Takkun
Ian M.
I'm on a roll with these poll-type threads.
So I just got back from a 5-day trip through Oregon (see my 'road trip' thread) that involved a lot of hiking. Nothing overnight, but a lot of 4-6 hour backcountry hikes. What I usually bring is a Bronica SQ, two lenses, two backs, film, cable release, and now, a monopod. Generally I wrap these in clothing or those OP/TECH neoprene wraps, throw them somewhere in my bag, and keep the film in the top pouch of an internal frame pack.
It really seems like there's a dearth of options for hikers here. Years back I had a Tamrac backpack that held everything I needed for an SLR kit (it was great for shooting sports for the paper), but held nothing else. I'd need a sherpa to take my clothes, food, what have you. Hiking packs are essentially one giant pouch. And Lowepro/Lowe Alpine has those Photo Sport and Rover lines, but I don't really want to trade in for something camera-specific.
So backpackers and hikers, what're your carryall solutions?
So I just got back from a 5-day trip through Oregon (see my 'road trip' thread) that involved a lot of hiking. Nothing overnight, but a lot of 4-6 hour backcountry hikes. What I usually bring is a Bronica SQ, two lenses, two backs, film, cable release, and now, a monopod. Generally I wrap these in clothing or those OP/TECH neoprene wraps, throw them somewhere in my bag, and keep the film in the top pouch of an internal frame pack.
It really seems like there's a dearth of options for hikers here. Years back I had a Tamrac backpack that held everything I needed for an SLR kit (it was great for shooting sports for the paper), but held nothing else. I'd need a sherpa to take my clothes, food, what have you. Hiking packs are essentially one giant pouch. And Lowepro/Lowe Alpine has those Photo Sport and Rover lines, but I don't really want to trade in for something camera-specific.
So backpackers and hikers, what're your carryall solutions?
Rangefinder 35
Well-known
My hike pack
My hike pack
Over the years I settled on Tamrack fanny pack, that I usualy carry behind, unless also a backpack, then in front. I think it's called Velocity 5. I put in it Contax G2 with lens attached, 2 more lenses, flash, 2-3 rolls of film and 4-5 filters. One more body and 1, or 2 lenses are wrapped in neoprene cases and put in Osprey backpack. On my backpack I carry Gitzo series 1 CF tripod. Inside: more film. Setup like this is good for up to 7 days in Washington State wilderness. But then those rangefinder Contaxes and lenses weigh next to nothing ( I used to carry 4x5).
My hike pack
Over the years I settled on Tamrack fanny pack, that I usualy carry behind, unless also a backpack, then in front. I think it's called Velocity 5. I put in it Contax G2 with lens attached, 2 more lenses, flash, 2-3 rolls of film and 4-5 filters. One more body and 1, or 2 lenses are wrapped in neoprene cases and put in Osprey backpack. On my backpack I carry Gitzo series 1 CF tripod. Inside: more film. Setup like this is good for up to 7 days in Washington State wilderness. But then those rangefinder Contaxes and lenses weigh next to nothing ( I used to carry 4x5).
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Roger Hicks
Veteran
For my wife: LowePro slingshot.
For me: small backpacks e.g. Tenba.
We don't walk far -- normally 5-10 miles at most -- but then, we're quite old & lazy. The important part is not to carry a load of junk you don't need.
DO NOT carry over-the-shoulder bags when snowshoeing on powder. Don't ask me how I know...
Cheers,
R.
For me: small backpacks e.g. Tenba.
We don't walk far -- normally 5-10 miles at most -- but then, we're quite old & lazy. The important part is not to carry a load of junk you don't need.
DO NOT carry over-the-shoulder bags when snowshoeing on powder. Don't ask me how I know...
Cheers,
R.
aizan
Veteran
i'm looking into internal frame photo backpacks, too. gotta find something that comes in different sizes for different torso lengths, opens up all the way from the front, and has customizable inserts...and whatever else might be important.
De_Corday
Eternal Student
I recently bought an old Tamarac holster-style bag that'll fit a film SLR with a longish lens... I'm hoping to be able to rig that to the hip-belt of my gregory frame pack. But so far no solid compromise.
Takkun
Ian M.
That's something I didn't consider. My main pack is an REI 30L daypack and I could probably lash something to the daisy chains. Somewhere in storage I've got a Kelty external frame from a few 5-night hikes I did in high school. If I ever feel like bringing the 4x5 out…
Well. Maybe I can head off to the nicer Goodwills and see if I can't find a lunchbox or old camera bag to cannibalize. What I'd really like is some sort of 'tub' to hold my camera gear on top of my pack contents. Maybe a small beverage cooler (which incidentally was what my parents still use for their circa-1994 camcorder)
Bingley
Veteran
I don't use a specialty camera pack when on a hike. I've got a couple of Lowe-Pro padded pouches that I slip into whatever pack I happen to be carrying on the hike, or wear on a belt. For dayhiking where photography is one purpose of the hike, I carry camera(s), photogear, and other essentials in a large daypack by Jansport (very comfortable). I do the same thing when backpacking, although I'm usually carrying a small camera like a Rollei 35 that will go into a pocket of the pants or shorts I'm wearing.
Duane Pandorf
Well-known
I just bought an Osprey Comet 30L pack for day hiking. My Billingham Hadley Pro insert fits in the main compartment. I bought some gate keeper straps to carry my tripod and there's plenty of room for a jacket, water bottle or bladder. Just used it today to hike a local trail 5 miles with a 1,000' elevation change and it all worked great.
Takkun
Ian M.
Take a look at the Lowepro Rover. It looks like it's the only photo-specific hiking pack out there. It's just incredibly expensive and not particularly spacious when loaded.
My day (and traveling, since I don't drive and have eschewed rolling suitcases) pack is an older REI Traverse. Looks like they redesigned it lately, but mine is a front-loader, so I can get to things deeper down pretty easily. The new one is a top-loader. Gregory I think makes a few front-loaders.
It's the customizable inserts that I think I'll have to fashion myself.
De_Corday
Eternal Student
My Gregory Baltoro is a front-and-top loader. Its a superb pack for spending some days in the backcountry and has gear loops galore, but, Ian, I'm with you, that if I'm spending more than a day on the trail, there's not enough room for a camera and my camping equipment. I can stuff an F3 with a short lens into the top compartment, but it's far from ideal. I've been toying with the idea (inline with using that cheap tamarac) of removing one of the mesh pockets on the hip belt and having someone with a good sewing machine replace it with that modular MOLLE webbing that military equipment uses. In theory, I could then add bigger or smaller compartments to that side of the belt--a lot of small military surplus pouches use MOLLE attachments.
KM-25
Well-known
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!
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!
gnuyork
Well-known
Arcteryx something. But i only use it while hiking with my 4x5 gear.
kanzlr
Hexaneur
For non-overnight hikes I use a Mindshift Panorama 180:
http://www.isarfoto.com/index.php/isar_de/mindshift-gear-rotation180-panorama-charcoa.html
http://www.isarfoto.com/index.php/isar_de/mindshift-gear-rotation180-panorama-charcoa.html
Matthew Runkel
Well-known
I use an Ortlieb camera dry bag worn in front with their camera carrying system harness. The harness is thin fabric that goes on before the backpack and doesn't get in the way. My normal backpacking camera is a Brooks Veriwide fitted with a Horseman 6x9 back, a pretty small and light package. I lash a Gitzo 1550 carbon fiber tripod to the backpack, and also carry a point-and-shoot in a pouch attached to the sternum strap.
uhoh7
Veteran
To me, weight trumps all.
It's the golden age of ultralight packs, and after a bunch of research I now have three, all excellent, but different sizes.
They are not that expensive.
Biggest: Exos 58
Medium: Deuter Speedlite 30
Small: Deuter Speedlite 20
Plenty of room for M9 and three to five lenses + appropriate gear in each.
These days you can get ultralight drybags in any size, if concerned about damp.
L1019944 by unoh7, on Flickr
It's the golden age of ultralight packs, and after a bunch of research I now have three, all excellent, but different sizes.
They are not that expensive.
Biggest: Exos 58
Medium: Deuter Speedlite 30
Small: Deuter Speedlite 20
Plenty of room for M9 and three to five lenses + appropriate gear in each.
These days you can get ultralight drybags in any size, if concerned about damp.
L1019944 by unoh7, on Flickr
kanzlr
Hexaneur
beautiful. I always plan to bring my M gear on hikes, but end up with SLRs, due to my fear of needing a polarizer or ND grad...
noimmunity
scratch my niche
For backpacks, i would recommend McHale packs.
I attach ortlieb small pockets to the hip belt, and only carry cameras that will fit inside those pockets. But then again, any one of the cameras I own will fit that bill.
I attach ortlieb small pockets to the hip belt, and only carry cameras that will fit inside those pockets. But then again, any one of the cameras I own will fit that bill.