Outdoor Photography Gear Calculator
Camera and lens kit weight from shooting objectives.
About this calculator
This calculator tallies a realistic outdoor photography kit weight by summing camera body, lenses (number of lenses times average lens weight), tripod, and a fixed allowance for accessories (filters, cleaning kit, cables, charger, at 1.5 lb) and a camera bag/insert (2 lb) — figures that stay constant regardless of your other inputs since they change little between kits. It also reports a "hiking kit weight" that subtracts the tripod, since many photographers leave the tripod behind or in a base camp for on-trail shooting and only need to know their lighter, more mobile pack weight. Battery and storage needs are driven by your total expected shot count (shots per day times shooting days): batteries are sized at roughly 400 shots per charge for a typical mirrorless body, each weighing about 0.2 lb, while storage assumes about 25 MB per RAW image or 8 MB per JPEG, converted to gigabytes and then rounded up to a number of 64 GB memory cards.
RAW files preserve far more editing latitude than JPEG but roughly triple the storage math, so switching formats meaningfully changes how many cards to pack. All of these are planning estimates built on typical gear weights and shot-rate assumptions — your actual camera, lenses, and shooting habits (burst mode, video, bracketing) can shift the real numbers, so use this as a starting checklist rather than an exact pack-weight guarantee.
Inputs
Results
Total kit weight (lb)
10.7
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your camera body weight, number of lenses, and average lens weight in pounds.
- Enter tripod weight, or set it to 0 if you won't be bringing one.
- Enter shooting days and estimated shots per day, then choose RAW or JPEG image format.
- Review total kit weight and hiking kit weight (kit weight without the tripod) in pounds.
- Check batteries needed and how many 64 GB memory cards to bring for the trip.
How the result changes with Tripod weight (lb)
| Tripod weight (lb) | Total kit weight (lb) |
|---|---|
| 1.5 | 9.2 |
| 2.25 | 10 |
| 4.5 | 12.2 |
| 7.5 | 15.2 |
What each input means
- Camera body (lb)
- Camera body weight in pounds.
- Number of lenses
- How many lenses you plan to carry.
- Average lens weight (lb)
- Average weight per lens. Standard zoom ~1.3 lb, telephoto ~3 lb.
- Tripod weight (lb)
- Tripod weight. Travel tripods ~2 lb, full-size ~4–5 lb. Set to 0 if not bringing one.
- Shooting days
- Number of days you will be shooting.
- Shots per day
- Estimated number of photos per day.
- Image Format
- File format affects storage needs.
What each result means
- Total kit weight (lb)
- Complete camera kit weight including bag and accessories.
- Hiking kit (lb)
- Kit weight without tripod for on-trail shooting.
- Total lens weight (lb)
- Combined weight of all lenses.
- Batteries needed
- Number of batteries for the trip (~400 shots per battery).
- Storage needed (GB)
- Total memory card storage needed.
- 64 GB cards needed
- Number of 64 GB memory cards to bring.
- Total shots
- Total number of photos expected for the trip.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersCamera body (lb) = 1.2, Number of lenses = 2, Average lens weight (lb) = 1.3, Tripod weight (lb) = 3 = 7 input(s) provided
- Calculate Total kit weightTotal kit weight = cameraBodyLb + lensWeight + tripodLb + accessoryWeight + bagWeight + batteryW...10.7 = 10.7
- Calculate Hiking kitHiking kit = totalKitWeight - tripodLb7.7 = 7.7
- Calculate Total lens weightTotal lens weight = numLenses * avgLensLb2.6 = 2.6
Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the 'hiking kit weight' different from total kit weight?
Hiking kit weight is simply total kit weight minus your entered tripod weight — the calculator assumes many photographers leave the tripod at basecamp or skip it entirely for on-trail shooting, so this figure shows the lighter pack weight you'd carry without it. Setting tripod weight to 0 makes both figures identical, since there's nothing left to subtract.
How are the number of batteries and memory cards calculated?
Batteries are sized at about 400 shots per charge (your shots-per-day times shooting days, divided by 400, rounded up), and each battery adds 0.2 lb to the kit. Storage assumes 25 MB per RAW image or 8 MB per JPEG, converts your total expected shots to gigabytes, then rounds up to the nearest number of 64 GB cards needed.
Why does switching from JPEG to RAW change my card count so much?
RAW files are estimated at about 25 MB per shot versus 8 MB for JPEG — roughly triple the size — so the same shot count produces roughly triple the total storage requirement, and correspondingly more 64 GB cards needed. RAW preserves far more editing latitude in post-processing, but this calculator makes that storage tradeoff explicit in card count.
Are the accessory and bag weights adjustable?
No — accessories (filters, cleaning kit, cables, charger) are fixed at 1.5 lb and the camera bag/insert is fixed at 2 lb regardless of your other inputs, since these tend to vary less between different photography kits than bodies, lenses, or batteries do. If your actual bag or accessory kit is notably heavier or lighter, adjust the total kit weight figure manually.
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