bicyling camera backpack/bag

[thomas_sullivan]

hope this is the right forum...anyhow, I plan on taking back up

bicycling. Use to do a lot of it, but not photography oriented. Now

I'd like to combine photography and cycling. I used fanny packs and

daypacks in thepast to carry water, food, maps, etc and actually

preferred the daypack over the fanny pack on a bike.

 

so, I searched the forums and i found a lot of belt pack

recommendations, but I really wanted some suggestions on a backpack.

 

I figure enough to hold a canon DSLR, maybe 3 lenses (including the

one on the cam) and some sort of film camera, and if not a canon slr

one, then this cam would just have the one lens on it. Thinking

Holga or fuji 645.....maybe. Plus enough room for water, energy

foods, mp3 player. something in the realm of an all day thing, not

necessarily all on the bike.

 

.....and pretty damn waterproof.

 

any ideas?

[thomas_sullivan]

....oh, the bicycle would be one of the "hybrid" types, so I would be like 70 degrees to upright, or there about.....if that would make any difference

[jeff_schneider]

Bicycling any distance with something on your back is not comfortable, IMO. I always carry all my gear, food, etc. in panniers.

 

The Tamrac Velocity 5 is a fanny pack that fits in my panniers and can hold a DSLR and 2-3 lenses. It's very comfortable for walkiing around.

 

As for carrying digital and film gear at the same time, I wouldn't. For day trips, I'd choose one or the other, to limit the weight I'd have to drag around, and to prevent subjecting too much of my gear to the risk of damage from the elements or theft at the same time.

[dave wyman]

The idea of carrying that much on my back on a bike is anathema to me. My enthusiasm for such an adventure - at least the bike portion of it - would be considerably lessened. You will have some serious issues with stability if you gain any speed on the downhill, and you're going to have some serious heat build-up wearing a backpack that will cover the backside of your torso.

 

But if you must, check out the Lowepro line of Trekkers.

 

Have you considered one of the bike trailers? I have a B.O.B. and I've used it to haul a well-padded camera bag and tripod.<div></div>

[thomas_sullivan]

ok, I see bicycling and photography do not meld as easily as I thought. I can definitely pare the camera list down and drop the mp3 player given the answers I have so far. I went and looked at panniers, and discoverd handlebar bags that have a shoulder strap for when you are off the bike(and place to put it when on the bike). A bit pricey though, but if it's good it's worth it. An <a href="http://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/hb_bag/overview.asp?fl=1&site="><u>Arkel Big Bar Bag</u></a>. Or would it's <a href="http://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/sm_hb_bag/overview.asp?fl=1&site="><u>smaller brother</u></a> be more suitable?

[charles_stobbs3]

I speak from very limited experience but I notice there is a lot of vibration (rattling) in my handlebar bag. I don't know what kind of saddle you have but a toolbag haanging from the eyelets in my saddle have a lot less rattling. The seat spring may offer an additional layer of springiness and isolation from bumps.

[Ed_Ingold]

A backpack like the LowePro Orion series would work well. They have separate compartments for camera gear and travel gear. Don't go crazy with equipment - you'll feel it uphill. You'll lose some cooling by covering your back, but I don't think that will be a problem. It might actually work to your advantage in hot sun. Find your weight limit - which will probably be on the order of 15 pounds or less.

 

Handlebar bags can create a serious stability problem if you carry much weight there, especially bombing downhill. Even a back rack can cause a problem, though probably not with a single camera and lens. The lower the load to the road, the better (and safer in case of a spill), best accomplished with panniers or possibly a bike trailer. The latter is tempting. I have one, and my Computrekker weighs less than one grandchild...

 

You don't want anything covering your chest, like a Zoom bag. You need air circulation in front in order to maintain body temperature when pedaling with any kind of effort.

 

Bicycling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are excellent sports compatible with photography. You can get places not readily accessible by walking, and stop whenever you please. Have fun!

[yoni_perlmutter]

Take a look at the Deuter Trans-Alpine bag. I use it, it's a backpack

for bicycling, it comes in 20/30 litre sizes, has a hydration system,

secure place for helmet and a highly configurable interior. It is an

All-Weather bag, very comfortable and apparently it holds up well.

Mine is 6 years old and it's seen some times.

 

I take bottled water in the outside pouches, jumper, oranges&chocolate,

SLR & 3 lenses and travel tripod. I have room for more stuff too.

 

I have a hybrid bike. And I use it as a hybrid. I do not ride up/down

mountains, not in the sea, and not on the highways. I travel on smooth

to rough hard pack bicycle trails, scarified asphalt, and other country

lanes. For this, for me, the bag suits.

 

I'm on the bike for no more than 4 or 5 hours at a time.

 

If you use a different kind of bike, or use a bike differently, you might

take these comments with an even heavier grain of salt.

[alex_lofquist]

The safest place is either inside panniers, or in an enclosed pack mounted on the rear rack. Having crashed my bike several times usually from encounters with dogs, I can guarantee that anything carried directly on the person, or in a handlebar bag is subject to some real damage. ( In separate incidents, I have broken a wrist, four ribs and a collar bone this way.)

[thomas_sullivan]

thanks...lot's of differring opinions I see, but that's ok, because it let's me hear people experience with different systems.

 

I guess I did leave out what kind of biking I was going to be doing....although, I thought mentioning it was a hybrid bike would have taken care of it. But yes, Yoni's description is what I would be doing....with a little small town (where I live) and suburbs (what I have to go thru to get to the country roads) thrown in. It would be very flat (southern New Jersey, USA) to moderately hilly (not mountains by any stretch) Pennsyslvania near Philly. Else it would be train travel, which the trains do allow bikes in certain cars around here, to get to other areas I have in mind. But still, the same kind of back country (but still paved) roads.

 

So, I don't think the cart would work at all. The handle bar thing did sound interesting till the top heavy thing came up. The panniers are interesting but....well, I gotta go see those things...I wouldn't need two, and one, on one side of the bike sounds unbalanced to....but they do sound interesting, especially the ones that have straps for backpack conversion.

 

Yoni's backpack does look like what I want though. The thoughts about the pack on the back while bicycling are welcomed, but I don't think my situation would get to that level. This is not cycling with a camera I plan on doing. It's a photography outing, that just happens to involve a bicycle. In other words, I'll be off the bike more than I am on it.......especially once I get to where I'm going. I just want the bike, because they are much easier to stop along the way to take pics........in a car, it's a major hassle to pull a car over to take a pic.......at least that I've found. Besides, I need the excercise........heh.

 

again, thanks.

[michael_bach2]

Hej Thomas

 

Take a look at "Ortlieb" waterproof outdoor gear, they make a loot of nice pack/bags for

biks. it is German made !!!

 

regards

[hugh_jaramillo]

Thomas,

 

I do the same thing on occassion and my solution was to purchase a Pelican case with foam padding, they come on all sizes and can be secure easily in the back of the bicycle.

 

At least in my case is the best bet as I tend NOT to be the best rider in the world.

 

Regards

 

Hugh

[Zave Shapiro]

I don't carry anything on my back unless it's a hydration system. I have one pannier which I've outfitted with premium foam that I've cut to take some equipment. There's a ton of vibration on a bike, there's the possibility of falling off; the only thing I'll take is my old manual focus stuff that can be replaced on the cheap. You even have to figure out how to prevent filters from chattering around - they'll scrape and get scraped unless they're padded in their cases.

 

Gratuitous extra - forget the mp3 player. Would you cycle with ear buds and not hear what's around you? Would you spend time in the natural outdoors and not hear the wind or the sound of birds? If you take it and don't use it, leave it home next time.

 

A number of years ago I was a week into my first big trip. I ran into a very experienced Dutch cyclist so I asked him how many pairs of underwear and socks he carried. His answer was "Underwear? Socks?"

[david-m]

OK here is the definitive answer (well kind of).

 

I have cycled more than 25,000 kilometres over the years in periods lasting 2 weeks to six

months, and in such extreme places as Madagascar, Bolivia, China, Pakistan, Iceland (the

list goes on...). I have always taken two bodies and 2 lenses with me carried in an Ortlieb

handlebar bag. Orleib stuff is 100% waterproof. The bag has been 'sponged out' using the

insides of a cheap camera bag. Of course the two cameras were pretty small (2 Leica M6s)

but they are not light.

 

In the front bag I can also fit sunglasses, money, a few rolls of film, filters, a 'dog dazzer'

to repel the four legged menace, a pen knife, a compass and a few sweets (candies).

 

I would also pad out any remaining space with a handkerchief or cloth to reduce rattling.

 

In the past 10 years I have never had any problem with this set up, no damge, nothing

loosening, nada. This is even with extended trips over appalling rough tracks, river beds,

and dropping the bike numerous times.

 

Now this is perfect for long long trips (if you add rear pannier bags for other stuff (like

sleeping bag and clothes etc) or for short trips combine it with a rear 'saddle bag'

(Carradice make ones

that fit huge amounta and last for ever) or a rack top bag on the rear rack. All the water

should be carried in water bottle on the actual bike.

 

I would unhesitatingly say that even with a lot of weight on the handlebar there is no

stability problems, in fact the bike feels great with weight on the handlebar.

 

I would suggest reducing the amount of gear you take (forget the mp3 and listen to the

birds or air rushing past your head), if you are going on a one or two day trip then stick to

just one body and two lenses.

 

Anything else, please ask. Cycling and photography are perfect partners; you can stop

when you want, you get to inaccessible places easily and you really earn your pics.

 

Enjoy

 

David<div></div>

[kaur_virunurm]

May sound obvious, but whatever solution you choose, try it out first. Some people feel comfortable cycling with backpacks, some (like myself) hate it.

 

I vote for a handlebar pack for faster access to easier stuff + low-hanging panniers for heavy load.

[thomas_sullivan]

thanks David..from UK..I guess your advice is pretty close to the definitive answer. Would imagine you've worked out all the bugs in 25,000 kilometers........sheesh! I now see the progression of use of all that bike bag stuff. Think I will start with the handlebar bag. Sounds about right for my day rides. Did a quick search on the Ortlieb bags, and although they look good, a subsequent search of stores/internet seems to show a real lack of support for them here in the US. Noticed some others, not fully waterproof, but do have covers just for them.....any other names I might take a look at that might be more easily obtained in the states?

[jan_thomas1]

Lack of support in the US?

 

http://www.ortliebusa.com/cartgenie/pg_dealer_locate.asp

[thomas_sullivan]

thanks....but, of course, REI doesn't carry the bag I want, so I can't look at it first. The rest are all too far away to go to. Any of those other stores have a good record for internet orders and easy returns policy? Something along the line of a B&H Photo for cycle equipment?

[henry_a]

Try these folks for great bike touring stuff:

<a href="http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/" target="_blank">http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/</a>