Bags? None for hiking…
Backpacks are the most important to me since I do a ton of outdoor, ski & backcountry work for stock, advertising and fine art. I have actually completely re-done my system in the past month so that I can mix systems as needed so here it goes:
For 35mm, RF, SLR, DSLR and some MF, I use a Lowepro Flipside 10L, 15L and Photo Sport 200AW.
Both the Lowepro
10L and
15L have places for a 40oz hydration reservoir, tripod straps and decent gear layout, The 15L is unusually deep which made it my go to pack for MF and LF for some time. Most photo packs are built too heavy, only consider camera gear and don’t have very good padding on the hip or shoulder straps. The 10L & 15L are pretty lightweight but have very little room for more important things than camera gear such as food, water, clothing, etc. They also lack a little bit in the strap area, no real hip belt to speak of so they are better carrying less than 15 pounds, they are my go to pack for super light inbound ski work although sorely lacking in space for other gear. They weigh 2.1 and 2.5 pounds respectively.
The Lowepro pack that does a better job in the essential outdoor gear & comfort arena is the
Photo Sport 200 AW. It is better across the board in terms of everything an outdoorsman would want. Space in the separate photo gear compartment is limited, I can fit either a D810 with a 24-120 plus a couple of small primes or my Mamiya 6 three lens outfit in the smallish compartment. It is not uncommon for me to put a lens, filters and other photo goodies in the main compartment if needed. This pack is great for a lot of things, skiing, light and fast hiking and is one of my most important. While an improvement over the 10L & 15L, the padding in the straps could still be better, I limit this pack at a total weight of 20 pounds, 15 feels a lot better on the back. The pack empty weighs 2.9 pounds and will take a 70-100OZ hydration bladder easily.
Next up is my latest addition, the amazing
F-Stop Tilopa BC with a
Small Pro and
Medium slope insert ( ICU ). This very expensive pack is about one of the most versatile there is, worth every penny. It hits all the bullet points square in the eye in being relatively light, very well built and thought out, super comfortable and flat out professional in execution. I use this pack for all my gear, 35mm SLR / DSLR, Hasselblad 500 series, Mamiya 6, 4x5 and lots of combos of the above. Attached is a photo of me wearing it yesterday on my 3rd 14,000 foot peak in a day, some 16 miles with over 7,200 vertical attained. I carried a moderate MF kit in the small insert and the total weight was 24 pounds, rode like a Caddilac. With no insert the BC tips the scale at 3.95 pounds only gaining a pound with the medium insert. There is a generous hydration area with logical hose routing, lots of great pockets and backside access.
And last but in no way least is the soon to no longer to be made
Photobackpacker P3. This ***amazing*** pack weighs only a few ounces more than the Tilopa BC but is custom fit to each order, fits incredibly well and will easily tote 50 pounds of gear. Being a large format shooter, the maker of this pack put comfort first and it shows. Like the F-Stop stuff, this system uses inserts and cases that are even lighter than the aforementioned. Empty the pack weighs 4.2 pounds and with two side pouches attached ( holding
6 film holders each ), three lens cases and a camera case it is just under 6 pounds. This is my go to 4x5 pack, I can carry the camera, a 5 pound CF tripod and head, 12 film holder, a 6x12 roll film back, 4 lenses on boards and a host of other goodies plus a liter of water, clothing food and it weighs about 31-34 pounds. To top it all off, custom “Backerboards” can be ordered so that you can just drop in your lens and case system right into existing packs like those used in overnights. This is the only photo pack on the market that is sized to individual fit and uses a stellar technical suspension, this pack is no joke! I have a large system of accessories of the Photobackpacker system which is good because the guy who makes the stuff is
selling everything off, offering generous discounts and then is retiring. The attached photo is me hiking with the P3 with 32 pounds of gear on a ridge line at 13,600 feet last week.
While Lowepro continually makes strides in their latest packs, the last two packs, the P3 and the Tilopa BC pretty much blow away any other photo pack maker on the market, but you are going to pay a lot more for the right gear, as always. Beyond that for overnight work, I use one of my three Osprey packs with one of the custom Photobackpacker boards in it with lens cases and such. There is usually a minimum of photo gear, but that is to be expected on 3-5 night outings in the high country.
That is how I deal with gear in the great outdoors, it has to be there when I need it but not get in the way of more important gear that allows me to stay on location for as long as needed. Hope this helps!
