leftj Loc: Texas

Keep it simple. Settle on one camera to take and one or two lenses. Then you will have fun shooting instead of spending all your time trying to figure out which camera and lens combo to use.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I'm 75 and I travel with 4 DSLRs and 7 extra batteries. One charger. I take my 200-500, 24-70, 70-200 and 105g. Plus a couple of others in my suitcase along with a tripod. I am not a minimalist traveler. I just finished a trip to NYC to San Diego to Phoenix to Austin to Midland. Two weeks, flying. I'll take a bigger suitcase next time. I'd rather leave clothing behind than cameras or equipment.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I guess I'm lucky (but I did plan it that way) in that all three of my bodies use the same battery. I have five of them and I rotate them. Always (unless I forget) take a spare with me. I have two, two-bay chargers, not because I need to charge that many batteries, but because I don't want my eggs in only one basket! Best of luck.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Your situation is unique because of the different model camera bodies you own. I'm sure you will figure something out as to how to keep the fully charged and the depleted batteries apart. No, there's not going to be a universal charger for those completely different models of battery.

When I'm out and about I usually carry one fresh battery in my pocket and have a fresh one in the camera. I've never needed more than 2 batteries for an all day event.
But if I were doing star photography late at night I might keep more fully charged batteries close by because of the long exposures expected in that kind of photography.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

I've never had any of your cameras and shoot with a Canon 60D. I have two batteries, one marked Canon (it came with the camera, the other is a Japanese); both purchased in June 2015. I alter them in the camera, but generally keep the spare in my pocket if I'm going out for the day. I seldom shoot 100's of shots a day unless I'm on an organized shoot or perhaps a cruise, so I generally recharge when the indicator on the camera shows less than 50%, but I don't let it get down to the 25% level per the camera meter. If I'm going out the next day I check both batteries the night before and recharge if needed. Fewer re-charges seem to yield longer life (all types of batteries)-- I can't tell the difference between my two batteries in charging or use. If a battery goes totally dead from just sitting in you camera bag, it's probably on its way to being toast! Masking or electricians' tape is a good thing to cover the terminals when in storage if you don't have terminal caps.

Unless you are going to Europe where some countries still have 220 volt house hold system and perhaps some places in Aftica, I think you would be hard pressed to not find 120V and possibly 5.0v USB outlets in motel/hotel rooms. Radio Shack used to stock universal charger, but I think you will have to try Best Buy, or Amazon these days

Amielee Loc: Eastern Washington State

Walmart and Hobby Lobby sell small zip lock bags just the right size for small batteries. Walmart is $1.00 for 100. I use them for the batteries I use. 3 batteries for each camera. One battery to a bag. Contacts up = charged. Contacts down = discharged. My eneloops go two to a bag, same system up/down. I write on the plastic bag the camera the battery goes to. Even smaller 1” x 1” bags are used for SD chips. Write info on bags with a fine Sharpie marker. Never had a problem with air or ship travel.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Just mark your batteries, or just place them in a certain direction into your "storage compartment", or whatever, easy to do (up-side down for empty, right side up for full for an example, there are so many ways to do this! Just think of something that is easy for you to repeat (to make a habit of)! I do have so many rechargeable AA batteries for my flashes, etc. for example, I have them all in battery caddy's and I place them in a certain direction in those if they are discharged, in the other direction if they are fully charged. That way I know ( with just one peek) were I am!

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

It's certainly a good idea to mark batteries and monitor their usage and charging cycles and clearly indicate which batteries are charged and ready for use and which ones require charging- it's commons sense and good procedure.

Back in the olden days, cameras, even those with electronic metering and shutters could be used in the event of battery failure. An external meter could be pressed into service or the photographer could just use their experience and, bracketing, the old f/16 rule and their own instincts to guesstimate exposure. There was usually one shutter speed that would would continue to operate mechanically even if the electronics failed. Nowadays, of course as we all know, if the battery dies the entire system shuts down and the camera becomes entirely inoperative.

With that in mind, it is obvious that spare batters are an essential part of every serious photographer's kit, especially when traveling. Compared to the cost of our high end cameras and lenses, the price of batteries is relatively low and having enough spares will not be a major investment. They are not all that heavy or bulky enough create a problem in packing and transporting them.

Batteries and energy storage has become very advanced in the last number of years. Some of the old gremlins about battery life and reliability have been most probably been minimized or negated by theses advancements. I is, however, a good practice to do a bit of research and make cretin that you know about the characteristics of your batteries in such areas as “memory”, maintenance, expected longevity and issues that may occur if the are left dormant for long periods etc. There used to be only a few kinds of disposable batteries and one or two types of rechargeable types - nowadays there are dozens of newfangled formulations- the are great but it pays to understand exactly what you are dealing with. Other specifications are charging rates in mil-amperes, voltage to investigate and ensure that you have the correct chargers for the batteries you are using. The chargers that are dedicated to the camera/manufacturer should, of course, be correct as long as they operating properly. Many of theses same precautions and procedures also pertain the batteries used in electronic flash units and other accessories.

Since my camera and flash units are used professionally, they get more than average usage and there are long duty cycles- long running jobs. My own procedures are to keep track of the age and usage of each battery and when they nearing the end of their expected life or beginning to hold less of a charge and yielding less exposures or flashes per charge, I relegate them to light duty in-studio usage on and finally retire them.

A visit to the stationery supplier will reveal a wondrous selection of labels, stickers, colorful “dots” in every hue in the spectrum, every manner of markers, white board and black boards- choose your weapons and keep track. You can even create a computer program!To simplify things, I just use those “jailhouse” lines that prisoners used to cross off the days in the old movies, on some of my batteries, to indicate charging cycles. It only takes seconds and prevents becoming lazy about logging in too much information.

Y'all may argue that my procedures are overkill but in my longtime involvement in photography and what I learned from running a side business in electronic flash repairs, custom builds and modifications is this: Even the best of equipment , even new and fresh out of the box, can unceremoniously drop dead and usually at the most inopportune times. This never seems to happen in the studio or on any kind of casual shoot. I am talking- like in the midst of a wedding coverage, a fashion or commercial job where big model or stylist fess are going down- with a crazy deadline or even on a vacation in some godforsaken forest.

You gotta carry spare “everything”!

Better safe than sorry.

steve40 Loc: Asheville/Canton, NC, USA

I have on of these, as near to a universal charger as you can get.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1200134-REG/ansmann_1001_0020_us_powerline_vario_charger_for.html

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Mark, I use those little plastic battery covers on my batteries. I take them off to install into the camera and it NEVER goes back on until the battery is fully charged.
My flash batteries are rubber banded together in sets of 4 when charged. Again when they’re exhausted they STAY lose till they are charged. If they’re banded, they’re fully charged.
Have a great trip!!!
SS

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Most of us who have been doing this for a while have personal methods. For cameras I do something similar to this with the plastic cap except I keep my new and exhausted camera batteries in pouches made by Lens Coat. For flashes, I use small, clear, plastic battery 'boxes'. In addition to that my flash batteries are labeled so that they remain in their sets of four. Lots of ways to accomplish this. Best of luck.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

When I buy a new battery, I label it with the date of purchase and a sequential number. When traveling, I carry two batteries for each camera; one in the camera and the spare in a ThinkTank battery wallet. When I change a battery, the fresh battery comes out of the wallet and the exhausted battery goes into the wallet. I also carry a charger for each battery type.

If you carry more that one spare, use multiple battery wallets, one identified for fresh and the other for used batteries.