1. NAV - Garmin 62st GPS, Silva Ranger compass, Suunto Vector watch (not shown), Los Angeles street maps

2. SUN - sunscreen, lipbalm, Oakley Flak Jacket eye pro

3. CLOTHES - Patagucci R1 balaclava, some kind of jacket preferably a softshell, sometimes my fedora (not pictured)

4. LIGHTS - Petzl eLite headlamp, Surefire L2 flashlight

5. FIRSTAID - Z-Fold Combat Gauze, Israeli battle dressing, gloves (not shown), some bandages inside Altoids kit, everything else is improvised using duct tape, safety pin (on keychain) and freezer bags

6. FIRE - Altoids survival kit (which contains scads of other crap)

7. REPAIR - Leatherman Skeletool multitool, Emerson folding knife, paracord, (Krazy glue, razor blades, sewing kit inside Altoids kit)

8. FOOD - whatever energy foods were last on sale, spork

9. HYDRATON - water bottle, insulated travel mug, purification tabs (inside Altoids kit)

10. SHELTER - usually just my jacket, but sometimes a big trash bag

11. SIGNALS - cell phone, charger, spare batt (inside Altoids kit)

12. ADMIN - notepad, 2x pens, keychain, wallet

13. HYGIENE - toothbrush, babywipes, hand sanitizer

14. MORALE/BOREDOM - flask, Kindle, playing cards, camera

pictured above is an an REI sling bag, but I have transitioned to an Emdom TNT messenger bag, a very generous birthday gift from my shooting buddies, as my daily commute bag, and an Osprey Manta 25 for anything on the trail less than an overnighter.

Items to add are trash bag, more toiletries, switch out bottles for 2x 1-liter bottles

As for the camera gear, the vast majority of my photos were taken with Nikon DSLRs, currently a D7000, some small-aperture stabilized zoom lens, mostly the 16-85 3.5-5.6 VR or a 10.5mm Fisheye.

If I have a use a tripod, it’ll be the 3-section Gitzo 0530 legs with Really Right Stuff BH25 ballhead, which only goes to about chest level for me, but the thing weighs in at under 2 lbs and fits in my carryon. If I pack a flash, chances are it’s a Nikon SB800, with a Really Right Stuff coldshoe adapter supported by my tripod, triggered wirelessly with my DSLR’s pop-up flash.

I try to keep the entire photo kit under 7 lbs.

ROAD BAG / BACKPACK

I also have a Mountainsmith 4-cube hauler with four sections.

CUBE 1 — (MISC)

This cube is the nearest to the rear of the vehicle tailgate and is subdivided into three sections

a) toiletry kit — an REI toiletry bag

b) trail bag — the stuff I throw in my daypack for a LONG day on the trail

c) electronics bag — spare batteries: a case of 12x CR123s (handheld and weapon mounted lights), plastic case of 8x AAs, plastic case of 6x AAAs (SPOT messenger, Petzl Tikka headlamp) and 2x CR2032s (Aimpoint rifle optic, Petzl eLite headlamp), chargers, camera cleaning gear, earbuds, etc.

d) everything else — big wad of duct tape, Leatherman bits, 

CUBE 2 (KITCHEN)

Jetboil cookset + extra cans
trash bags
baby wipes
travel mug
utensils, bottle openers
water purifier
hand sanitizer
~6 backpacking meals
any other food that doesn’t need refrigeration 

CUBE 3 (CLOSET)

gloves
softshell or hardshell jacket (depending on environment)
1 spare change of base layers (socks, t-shirt, boxerbriefs)
camp sandals
ball cap
any other clothing-type stuff (if for some reason I’m on a roadtrip and need a suit, dress boots and suit, tie, pocket squares, dress belt and watch will go here in lieu of outdoorsey stuff) 

CUBE 4 (BEDROOM)

tent
sleeping bag
mattress
camp lantern