How to carry camera equipment *and* hiking gear?

[j._scott_schrader]

If you are insistant on carrying everything into the wilderness I

would suggest looking into a Pack-Train (Mules) or even Llama

treking. Rent yourself a couple of Mules or Llamas and let them

carry all of your gear. I've done both and it is very freeing to not

have to lug 90+lbs of gear all over Gods Green Earth. It makes

the trip infinitely more enjoyable! Mules and Llamas both make

great companions on an extended trips. They don't give you

advise on how to proceed, they don't ask you if we are lost every

time you pull out the map and compass, they are extremely low

maintinence! I'd seriously suggest looking into it. It is definitely

a viable option.

 

Something else that you might want to consider is instead of

being on the move...find the location where you want to spend

some time. Fly in via float plane and set up a base camp to work

from. (I have been doing this for years now ...and again it just

makes the wilderness experience that much more enjoyable.)

[kundan_sen]

I agree to almost everything everyone said, but for the monopod. I don't know why I sense this negative energy in everyone when it comes to monopods.

 

I have the Slik Carbon ProPod and the Velbon compact magnesium ballhead. The compbination weights about 1.2 lbs - by far the lightest - and has no issues giving me 3 stops down on my heaviest combination of lenses (listed on top of this thread).

 

I have been using this for the last 1 year or so, and limit my super-heavy tripod to around the car.

 

Most shots here used the monopod:

 

http://www.caip.rutgers.edu/~ksen/Images/Snaps/dv/

 

(including the zoomed images of salt formations, and sunrise/sunset snaps).

 

Since this is basically a light walking stick that allows the camera to sit on it as well, I find it useful now and then to prop me up, setup is a breeze, and with the 24mm lens, I can take at speeds down to 1/8 sec without any issues.

 

So why is it that everyone is against the monopod?

 

Of course, I agree, a table top tripod should come along, for those night shots of the clear sky and the self shots. But when on the trail, and stopping for photographs, why do you think a monopod will not suffice?

 

-kundan<div></div>

[dmangum]

Good subject. There's a point where backpacking and photography don't mix, it's too much gear, I have the flat feet to show for it.

You just can't take everything with you, the general rule is carry no more that a quarter (or no more than a third max) of your body weight.

For us light weight's that makes for some difficult sacrifices, you pretty much have to make a weight budget. I don't take more than 2

lenses with me usually 20-35 and 35-135, sometimes just 20-35 and a 50mm micro, plus a polarize and my grads. But you could go with

your 24, 50 and 105, or make a decision of no more than 3 lenses, I'd leave the flash behind. Your Tamrac camera bag w/ strap to hook

thing on is good, my REI New Star pack has a hood that doubles as a mid size fanny pack, I'll use that and my Tamrac from base camp -day hikes.

If I'm going to be climbing I'll drag my pack. I've tried lots of things to have my camera available while hauling a full pack, good shots are not often without a tripod, so I'll carry my tripod and camera on my shoulder or keep it in my pack. I'll take a Bodgan 3001 and 3437 head, or if I need to go super light I'll just take a Velbon Max i 343E- less than a pound. There's also the worry of leaving your "just in case" stuff in the car at the trail head, if you don't bring it there's no worry. I spend a lot of time in the East Sierra and have made friends at a few resorts so I can leave gear when I'm doing a combo road & BP trip.

Camping gear : Light weight gear comes with a price, my tent / sleeping bag combo goes from 4 to 6 lbs, the new LED head lamp's are amazing, they last 100's of hours and are strong enough to hike at night. Clothes: shell, fleece and synthetic's, never cotton. If you want a full list of what to bring, sping - winter - fall, let me know.

Some good books about backing packing photography are: Galen Rowell's "Inner Game of Outdoor Photography"/ W.W. Norton & Company, and Charles Cambell's "The Backpackers Photography Handbook" / Watson-Guptill Publications. I can't tell you how many early trips I messed up from bear fear and too much gear, build a strategy and test it out.

[lawrence_smithers]

For many years I traveled on foot or by canoe in Canadas nothern forests studying and recording forest conditions. In those days I had two items at the ready, a suvival weapon and a camera.My camera of choice was a rangefinder Leica with a folding mount Elmar lens shoulder slung. In todays world I have found a better solution ;a Nikon cp5000 digital. It gives me a zoom lens,manual operation,and fits easily in a shirt pocket. My film is replaced by 128 meg cards and my format is jpeg I can carry 2000 frames in a small waterproof box.The big problem is charging batteries to operate the system.I am currently in pursuit of a small hand crank generator or a solar generator which will do the job. The secret lies in using a minimum of power.Close off the lcd screen,use programmed auto,and cut off the flash. You would be surprise just how many things you dont really need if you are backpacking.Forget the tent,carry a light axe,a nylon sheet makes a fine leanto, Cut down on heavy foods.I am amazed that native people have not capitalized on their basic travel food pemican;a mixture of dried powdered meat,and dried berries.it makes a soup or a stew when suplimented by powdered potatoes. A length of fishing line a couple of hooks and natural baits will give you a varied diet. Have you ever eaten porcupine or marmot;delicious. Find yourself a friendly northern Cree companion ;you will learn more about forest travel from him than you will ever learn from any book.

[chad_h]

I scanned over most of the posts and agree that if you don't use Llamas to carry the gear you have to narrow down both camera and camping gear. That taken care of now you need to figure out a good way of transportying your camera and lenses. Being a light-weight myself I've found a system that works for me. I use a Dayna Designs backpack (multi day). Not wanting to take off my backpack everytime I wanted my camera out and finding when it is strung around my neck to tiresome (when it swings it takes more energy to walk).

 

Using the very sturdy Lowepro S&F toploader 75AW (a smaller version works the same way) I use the straps it comes with to attach it to my backpack's shoulder strap and waistbelt as noted in my poorly, mouse drawn, diagram. I chose the S&F version because it has an AW cover and allows for modular lens case add-ons. One good thing with mounting it on the front is that you can rest your elbows on it when taking a picture adding extra stability. Also the load does not swing. One last thing I like is that it places weight infront of you not more behind (if you put it in the backpack).

 

Things I dislike with this system is that the zipper does not keep out as much grit as I like. I'm thinking of having a flap sown over the zipper but that might make it more difficult to open. The other thing I don't like is that the camera case blocks clear vision of your feet. It takes a little getting used to but I can now cross rivers on a log bridge without any problems.

 

Good luck in your quest. Take your time in figuring things out. Remember that there is no 'one right way' of doing this. Play (try) with different systems. I would do some dry runs before going out on a long hike. Pick a system, load everything up and walk around the block.<div></div>

[kristian_s_oslash_rensen]

One approach I have used with some succes is to use a <a href="http://www.lowepro.com/pages/series/trekking/oftrail2.htm">Lowepro Off Trail 2</A> for my photo gear and stuff it in the bottom compartment of a <a href="http://www.lowealpine.com/Products/Detail.asp?ProductTypeID=10&ProductGroupID=450&Position=0&SpecificActivityID=">Lowe Alpine Alpamayo Crossbow 75+20 backpack</A>. It it a perfect fit, as if they were made for each other. This compartment of the pack is quickly and easily accessable by opening a single heavy duty zipper.

<p>

After having set up the camp or dumped the backpack at the youth hostel/hotel/relatives house/whatever I can use the Off Trail 2 for shorter photo expeditions where I do not need to carry more extra clothes, water or food than what I can have in pockets or in pounces attached to the belt of the Off Trail 2.

<p>

While walking with the backpack I can have some photo ability by carrying a SLR with lens either on a strap around my neck or attached with two shorter straps from D-rings on the shoulder straps of the backpack to the strap lugs on the SLR.

<p>

Lowepro pounces for lenses, film or even water bottles can be attached to the hip belt of the backpack for easy access to extra lenses, film etc. however they tend to be crushed when setting the backpack down, so you should remove them before taking the backpack off, and wait with attaching them until you have taken the backpack on, which slows down taking the backpack on/off a bit.

<p>

[david_senesac]

From your post, it sounds like your backpacking orientation may be about being able to readily photograph the landscape while on the trail backpacking. There are a great many non-photographer backpackers that after a slow morning rise and breakfast, break camp and then spend most of the day hiking down the trail. Late in the day after many miles of travel, they make camp, have dinner, and ease into the night. Backpacking is thus mainly about The Hike.

 

There is another backpacking orientation which is about getting to some desired location whether to do photography, go fishing, climb nearby peaks etc, or just enjoy laying over in a particularly scenic locale. As a photographer that has backpacked extensively for more than two decades, I am of the latter style. All my planning goes into getting to those amazing places and then taking the pack off and doing my photography with my considerable gear WITHOUT the pack. Of course there is often interesting scenery enroute and if so we will certainly stop on the trail to capture images in those places if they rise above some level of worthiness. These days I also tote a tiny DimageX to snag for the record shots at any instant. Generally my trail hiking tends to occur during parts of the day when photography would not be productive, like midday, or when scenic background areas are backlit.

 

Most photo gear carrying bags are built without consideration for the needs of backpackers. And the needs of backpackers are a bit different than someone simply hiking short distances from a road with a photo only bag. Backpackers need to carry extra gear like clothing, food, first aid, and many small items. For these reasons, long ago I began bringing day packs which carry all my day and photo gear. The main problem with that kind of system is that one then needs to place the day pack into the backpack while on the trail. And if on the trail, getting it out would be awkward and time consuming. Thus I customize my daypacks with sewed on quick release buckles which mate to like sewed on buckles on the back of my backpacks. When on the trail, I can quickly release the buckle snaps and go to work. Likewise putting it back on is a snap. Curently I piggyback a narrow Black Diamond L36 Stone climbers pack onto my big Lowe backpack. Some might complain that there isn't enough padding. There are many ways to pad lenses etc without resorting to a photopack's custom sectioning. For instance extra clothing can double for padding. -David

[phyrpowr]

Go to a big sporting goods store, or a WalMart, KMart or the like and check out the $15-$30 fishing vests. Lightweight, tons of accessible front pockets. The one I got is neat: the entire front panels are velcro fastened pockets, can hold my Canon 300 IS lens in one side, and an Elan7e in the other. The regular pockets can hold your 50 & 24mm lenses, and probably your flash. With your pack off, most of them have back pockets big enough to hold a jacket. I like my $20 fishing vest much better than any of the $75-$150 "photo" vests I've seen. The brand name is "Stream Designs".

[john lehman, college alask]

One thought on the monopod -- I carry a plastic folding tripod from REI which folds together with a velcro strap, and which fastens nicely on the top of my hiking staff for use as a monopod. That way I have the tripod if I need it, and can use a free hiking staff (I cut a 5 foot length of alder from the back yard and screwed a copper plumbing coupling to the tip).

[pvp]

Llamas.

[m.l.webster]

A lot of people have given you some decent advice. First figure out how long you will be gone for. From one of your messages, you said two days. I do plenty of hiking in Wisconsin, and am planing a 10 day Glacier National Park trek in August. For two days you need one pair of pants, preferably hiking pants (REI convertable Safari pants for $50). They dry fast and a zip off into shorts. 1 to two technical shirts, non cotton shirts that wick away moisture is prefered since cotton stays wet and can cause you to overheat since it does not allow moisture to evaporate fast enough. Trekking poles, if needed. Water, food, water purifier if needed, stove if needed, tent, compressible sleeping bag, *extra socks*, rain coat and fleece, flash light, and first aid kit, and a hat. All that should come to about 20lbs give or take a few. After that comes the camera equipment. If you are trekking through a National Park, or just doing nature photograghy in general, and space is at a premium, then all you really need is a lens that covers at least 24mm, and one telephoto for the animal shots. That's it. Everything else is just dead weight. 2 lens, one body, and film. I only keep c.polarizers for filters. Everything else can be photoshoped. I have a 4200 cubic inch Mounstainsmith Realm backpack. What I've done for trips in Northern Wisconsin is pack my bag with all my essentials. I also have a Mountainsmith Day, lumbar pack. In the lumbar pack, I stuff my 2 lens and the camera body. The great thing about Mountainsmith is that all their bags can connect to other models that they make. So I essential have the bag with the camera piggy back my backpack. Now this works for me, as long as I'm in no hurry to get my camera ready to snap a shot. So if I'm doing just landscapes, it's perfect. If I'm anticipating a wolf or a bear to cross my field of vision, then it is a pain because you do have to have a buddy get the camera out, or just take off the backpack so that you can get to the camera. But, for hiking comfort and weight savings, this system works for me. Remember, just because someone has a lot of equipment means they have top always carry it with them. Less can be better. 40lbs on day 1 can easily feel like 80lbs on day 2 if not packed properly.

 

Good luck and be safe.

 

Mike