing? Fill me in in the comments!
Our birding tote bag also has a small first aid kit, bug spray and wipes as well as a meal kit (hand towels, utensils and small plates).
Tissues for a runny nose…or other potential needs. A small plastic baggie comes in handy in this case too.
Glasses and extra hearing aid batteries for those who need these supplemental sensory aids. Tylenol or ibuprofen can make the difference between paying attention to that fabulous bird or sitting on a log miserable. For some like me, a portable stool is a great help for bad knees, along with trekking poles.
I don’t carry a field guide when I’m in familiar places, but I’m heading out to exotic and wonderful birding countries these days and a field guide or three is worth the weight for me. I have been accused of bringing my library (by those who have never seen the number of field guides I own, ha!), but I notice that they are usually happy to look at them when I bring them out.
Thanks for these additional tips! It’s funny – I have some of these things in my car, but not in the bag. So if the car is in the shop (it happens to a 17 year-old vehicle sometimes) and I take the huz’s (electric!) car, I’m discombobulated. “What shall I do about this headache? Why can’t I read my map? If only I had my 3-legged stool!” I’m such a creature of habit, sometimes it’s quite frustrating. If I ever go on an organized trip, Sandra, I hope you’re there too!