How to choose a portable SSD for travel photography (and the one I use)
A camera can be replaced. A trip's photos can't. A small portable SSD is the easiest way to back up every evening, and it weighs less than a phone. Here's what to look for, and why I carry a Samsung T7.
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Why carry an SSD at all
Memory cards get lost, corrupted and stolen along with cameras. If your only copy of a week in Hanoi is on the card in your camera, one bad moment in a crowded market takes the lot.
A portable SSD (solid-state drive) gives you a second copy every night. Unlike an old spinning hard drive, it has no moving parts, so it copies quickly, survives being knocked about in a bag and fits in a pocket.
What to look for
Size and weight
For travel, smaller is better. The best portable SSDs are about the size of a credit card and weigh around 50–60 g. Don't pay for a big rugged drive unless you really need it.
Capacity
Work out roughly how much you shoot in a trip, then double it.
- 500 GB: fine for a short trip with a phone or a compact camera.
- 1 TB: right for most photographers on a two- to four-week trip shooting raw files.
- 2 TB: if you shoot video, or travel for months.
As a rough guide, a 24-megapixel raw file is about 30 MB, so 1 TB holds tens of thousands of photos. High-resolution cameras and 4K video fill a drive much faster. My Leica Q3's files are several times bigger than my Lumix's.
Speed: fast enough is fast enough
Most portable SSDs quote speeds of around 1,000 MB/s. That means copying a full 64 GB card takes a few minutes, which is plenty fast for a nightly backup.
You'll see faster drives quoted at 2,000 MB/s or more. They only reach those speeds if your computer has a matching port (USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 or Thunderbolt), and many laptops, including MacBooks, don't support the 2×2 standard. For most travel photographers, the extra speed isn't worth the extra cost.
The right connection
Look for USB-C. It works with modern laptops, iPads, and most Android phones and recent iPhones. Check that the drive comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a USB-A cable too if you have an older computer.
Password protection
If your bag is stolen, a password-protected drive keeps your photos (and anything else on it) private. Look for hardware encryption with an optional password.
Warranty
A three-year warranty is standard for good portable SSDs. Buy from an authorised retailer in your country so the warranty is straightforward if anything goes wrong.
The one I use: Samsung T7
I travel with a Samsung T7 2TB. It lives in a zip pocket of my camera bag, and every evening the day's cards go onto it.
Why I like it
- It's tiny. 85 × 57 × 8 mm and 58 g: smaller than a passport and lighter than a phone.
- It's fast enough for any nightly backup, at up to 1,050 MB/s.
- USB-C, with both cables in the box, so it plugs into my laptop, an iPad or a phone.
- Password protection with hardware encryption, so a lost drive doesn't mean lost privacy.
- An aluminium body that copes with life in a camera bag, with a three-year warranty.
- Colours, including grey, blue and red, which make it easier to spot at the bottom of a bag.
Specifications
| Capacities | 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB |
| Speed | Up to 1,050 MB/s read, 1,000 MB/s write |
| Connection | USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB-C (works with older USB ports, more slowly) |
| Size | 85 × 57 × 8 mm |
| Weight | 58 g |
| Security | AES 256-bit hardware encryption, optional password |
| Cables included | USB-C to USB-C, USB-C to USB-A |
| Warranty | 3 years |
What to know before you buy
- Real speeds depend on your computer and cable. Use the short cable that comes in the box and a USB-C port where you can.
- Prices vary a lot between stores for exactly the same drive. Compare a few before you buy.
- If you're rough on gear, Samsung also makes the T7 Shield, a rubber-covered version with dust and water resistance. It's bulkier, and I haven't needed it.
Samsung T7 Portable SSD
A credit-card-sized 58 g drive with USB-C and password protection. Choose 1 TB for most trips, or 2 TB if you shoot video.
Shop the Samsung T7 ↗You'll also need a card reader
To copy photos from a camera card to the SSD, you need a way to read the card. Many laptops no longer have an SD slot. A small USB-C card reader solves that, and the right one also lets you back up to the SSD from an iPad, without a laptop. Check which cards your camera uses: most use SD, while some, like my Lumix S1IIE, also take CFexpress cards.
My nightly backup routine
- Copy every card to the SSD each evening, before I do anything else with the photos.
- Don't format a card until the photos are in two places. On a long trip I rotate through several cards, so the card itself is the second copy until I'm home.
- Keep the SSD apart from the camera. If the camera bag goes, the drive shouldn't go with it. Mine moves to my day bag or the hotel safe.
- Upload favourites to the cloud when I have good wifi, as a third copy of the photos I'd hate most to lose.
Before you buy
- 1 TB is the right size for most trips; choose 2 TB if you shoot video.
- USB-C, with the cables you need for your computer, iPad or phone.
- A password option, in case your bag goes missing.
- A card reader if your laptop doesn't have the right slot.
- Buy from an authorised retailer in your country for an easy warranty.
Packing for a trip? The packing list builder adds a portable SSD for trips over a week, and keeps track of the weight. For more on keeping your gear safe, read how to carry a camera safely in crowded markets.