Best system for getting LF gear AND your neccessities into the backcountry

[robert_kennedy]

Alright. Here is my quandry.

 

I am seriously looking into getting myself a good photo backpack. I

often hike and then shoot, so I need something reliable, roomy, and

comfortable to carry my gear in.

 

Now here is the thing. I shoot everything from 35mm to 4x5. So

ideally I need a pack that will take my 35mm, my MF gear, and/or my

Graphic. Most of the larger packs seem capable of this feat.

 

But I also need something that will allow me to carry the most

important thing I need. Water. I live and shoot in Arizona. You

just HAVE to have a lot of water on you to safely hike. No doubt

about it. Ideally I should also carry a few other things too for

safety (compass/GPS, snake bite kit, etc.)

 

Thing is, most bags seem pretty much oriented just towards your PHOTO

gear. With not much of a provision for carrying anything else.

Which is a worry. Ideally I'd like a pack that would let me carry 1

gallon of water in the lowest compartment, and my gear safely above

it. And having a system which would take my monsterous Benbo Mk2

(perfect for shooting wildflowers, but not designed to be carried

easily!) would be nice too.

 

So, any suggestions? Personal experiences? I posted this here,

since my biggest worry is the LF gear. It is the most cumbersome in

terms of space and weight. I figure anything that can handle LF can

probably deal with my MF and 35mm gear with ease.

[Troll]

Mule. Camel. Llama. Wife. Ex-Wife. Girlfriend.

[steve_feldman2]

Robert,

 

I suggest a pack that is "self-standing". I've seen these somewhere. This thing has an internal frame for rigidity and external "feet" so's you can get out from under it with out laying it (or yourself) on its' side.

 

Oh yes, and a pack yak would be helpful.

 

And, if I may be so bold to suggest - - Maybe a re-think of schlepping all three formats into the wilds. I used to have a metal case for my 35mm gear and another for MF. I thought it would be great to have 1 gear bag for all. Boy, was I wrong. Ended up with 1 large honking mamma duck size bag with a back-pack harness that I couldn't lift.

[david_goldfarb]

I'd cut out the MF system and replace it with an MF back for the 4x5" system, if you feel you really need the format as an option.

[z_z1]

I use a frame backpack (internal frame) that is large enough to put my camera bag into. I also have enough room for my extra clothes, rain gear, food etc. I do not take more than one format at a time however. The camera bag I have can be reconfigured (use velco) to suit either 35mm, MF or LF. I can get all my lens, on lensboards, film holders, filters, meters etc into it, no problem.

 

And better still I can pick it up!! With attached tripod everything weights in at about 25 to 40lbs depending on how long I plan to be gone for.

 

Sometimes I throw a 35mm P&S in just so I can take a pic of something that is interesting, but not worth the effort of setting up the LF.

 

I have also looked at the dedicated photo packs and found them wanting. I agree with others when they say they are too limited and don't seem to give you any room for anything but camera gear. That and the cost is out of this world. You probably already have a camera bag, just make sure the pack you buy opens up enough at the mouth to accept it.

 

Happy trails,

 

Eric

[paul_frank]

I have a Lowepro Nature Trekker. Stuffed to the brim, it holds:

4x5 Wooden Field camera

47, 90, 150 LF lenses.

6 film holders,

2 6x7 Backs for the 4x5,

Dark cloth,

Nikon FM2n, N90s,

80-200/2.8,

24/2.8, 50/1.8,

Plenty of film,

 

There is a tripod holding system on the back of the pack, and water bottles can be easily strapped on as well. Of course, all other relevant accessories fit, too. But it is stuffed to the brim. There is very little I cannot shoot with this setup.

[john_kasaian1]

Robert, I use both a mule and a large U.S.Army surplus ALICE backpack in "mule sensitive" areas. I only take one format with me, though the ALICE could easily accomodate others and still have plenty of room left for camping gear and at about 60 bucks, its a real deal. FWIW, mules are great companionship, and mine has a rather sardonic sense of humor.

[john lehman, college alask]

One of the basic principles of Photonet seems to be that real photographers use only "official" photographic accessories. FWIW, I suspect that most backpacks designed for backpacking over the last 30 years would work much better for photography that most phtographic backpacks -- especially given the need to carry certain non-camera gear.

 

Personally, when I have to carry larger format (or a combination of LF and 35mm) more than 10 miles or so from the road, I use a regular pack and pad the camera stuff as needed. As mentioned above, if I think I will need MF, I take a rollfilm back for my 4x5. OTOH, I do most of my outdoor photography in benign environments close to home (i.e. Alaska and the Yukon), so this advice may not apply to serious work in more hostile environments.

[john_mcdonald]

An F64 pack is padded and easy to configure with its included

velcro dividers. It is pretty light, too. The pack is comfortable for

working out of the car or short trips. For hiking, you can hang it off

of an external pack frame, which can be found inexpensive, and

strap gallons of water to the frame. The external frame makes

the pack very easy to carry for long distances. I don't think I would

carry water bottles inside the pack with my camera equipment,

for fear they might leak. Good luck.

[robert_kennedy]

Let me just add that I only need a pack that can take EITHER 35mm, MF, or LF. One of the three at any given time! For me LF is usually done on its own as it is a very different beast from the other two formats.

 

I like the external packback frame idea. Or putting the bag inside another frame.

 

Any ideas though on the Benbo Mk2? Big beast. Worth schlepping out there? I don't have a ballhead on it yet (it is coming), and it LOOKS like it should do fine with my Crown Graphic on it. Especially since the Crown is pretty much just as heavy as my MF gear. Benbo is always iffy on the "max. load" specs, which is understandable since so much of what that tripod does is based on funky angles and such. A LF camera would never fly with the center post extended all the way out (unless it had a sandbag on the other end....).

 

But I am hoping to use the Benbo some for LF if possible, and DEFINATELY for some macro 35mm and MF work. But the thing is a monster. Just like most hard-core LF tripods. Any suggestions on this? Bungee cords on an external frame?

[dan_bramley]

Robert,

 

I am an avid backpacker and have been lucky enough to take my camera with me on most of my trips. I have an Arca-Swiss field and like so many of my fellow LF friends I have a lot of gadgets. It is heavy!!! The comfort of a good backpack is invaluable to me. I used a top loading North face pack for years, it was a pain to shoot while on the trail because you had to unload everything to get to the camera on the bottom. Took lots of time and I had to really hoof it to catch up to my less than patient companions. I recently moved to a pannel loading pack. I got a Gregory Wind River pack. I then found a plastic bin (for storage) that would fill the inner pack compartment. Two layers of 4 inch foam and I can safely carry my camera, 2 boxes quick loads, filters, etc, etc. What is nice is I have 3 of these plastic containers, whip one out and replace it with the other with medium format gear. When I'm done I put a lid on top and stack them in the closet. Works great for me because the pack is very comfortable and can be sinched (spelling?) down very small if you are only carring minimal gear. It is nice, now I can drop the pack on the ground, open the pannel and have all of my gear right there, just pull out what I need and rest can stay in the pack. Much faster.<div></div>

[david_goldfarb]

Take a look at the Campmor catalogue or campmor.com and find the "Outdoor Research Padded Cell"--these look really interesting for packing photo gear in a standard pack. They are padded rectangular zippered cases designed for backpacking stoves and other fragile but irregularely shaped objects, and they come in 6 sizes. I haven't tried them yet, but I've been thinking of ordering a few.

[peter_smith15]

Water. Heavy stuff. Get the weight as low as possible, and the best place to look for water bottles and a belt is an army disposals store.

[mark_blackman1]

Perhaps you need to take a different approach? Rather than lugging ALL your gear around with you (including the important survival stuff), why not leave your photographic gear behind and firstly set off on a recon walk? Use your GPS and good local maps to identify your shots and then plan a sensible route (makeing as much use of tracks etc) to your objective? From my own limited experience of out door shooting, I spend most of time looking for view-points, composition etc. Although I live in an environment where water is not a problem (usually raining!) I've found that making an on-foot survey first always pays off.

[scott_fleming1]

I was going to tell you about my canoe idea but not many rivers in Aridzona. My plan is to float most of the way down rivers, stopping to camp and shoot where I will, and have the wife pick me up a couple counties down river when I get there. Are there ANY rivers running through photographicly rich territory in your neck of the woods?

 

I used to solo hike way up into the Sierras. Just killed my lousy ankles. I picked up a lot of good tips by reading Colin flethcher's "The Complete Walker III". Knowledgable guy. I'll never forget his 'Fletchers first law of walking thermodynamics': Give your balls some air.

 

Another tip he gave me that probably saved my life one time in a freak snowstorm at 9,000 feet in the dead of night. One of his most essential pieces of equipment is a lightweight strong tarp. Something like one of those nylon/foil like things and a uniqe fastener system for each corner consisting of a soldered shut shower curtain ring and a rubber ball that cannot make it through the bulbous end of the hooks. Allows cords to be attached to the corners of the tarp in a rip proof manner. Says he never uses a tent because of condensation problems and weight. He just stretches this thing between some bushes, rocks, whatever is handy.

 

This thing can make shade for a wounded man in the desert and the shinny surface will make it easy for search and rescue to spot you from the air in case of emergency.

 

Here's the unusual idea. Sounds crazy but ... I was way up in the mountains once and came to a nice little meadow amoung the trees. Laying in some shade under some bushes were two small brown animals about the size of great danes. They were miniature burros. they were hobbled. They could hop around and graze but evidently they understood that they couldn't get far so they just hung out in that meadow. Whoever used them must have allowed them to carry the big weight most of the way up the mountain. ( I was near the top and the alpine lakes ) And they were off fishing or photographing or whatever. So ... the suggestion of burros above may not be as crazy as it sounds.

 

My other idea is a gyrocopter buy a good one is about 75k.

 

One more. Carrying lots of water is a real drag. If there is any stream where you go ... those backpacker's filter pumps really work. I never got sick and I used em all the time.

[robert_kennedy]

Scott - Actually the Verde river north of me runs through some amazing territory. With some great Hohokam ruins in the area. A canoe is a possibility for some trips.

 

That book sounds like a neccessity. I'll definately get one of those.

 

And you know, while my neighbors might mind me having a burro in the yard, I do have a rather large Chesapeake Bay Retriever with whom I almost always hike. And he does have a backpack my sister bought him. He could easily carry two gallons. With some creativity I could easily manage to carry another two or so. And I do have a portable water filter. Problem here is rivers can actually be seasonal! Literally disappearing for 6 months! And yet amazingly we have tons of frogs and fish in them when they do run. There are some tough critters out there.

 

But I definatley will start working with the dog. Bought time he pulled his own weight around here.... :)

[george_jiri_loun]

"he could easily carry 2 gallons" "I could easily manage to carry another 2 or so.." you mean gallons of water? For the canoe?? Goodness, take at least two more retrievers!

[steve_feldman2]

Scott,

 

"My plan is to float most of the way down rivers, stopping to camp and shoot where I will . . . ".

 

 

HMMMMMM Sounds like a plot line from the movie "Deliverance."

 

 

Gotta be careful doin' that. Once I saw what I though was a possible subject from the car on a country road in So. Oregon. My curosoity wanted to see it from the other side. So I took a few back roads around only to find a farmhouse with a 10 year old boy holding a shot gun. My 45 Crown Graphic was no match for his double barrelled shotgun. I hung a fast "U" outta there.

[skip_a]

You mentioned wanting to carry water with you. Many standard day packs and most extended hiking or expedition backpacks sold at outdoor sports places like REI are made to accomodate a hydration system. My Arc-Teryx Bora 80 has a built-in sleeve to accomodate a 100 oz water bladder. Many of the Gregory packs sold by REI can be fitted with a 128 oz bladder.

 

Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon, so you don't want to have to carry more than you really need. If you expect to embark on extended hiking trips, then the suggestion someone made earlier to also take along a hiker's water filter or purifier is a good one. I can't recommend any particular model as I haven't had the need to buy one yet. There is also a lot of information about these kinds of products at the REI website at http://www.rei.com/

 

 

With most backpack hydration systems, there is a tube that you can drink from without stopping to remove your pack in order to get at the water. These packs can tend to be expensive, but they are very well made, ergonomically designed, easily customized to fit your body, and just as useful for photographers as a photo backpack, assuming that you pack your photo gear using lens wraps and foam dividers that you can buy separately and cut to fit.

[tim_atherton2]

>Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon

 

or 10lbs a gallon if you use correct Imperial measurements... :-)

[skip_a]

Righ, Tim. I should have said about eight pounds per US gallon! If I'm packing water, I think I'd rather carry a US gallon! But if I'm drinking ale, I'd rather go for the Imperial pint! Long live the 20 oz curl!

[robert_kennedy]

Skip - The Imperial pint was replaced by some sort of Euro Pint a while back. Slightly larger though now. By just a few mls of course...

 

Also, I sort of HAVE to carry more water than I think I can use. Out in the desert you can end up needing a HUGE amount of water. I mean a gallon every few hours when it is summer. With humidity down to 20% every breath steals water from you. The safest thing is to over prepare. I have gone out with 4 gallons for a day hike. And used 3 gallons of it!

[greg_pratt1]

Steve Feldman

 

"So I took a few back roads around only to find a farmhouse with a 10 year old boy holding a shot gun. My 45 Crown Graphic was no match for his double barrelled shotgun. I hung a fast "U" outta there."

 

Could not have been too remote for there must have been a good TV reception. Or maybe so remote that TV was the only schooling.

[bob.]

"the Imperial pint was replaced by some sort of Euro Pint a while back"

 

Not in the UK it wasn't! Brussels can do what they like: make us buy cheese in kilograms, put kilometers on our road signs, change the Pound to Euros in future if we must, but touch the pint and we are out of there! "Two half-litres of best bitter please luv" does NOT sound the same!...

 

Cheers.

 

P.S. on topic - I go the route of putting all my gear in plastic food containers (padded with foam sleeping pad where necessary) packed inside a standard 45 litre rucksack. (d*mn - there's those "litres" again....)

[george_jiri_loun]

Bob, how do you want to pack those 3 gallons of water Robert needs daily in you 45 l rucksack?? Not even UK pints will do..!