How do I get my 8X10 field camera and gear out into the field

[steve_barth]

I acquired a Deardorff 8X10 camera, some lenses and related gear. I have made several trips out and about and worked close to my vehicle. I am having some difficulty figuring out the best way to pack the gear so I can get a mile or so away from my truck. The problem is not the weight it is the bulk. I have a 4-lens 4X5 system and have managed to get all I need into one backpack. Not so for the Deardorff. Some logistical enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.

[sean_yates]

What kind of terrain are you talking about? Lots of trees and bushes

and undergrowth or what?

 

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My approach has been to do something like this - case with holders,

lenses, filters in left hand, camera, affixed securely to tripod with

legs extended on right shoulder, right arm over tripod legs,

darkcloth folded up and used as pad between shoulder and tripod

head/camera. I believe Weston, Adams, and Morley Baer among others

have used this approach. That might work for you with the lenses,

holders, etc. in the pack on your back and the camera/tripod over

which ever shoulder is comfortable.

 

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But this is a function of where you're hiking too - the tripod could

easily snag over-hanging branches, etc.

 

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Gordon Hutchings does a variation of this with a shoulder bag,

limiting himself to two lenses (one convertible) and 4 holders. You

might try contacting Ron Wisner and ask him how he got his gear to

the TOP of the Golden Gaste Bridge - www.wisner.com. Try Charles

P. "Chuck" Farmer as well.

 

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Another option is some manner of wheeled conveyance - a child's

little red wagon, a peanut cart, a handtruck, etc. or maybe a llama

[nathan_congdon]

My answer after thinking about it a lot was the f64 BPX backpack.

Not as well made as some, but totally designed with an 8 X 10 system

in mind (unlike almost all others). There is a central area that

accomadates the camera, room for holders and a compartment for

lenses. Added benefit: take off the modular side packs and it

is_regulation airline size_! I have taken my 8 X 10 to Italy, China,

S Africa, etc in the last year and not had a problem. I've had one

side modified so I can strap on my tripod. I'm no athlete, but I

can carry the whole system this way comfortably for hours over most

terrain (I'm not necessarily talking about scaling a mountainside

here, but that's my limitation.) This would definitely be my choice,

and happens also to be what Ron Wisner recommends. He sells them,

but they are $75 cheaper from f64 themselves - I think you can find

on-line. Don't listen to the people who tell you that 8 X 10 can't

be portable -- it just ain't so! (And you don't have to be the

Charles Atlas either).

 

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Nathan

[alpshiker]

The Tenba PBH (H for Huge) is very convenient if you are not afraid of big loads. It has an upper

compartment with removable soft case containing the camera and a few holders. There is plenty of

space if you want to carry some food and water and a jacket in addition to all the photographic gear. You

can have it on a Kelty Frame for long hikes, but the standard version is lighter and plenty for a few miles

walks.

[peter_hughes2]

Get a large frame backpack, the kind designed for serious hikers. I

used to carry my 8x10 Deardorff, 2 lenses and 3 holders in such a

pack--a Kelty exterior frame.

 

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Then I developed bursitus in my left heel and a herniated muscle in

my back. And so I switched to medium format.

 

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A couple of months ago I traded my 8x10 outfit for a Canon EOS-3.

 

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http://www.ravenvision.com/rvapeter.htm

[bill_glickman]

Steve, I suffer the same dilemna. If I shoot close to the vehicle,

then I use a large industrial strength tote bag.. You can buy one at

lands ends mail order clothing. I can hold the 8x10 and film

holders, dark cloth and a lens or two in it I wear a photo vest for

meters loupes, etc..... I carry the tripod with my other hand. I

have not yet found a backpack for my Toyo 810MII, but if someone has

a specific reccomendation, I would love to hear about it. The weight

of this equip. adds up fast. When not going over tough terrain, I am

considering getting a new cart on the market called a sherpa cart.

It has small bike wheels, about 12" diamater so you can move over

rocks easily without knocking your rig over. My back is sore enough

from my 4x5 rig and accessoires, 50 lbs, on a 6 hr hike, my back is

aching. Photo back packs from whatI have been told do not have

anywhere near the wieghtbearing comforts as hiker backpacks! And

good hiker backpacks are half the price of photo backpacks, here is

the link to sherpa carts! If any one buys one let me know how it

works out!

 

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www.sherpacart.com/docs/measure.htm

 

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Good luck....

[erik_ryberg]

Steve,

 

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Last year I discovered a Kelty pack that is like a very large book-bag

style backpack. It has a simple rigid back sewn inside the pack and

the thing about it is that it is very wide but not that tall. My

Deardorff and three or four film holders fits in the main compartment

easily, and lenses etc. fit in the pockets. The pack is quite

inexpensive and still made. It's called a Kelty Redwing and thanks to

the fact that it was made by starving enslaved people in some foreign

country (like all packs I was able to find) it is quite cheap, under

100$. The nicest thing about it is it has a humongous zipper that

goes all the way around the pack so it is very easy to get at your

gear and keep everything in the right place while you are doing so.

 

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The only problem is the tripod. I use a Ries and I simply cannot

carry the thing on my back. So my solution, sigh, is to make two

trips. I am usually travelling off-trail and I just don't want to

risk taking a fall with all my equipment on my back. Also, you

don't want to arrive at your site completely winded.

 

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Good shooting,