waist pack for hiking

[fourfa]

I'm looking for ideas on waist packs for my travelling camera rig

(small DSLR, 12-24 zoom, compact midrange zoom, and a 2.8 tele zoom).

I have a few shoulder packs, small backpacks etc, for camera gear,

and have been unsatisfied. If I load all the camera gear plus water,

guidebook, etc into a shoulder pack (even my Crumpler, which carries

very well), it's too heavy and my shoulder hurts. I don't like

working out of backpacks - too slow and awkward, I inevitably end up

setting it down to rummage through it.

 

I need the weight firmly on the hips, the gear quickly accessible - so

I'm looking at various waist packs. The gold standard for me are the

Mountainsmith lumbar packs - wide well-padded waist belt, straps that

pull the pack up and into the lumbar area (very stable), large volume.

I intend to wear it on the front around the hips for extended

backpacking (large backpack on the back, strap on the pelvis), or for

general use combined with a really small light daypack for books,

water, jacket, spare bits etc.

 

My essential requirements:

 

1 - internal volume for an SLR (no ext. grip) plus mounted medium zoom

with hood, vertical orientation (this is deeper than most I've found)

2 - wide, padded belt that is comfortable for 15+ mile days. Hiking

gear has a huge lead over photo gear that I've seen.

3 - top opening must open wide with the waist strap tight (this is the

fatal flaw of the Mountainsmiths - with it cinched up the camera is

impossible to remove)

4 - minimal padding or no padding, and weight under 2 lbs. (I can

handle installing padding if need be)

5 - deep side water bottle pockets - deep enough to securely hold a

70-200 2.8 (Mountainsmith's Tour and Cairn do)

 

I've tried every LowePro beltpack I could find (quite a few), they're

too small, not deep enough, too expensive, lousy belts, and carry

poorly. I haven't been able to find Mountainsmith's camera beltpacks

to try, but from the pictures on their website they're quite small and

have no side pockets. I've looked at the Kinesis modular belt system

too - great idea, but extremely expensive, heavy, and bulky in

practice. I'd much rather have just one unit that packs flat when not

in use.

 

I've looked at everything at REI, B&H, local camera shops, and nothing

is quite right. Anyone seen my pack?

[bryan_taylor]

You might want to take a look at the belt packs from Think Tank Photo. I recently purchased their "Speed Racer" model, which is probably way too big for your needs, but they have two smaller sizes. The bag I have is made very well, and includes a rain cover. I find it very comfortable to wear (I use it for sports photography - running up and down sidelines). Their website is www.thinktankphoto.com.

[frank uhlig]

Orion AW ??

[frank uhlig]

Lowepro Orion AW I meant to say.

[phyrpowr]

Try LL Bean, they make a larger lumbar style pack with a shoulder suspension system

[J.W. Wall]

www.kinesisgear.com

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

I have a Lowepro Orian AW that was only used once or twice (I prefer shoulder bags). Anyone interested in making me an offer?

 

Robert

[William Kahn]

My solution to the problem was a Quantaray (don't laugh!) camera pack, kind of triangular shaped with a velcro strap inside that adjusts to various-length lenses. I rigged a harnes for it that attaches to the D-rings on the front of my main pack shoulder harness. It hangs at about sternum level, ready access when needed. I can use it with either my day pack or the big Dana Designs Astralplane expedition pack.

[soeren_michael_nielsen]

I must advise against the waist-/hippacks. You will get into trouble with the amount of gear you want to carry in your bag. Try instead something like the Lowe Pro Street & Field system combined with your hiking bag. I tried the hippack (orion) solution but the weight of the gear resulted in the bag twisting downvards on my back resulting in a sour back within a few hours.

regards

[jeffpolaski]

IMHO you are carrying too much gear. One lens on a camera around your neck and *maybe* one additional lens in a pocket. You'll spend more time looking at your surroundings and less time fiddling with gear.

 

If the lens on your camera is a macro, you won't want for shooting opportunities.

[adam polinger]

Look at the Mountainsmith fanny bags. They come in diffrent sizes carry the weight right. Also the larger ones can be mounted on a larger pack as an extra bag.

Adam

[shirish]

If I understand your needs, a Adorama Slinger is what you are looking for. (Camera, 1 big and 2 not so big lenses, bottle of water, hip mount, small and light.)

 

Email me if you are still deciding, or search the site, I have posted details elsewhere on this forum.

[fourfa]

I ended up with a Mountainsmith Blaze II. the key feature is an internal frame - just a loop of Delrin rod. this goes a long way toward keeping the weight pressed up into the back, not peeling away like most I've tried. Did 100 miles of backpacking at the beginning of October with this pack. Very versatile - can be used as a shoulder bag with the strap. I usually had it on the front or on one hip with a full trekking pack on my back. there's a padded cell phone pocket that gets in the way, so I cut it out to make more room.

 

Overall this was a big success - carried 2 heavy bodies and 4 lenses (12-24 f4, 35-70 f2.8, 90 macro, 180 f2.8) quite comfortably.