Posted by George Ollen on July 4, 2008 at 10:09 PM
I'm not having much success finding a compact bag to hold a Nikon D300, one extra lens and the extra cards, batteries etc.
I want something to hang on my chest so I can carry a water bladder pack with food, etc. on my back. Light enough to carry for long periods of time - dawn to dusk.
Has anybody out there found a product or combination of products that solves this problem?
I haven't tried one, but a friend is really fond of Tamrac's Velocity bags for the same application you describe. When not wearing the daypack for personal gear, he just swings it around back for conventional carry. I should say that I haven't tried them because I'm hooked on belt pouches.
Hank, Jeff -- Thanks for your suggestions. I had just bought a Tamrac Velocity 7x to see if it would suit. The size is about right but the single shoulder strap makes it ride a bit awkwardly on my chest when I have a Camelback Hydration (designed for cycling use) on my back.
So perhaps Jeff's solution is worth looking into -- are you saying that 100 oz. hydration pack also carried your camera gear on your back? If so, what kind of gear did you tuck away in it?
Long ago I remember a simple chest harness that did nothing but hold the camera at the ready at chest level so you could walk and shoot quickly when something came to light. I havn't seen such a thing on the web yet -- can anyone provide a clue to that rig?
John, thanks for the link. It looks somewhat like the one in my memory, though this OpTech model looks a little thin for hanging a D300 and medium zoom.
Hi George,
I am a newbe to photography but am a backpacker. I am still trying to "perfect" a system. I carry a lightweight( golite "jam") backpack. It has a hydration pocket.It's kind of big for day hiking but because I always carry "the 10 essentials" anyway that leaves lots of room for camera gear. I found straps that hook to your camera and then to the D riings on the shoulder straps of the pack.. The camera bounces when you walk so I then found a belt that has neoprene in the front with a hole for the lens that keeps my camera snug to my body but it comes out easily for a shot. I have some "pockets"(? don't have a name for them) that I bought at the camera store that hold my filters and velcro's to my waist belt. I put my extra lens in the side mesh pocket or inside the pack. My tripod gets moved aroud a lot. haven't quite figured that one out yet. I'm sorry I don't have a link. I just went to a local camera shop.
Good luck!
Mary
George, I use the Toploader system that John linked to. I find that it works great while I am shooting. It allows me free hands and the ability to move around while I'm shooting without leaving my bag behind. The downside is that the weight of the camera and lens pull the chest pack down into my stomach which gets annoying after a few hours. For most of the day I am either hiking in or hiking out and don't need ready access to the camera. During these times I put my camera and lens in my backpack and to make space I put some of the food in my Toploader. This seems to work quite well for me.
And finally (assuming you're still here ), check out the OpTech Stabilizer Strap as another option.
Posted by George Ollen on July 7, 2008 at 11:54 PM
To John -- still here, still here..... have ordered the OpTech lightweight harness to give it a try, only 12 bucks from Amazon. Will give everybody my initial review when it arrives this week.
To Erik -- I actually bought a Toploader 70 AW but returned it the next day -- though the D300 with lens fit, it was not a snug fit and there wasn't good room for my 70-210, believe it or not, because this holster bag is bulky and protrudes too much from my chest for my liking. I'm not a big guy, so compact is key. The "Topload Zoom 1, 2, and Mini" are more on the compact side, but didn't have room for the second lens either.
Back to John -- so that Lowepro chest harness, though stronger looking, isn't going to work for the time being either.
To Kelly - Havn't had time to look at Think Tank, will get back.
To Mary - Your do-it-yourself design from here and there sounds like a bigger backpack than I want, but it does have a water bladder you say ....
So to Jeff again - I'm going to go to REI and take a look at that Alpine 100 oz. Hydration backpack to see if it's adaptable.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REPLIED THUS FAR. Back to you all when I've had time to look at Think Tank and Jeff's suggestion.
George
Posted by Vandit Kalia on July 11, 2008 at 7:38 AM
You might already be aware of this but I thought I'd point it out just in case: if you carry a lot of gear on your chest, it introduces a strain on your back, especially your lower back. This can translate into all sorts of lower back problems, especially over continued use (many hours per day, many days). You might want to look into having something on your back to counterbalance the load.
Vandit
Posted by George Ollen on July 11, 2008 at 11:46 PM
Yep,
Either way, too much ballast fore or aft and your back will suffer. My design all along was a camelback with two to three litres of water and food on my back and the camera and one extra lens and memory on the chest. Still havn't had the time to make a trial run -- day job in session. Consuming at times. And it's summer party time here on the coast, and the desert (my usual haunt) is 100 plus fahrenheit.
I'll tell you what has been fun the last few months -- the Leica D Lux 3, very light weight tripod and Camelback ! Compared to the days when I hauled complete 35mm and multi lenses and tripod and food and water ..... whew !
go
Posted by Vandit Kalia on July 12, 2008 at 3:41 AM
george, you wrote:
"I'll tell you what has been fun the last few months -- the Leica D Lux 3, very light weight tripod and Camelback !"
I hear you. I shoot DSLR + long lenses cos I need to, but in my heart, I love shooting with small cameras. A M8 may be in my future yet... :)
Discussion
14 repliesI want something to hang on my chest so I can carry a water bladder pack with food, etc. on my back. Light enough to carry for long periods of time - dawn to dusk.
Has anybody out there found a product or combination of products that solves this problem?
Thanks for your suggestions,
George Ollen
http://www.rei.com/product/767539
So perhaps Jeff's solution is worth looking into -- are you saying that 100 oz. hydration pack also carried your camera gear on your back? If so, what kind of gear did you tuck away in it?
Long ago I remember a simple chest harness that did nothing but hold the camera at the ready at chest level so you could walk and shoot quickly when something came to light. I havn't seen such a thing on the web yet -- can anyone provide a clue to that rig?
george
Have you used it yourself?
george
A more robust alternative might be the Lowepro chest harness in conjunction with a topload holster bag.
I am a newbe to photography but am a backpacker. I am still trying to "perfect" a system. I carry a lightweight( golite "jam") backpack. It has a hydration pocket.It's kind of big for day hiking but because I always carry "the 10 essentials" anyway that leaves lots of room for camera gear. I found straps that hook to your camera and then to the D riings on the shoulder straps of the pack.. The camera bounces when you walk so I then found a belt that has neoprene in the front with a hole for the lens that keeps my camera snug to my body but it comes out easily for a shot. I have some "pockets"(? don't have a name for them) that I bought at the camera store that hold my filters and velcro's to my waist belt. I put my extra lens in the side mesh pocket or inside the pack. My tripod gets moved aroud a lot. haven't quite figured that one out yet. I'm sorry I don't have a link. I just went to a local camera shop.
Good luck!
Mary
To Erik -- I actually bought a Toploader 70 AW but returned it the next day -- though the D300 with lens fit, it was not a snug fit and there wasn't good room for my 70-210, believe it or not, because this holster bag is bulky and protrudes too much from my chest for my liking. I'm not a big guy, so compact is key. The "Topload Zoom 1, 2, and Mini" are more on the compact side, but didn't have room for the second lens either.
Back to John -- so that Lowepro chest harness, though stronger looking, isn't going to work for the time being either.
To Kelly - Havn't had time to look at Think Tank, will get back.
To Mary - Your do-it-yourself design from here and there sounds like a bigger backpack than I want, but it does have a water bladder you say ....
So to Jeff again - I'm going to go to REI and take a look at that Alpine 100 oz. Hydration backpack to see if it's adaptable.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REPLIED THUS FAR. Back to you all when I've had time to look at Think Tank and Jeff's suggestion.
George
Vandit
Either way, too much ballast fore or aft and your back will suffer. My design all along was a camelback with two to three litres of water and food on my back and the camera and one extra lens and memory on the chest. Still havn't had the time to make a trial run -- day job in session. Consuming at times. And it's summer party time here on the coast, and the desert (my usual haunt) is 100 plus fahrenheit.
I'll tell you what has been fun the last few months -- the Leica D Lux 3, very light weight tripod and Camelback ! Compared to the days when I hauled complete 35mm and multi lenses and tripod and food and water ..... whew !
go
"I'll tell you what has been fun the last few months -- the Leica D Lux 3, very light weight tripod and Camelback !"
I hear you. I shoot DSLR + long lenses cos I need to, but in my heart, I love shooting with small cameras. A M8 may be in my future yet... :)
Vandit