Portable Photo Backup Options for Travelers

I review a few photo backup options, after considering some commercially available options, I decided to go the DIY route and build myself a backup device using a Raspberry Pi Zero. If you want to jump ahead and build a device just like mine, you can find all the resources you need over at the DIY Portable Photo Backup Device post.

Risk of Losing it All

Although I have never lost a single picture while traveling, every time I go on vacation or on a photography trip I worry that I don’t have a reliable backup solution. Most of my travel requires me to travel light which means that lugging a laptop around is not an option.

After I switched from the Canon 5D Mk II to the Canon RP, I have been mitigating this issue by using the new camera’s WiFi capabilities to transfer some of the trip photos to my phone. This solution is not ideal because the camera can only transfer lower quality JPEGs. Losing all the RAW files for a given trip would be heartbreaking.

Commercial Backup Options

I have looked into a few of the commercially-available options but they are either too expensive or too cumbersome. Let’s take a look at the three options I have considered. Keep in mind that I’m not saying that these products won’t work for anyone, I’m just saying they don’t really fulfill my needs. I should also add that I have never owned or used these devices, the information below is just based on the research I did before deciding to make my own photo backup device using a Raspberry Pi Zero W.

GNARBOX 2.0

The GNARBOX, at the surface, looked like the perfect solution to me – that is if I could get past the shocking sticker price it carries. Once I inspected it closely, I noticed that although the GNARBOX is a powerful device, it is not as compact as the pictures make it seem it is (6” x 3” x 1.16” and weighs 0.8lb/375g). This might be a great solution for someone that is already carrying a laptop and will perform editing work in the field.

Pros:

• Cool name?
• Rugged
• Worry-free backup. Plug in a memory card and the GNARBOX will do all the work for you.
• Powerful processor – claims to have fast transfer times.
• Double as an external drive.
• Replaceable battery.

Cons:

• Ridiculous price tag – $500 for 256GB of storage.
• Not as compact as it looks (6” x 3” x 1.16”).
• Heavy (0.8lb/375g).
• Need to carry an additional adapter for micro SD cards.
• Overkill for my needs.

WD My Passport Wireless Portable Drive

The WD My Passport Wireless Portable Drive has a great little feature: a built-in memory card reader with an automatic backup function. This portable drive has a more modest sticker price than the GNARBOX but it is still far from being perfect for my needs. In my eyes, the biggest downfall is its bulk.

Pros:

• Not ridiculously expensive. $190 for 250GB of storage.
• Worry-free backup. Plug-in and forget.
• Slightly rugged.
• Double as an external drive.

Cons:

• Oversized and heavy. (5.31″ x 5.31″ x 1.18″ and weighs 1lb/450g)
• Non-replaceable battery.
• Need to carry an additional adapter for micro SD cards.

RAVPower FileHub

Now let’s talk about an affordable no-nonsense option. The RAVPower FileHub is almost perfect for my needs: It’s small, light and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It doesn’t come with internal storage and you have to pay extra for that though and when you add the cost of storage, this device is not as cheap it looks at first glance. If I didn’t already own a few Raspberry Pi’s I would definitely consider this device. Although the RAVPOwer FileHub can double as a power bank, it does not have Power Delivery (PD) and cannot charge my Canon EOS RP.

Pros:

• More affordable than the other options. $56 (without built-in storage)
• Small and lightweight.
• Upgradable storage.

Cons:

• Not rugged
• Still need to carry an additional power bank to charge my Canon RP.
• Need to carry an additional adapter for micro SD cards.

DIY Photo Backup Option: Raspberry Pi Zero W + Zero4U USB Hub

This is where things get interesting. A Raspberry Pi photo backup device might not be the most polished solution but it checks (almost) all the boxes for me. The only downside of this Raspberry Pi solution is that it is not rugged, but ruggedness is not very high on my list of requirements.

First, let’s talk about the things that I like about the Raspberry Pi backup device.

It works! One might think that a Raspberry Pi solution for this problem is a hack (or even a bodge) but this is not a hack. OK…. it is… but you know what I mean. This is a full-blow solution that works just as well as the commercially-available devices. I have thoroughly tested it and it synched all my photo files flawlessly every time.

An advantage of building a device around an open-source platform is that it is highly customizable. This means I can use the Raspberry Pi to perform other tasks while in the field. For example, it can double as an intervalometer for my Canon EOS RP

One common way of saving weight is by only carrying things that can serve multiple purposes. Since none of the commercial solutions listed above are capable of charging my mirrorless camera, I would still have to carry a PD-enabled power bank. The embedded power supply of the other devices only adds weight and bulk without providing additional functionality. You might be skeptical of my need to save as much weight as possible and might be wondering if this should really be a factor in my decision. Let me tell you, when you are crossing the Scottish Highlands on a bicycle, every gram counts.

Pros:

• Highly customizable.
• Small and lightweight.
• Expandable capacity.
• Very affordable.

Cons:

• Not rugged.
• Slower transfer speeds
• Requires technical expertise to put it together – not for everyone.

Other Features

I’m probably never going to use these other features, but it might matter to some of the readers. Many of the commercially available devices offer media management/viewing capabilities like DNLA and file sharing. Well… I’m happy to report that the script I used in this build (little-backup-box by Dimitri Popov) also offers DNLA and file sharing capabilities.

How to DIY your own Photo Backup Device

In order to keep things tidy around here, I’m creating another post with all the details on how to make a photo backup device using a Raspberry Pi and the Little Backup Box script. This project requires some basic knowledge of how a Raspberry Pi works but it requires no soldering. Here is a list of what you will need for this project.

• Raspberry Pi Zero W
• Zero4U USB Hub (with pogo pins)
• MicroSD Card
• Memory Card Reader
• Thumb Drive

Head over to the dedicated page and follow the steps there to put it all together.

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