B-9
Devin Bro
Definitely look at REI
Best bang for your buck, Jansport being a good runner up.
I have many external frame packs and they are not nearly as comfortable as a internal frame pack or even lightening your load and just grabbing a 30L daypack with no frame but good waist belt and padding.
500cm kit is a beast to lug around sight seeing. Got anything smaller!? You might find yourself missing out on the exerperience juggling photo gear and friends patience.
Can't really recommend a specific bag for you, all the brands have very similar offerings. Find a color combo you like and keep a close eye on bag weight. A lot of these packs will have you starting off with 6+ lbs of bag.
Best of luck!
Best bang for your buck, Jansport being a good runner up.
I have many external frame packs and they are not nearly as comfortable as a internal frame pack or even lightening your load and just grabbing a 30L daypack with no frame but good waist belt and padding.
500cm kit is a beast to lug around sight seeing. Got anything smaller!? You might find yourself missing out on the exerperience juggling photo gear and friends patience.
Can't really recommend a specific bag for you, all the brands have very similar offerings. Find a color combo you like and keep a close eye on bag weight. A lot of these packs will have you starting off with 6+ lbs of bag.
Best of luck!
Jake Mongey
Well-known
Currently the plan is to get the Eurostar to Brussels, spent a bit of time in Brussels then head to amsterdam, then Copenhagen, back down to frankfurt and from then on not too sure.
Gonna be a rushed trip but theres a lot too see in only 15 days - at the moment im still trying to sell my Mamiya to finance the rest of it!
retinax
Well-known
Give me shout when, or before, you're in Frankfurt! Although I don't recommend wasting much time here if you're on a two week Europe trip, there are far more interesting places.
My advice is keep it light! If you really must carry the Hasselblad and three lenses, keep everything else to a bare minimum, better do laundry a few times than carry too much.
Unless you plan on bringing camping gear or using the backpack for such trips, a ~40L backpack should do and keep you from packing too much.
Nokton48
Veteran
Hey Jake,
Good Luck to you and have a lot of fun.
Shoot lots of film.
-Dan
Good Luck to you and have a lot of fun.
Shoot lots of film.
-Dan
peter_n
Veteran
I would look for a used f-stop bag, like the 40L Ajna or the 50L Tilopa. They are the best camera backpacks you can get, with top and rear entry. f-stop also sells ICUs (internal camera units) to hold your gear. They are expensive but excellent for a moderate amount of gear and clothing/food/drink. I use an Ajna - best pack I've used so far. Below it's on a trail here in western Massachusetts. You can get copy ICUs from eBay at a much cheaper price than f-stop's. f-stop store in Europe.
NaChase
Well-known
I just came back from a backpacking trip using anew Gregory 65liter pack. I've done a lot of backpacking before, but this was the first pack I bought new. I found that going to REI and getting the pack fitted to me made a world of difference in terms of comfort.
Archlich
Well-known
Do learn how to pack, like putting your weighty staff in the lower-middle section to push the weight onto your hip. You can find lots of resources on the internet. Then trim the unnecessary. Travel light.
You can even get by using a frameless pack in this way, saving lots of weight. But the ones with simple frames won't hurt - since weight is not the top concern, a suspension system would be better for summer. A used Osprey (like the Exos) or Gregory plus a set of insert would do. Go to your local outfitter to try one out. You'll need a liner inside the pack - a large, unscented garbage bag. The lighter packs aren't waterproof by themselves.
I still think you might be lugging around too much gear. If you're just need the pack to hold everything then it would be OK. If you're walking a lot with the pack, it would be better to think twice. Taking the thing on and off constantly to change film and lenses won't be much fun...
You can even get by using a frameless pack in this way, saving lots of weight. But the ones with simple frames won't hurt - since weight is not the top concern, a suspension system would be better for summer. A used Osprey (like the Exos) or Gregory plus a set of insert would do. Go to your local outfitter to try one out. You'll need a liner inside the pack - a large, unscented garbage bag. The lighter packs aren't waterproof by themselves.
I still think you might be lugging around too much gear. If you're just need the pack to hold everything then it would be OK. If you're walking a lot with the pack, it would be better to think twice. Taking the thing on and off constantly to change film and lenses won't be much fun...