Time for my once a decade camera bag purchase, and I'm looking for a little help.
I have the humungous end covered with a Lowepro Pro Trekker for my 600mm; and the small end with a LowePro Orion AW - but could use a medium-sized, compartmentalized backpack with room for a body and 3-4 lenses + some personal gear for a day-hike outing, and a decent tripod carrying system.
The Orion tripod straps are on the bottom, so your expensive CF tripod gets ground into the dirt if you set the bag down. And I hate the Lowepro bungee cord set up, which is just too wiggly for me, so I end up just carrying the 'pod the whole hike.
Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated - is anyone carrying a Mountainsmith Parallax? Sierra Trading Post has 'em for $109.
I prefer to find a backpack (for car based photography and some walking) that fits me and then make or buy a polystyrene or foam piece with cutouts for my cameras and lenses which sits within the pack. On my pack the tripod straps to the side, usually a water bottle is on the other side to balance the weight a little. It holds clothes, food and accessories too.
I also use a top load Lowepro bag for one camera and lens which sits on my chest with shoulder straps with or without a backpack for quick access to the camera.
Some recommend a belt pack but I haven't tested that.
Posted by Jack Garrett on July 18, 2008 at 2:11 PM
I was at Mikes Camera a few weeks ago and a lot of people are now opting for a belt and suspender setup. You can add modules as you need them for lens, camera, water, filters, etc. After spending 23 years in the Army, this seems to make sense because it takes the load off your back. I'm planning to convert to this system as soon as I can afford all the components. It might be worth looking at.
Jack
Posted by George Hager on July 18, 2008 at 2:12 PM
If you decide to stay with Lowepro, I found a place on Ebay that sold me a Lowepro Super Trekker for a bundle less than B&H and threw in some extra goodies to boot. They are located in Centennial, CO so shipping is minimal.
http://stores.ebay.com/Sell-N-Send
They treated me good, but no promises. At least its not in Hong Kong.
Posted by Brent Murphy on July 18, 2008 at 2:18 PM
I agree with you about the Lowepro bungee cords. Definitely worthless for the heavy aluminum 3-section tripod I have. I ended up buying some little 1/2" nylon straps with buckles from REI, and they work great. I use the bungies for holding my fleece jacket instead.
The bungees might work better when I finally switch to a 4-section CF tripod. We'll see.
Don't really have any recommendations for you though. I like my LowePro Photo Trekker, which I find very comfortable. However, I would say it's fairly heavy for a backpack, and I wish I had something lighter but just as functional.
I've been researching a camera/hiking pack for many months now,
and have finally come up with what appears to be an ideal bag....the Naneu K3.
What really sold me on this pack was the airflow suspension system that allows air to circulate between one's back and the pack itself, along with the superb looking padded belt. You can read a review of the K3L at the CamBags review site (..an excellent resource, btw) and at this fellow's gear diary. At least the photos may be helpful.
The L series are just a bit larger and can accomodate a laptop, which doesn't interest me. Perhaps as a pocket for maps, magazine, etc.?
However, just when I was about to pull the trigger and order the pack, I see that Naneu will be releasing the improved K4L pack and the much larger K5 backpack in mid-September. I've waited this long, so I may wait for the K4L.
As far as carrying a tripod, I'm happy with attaching an OpTech tripod strap and slinging it over my shoulder.
Hope this helps
Posted by Kalin Wilson on July 18, 2008 at 2:56 PM
I've been very happy with the gear I bought from Photobackpacker.com. They basically make a modular system that velcros to a lightweight backboard that you insert into a medium size pack. I use the Kelty Redwing which is a popular pack on its own. I bought the modified version from photobackpacker to get the extended zippers.
I didn't look through the current site to see how/if it's presented, but they do offer support for DSLR/35mm systems although their initial focus is LF systems. Basically you buy a LF camera case and a divider system that you can customize to your body/lens set. Using two square LF cases and a 3 LF lens case, I can carry all of my LF and DSLR gear except my 500mm with room for extra gear and food for a day hike. If I remove the LF cases I have plenty of room or a water bladder or even more extra gear.
It's worth taking a look at if you'd like to build a system around a quality pack. I haven't found the photo backpacks to be the best packing solution.
I've been using a Tamrac Extreme series backpack for a couple of years now and have been very happy with it. The pack is very well engineered and the tripod strapping system is far superior to my old Lowepro bag. I also like that the pack material is water resistant without having to pull out some type of cover. They come in three sizes so you have a choice what works for you. They're expensive, but I've found that they're worth every penny.
I really like my Deuter, espcially for 35mm. If I were to order one specifically for this purpose, it would be the Futura Vario 40+10 which Mountain Chalet in Colorado Springs can custom order. These packs are top loading rucksacks. Its not a camera backpack, but to solve that, I drop my Tamrac Messeger bag (which holds exactly what you're asking for and only cost about $40) and still have room for my other stuff. Best part is that this whole kit runs $140.
As for the tripod, it has a built in system that works well. Put 2 feet in one of the water bottle pockets and use the side compression straps to secure the tripod.
If you want a panel loading pack like this, the Osprey Stratos 24L is nice option. My wife uses this as her daypack, but I've used it for the above camera gear. It has the same options built in to carry a tripod too, its just smaller than the 40L packs.
If you don't like mounting a tripod on the side of the pack, I've built some custom tripod slings for my own that hang on the pack and don't swing and weigh next to nothing. I have one I can sell for a Deuter Futura.
I used a LowePro Specialist 85AW on my Antarctica trip and it worked great. Never had to set it down in penguin poop, held a 1dsIII with 100-400 attached (hood reversed),plus a 24-105 zoom,and a 17-40 zoom, 3 grad filters, 1-550ex flash and folded BetterBeamer. This has become my favorite day-use bag with a LowePro Pro Trekker AW as my backpack. I use 2 regular straps for securing my tripod to the pack to fight the wiggly stretch straps provided.
Discussion
10 repliesI have the humungous end covered with a Lowepro Pro Trekker for my 600mm; and the small end with a LowePro Orion AW - but could use a medium-sized, compartmentalized backpack with room for a body and 3-4 lenses + some personal gear for a day-hike outing, and a decent tripod carrying system.
The Orion tripod straps are on the bottom, so your expensive CF tripod gets ground into the dirt if you set the bag down. And I hate the Lowepro bungee cord set up, which is just too wiggly for me, so I end up just carrying the 'pod the whole hike.
Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated - is anyone carrying a Mountainsmith Parallax? Sierra Trading Post has 'em for $109.
Thanks!
I prefer to find a backpack (for car based photography and some walking) that fits me and then make or buy a polystyrene or foam piece with cutouts for my cameras and lenses which sits within the pack. On my pack the tripod straps to the side, usually a water bottle is on the other side to balance the weight a little. It holds clothes, food and accessories too.
I also use a top load Lowepro bag for one camera and lens which sits on my chest with shoulder straps with or without a backpack for quick access to the camera.
Some recommend a belt pack but I haven't tested that.
Jack
http://stores.ebay.com/Sell-N-Send
They treated me good, but no promises. At least its not in Hong Kong.
The bungees might work better when I finally switch to a 4-section CF tripod. We'll see.
Don't really have any recommendations for you though. I like my LowePro Photo Trekker, which I find very comfortable. However, I would say it's fairly heavy for a backpack, and I wish I had something lighter but just as functional.
and have finally come up with what appears to be an ideal bag....the Naneu K3.
What really sold me on this pack was the airflow suspension system that allows air to circulate between one's back and the pack itself, along with the superb looking padded belt. You can read a review of the K3L at the CamBags review site (..an excellent resource, btw) and at this fellow's gear diary. At least the photos may be helpful.
The L series are just a bit larger and can accomodate a laptop, which doesn't interest me. Perhaps as a pocket for maps, magazine, etc.?
However, just when I was about to pull the trigger and order the pack, I see that Naneu will be releasing the improved K4L pack and the much larger K5 backpack in mid-September. I've waited this long, so I may wait for the K4L.
As far as carrying a tripod, I'm happy with attaching an OpTech tripod strap and slinging it over my shoulder.
Hope this helps
I didn't look through the current site to see how/if it's presented, but they do offer support for DSLR/35mm systems although their initial focus is LF systems. Basically you buy a LF camera case and a divider system that you can customize to your body/lens set. Using two square LF cases and a 3 LF lens case, I can carry all of my LF and DSLR gear except my 500mm with room for extra gear and food for a day hike. If I remove the LF cases I have plenty of room or a water bladder or even more extra gear.
It's worth taking a look at if you'd like to build a system around a quality pack. I haven't found the photo backpacks to be the best packing solution.
I really like my Deuter, espcially for 35mm. If I were to order one specifically for this purpose, it would be the Futura Vario 40+10 which Mountain Chalet in Colorado Springs can custom order. These packs are top loading rucksacks. Its not a camera backpack, but to solve that, I drop my Tamrac Messeger bag (which holds exactly what you're asking for and only cost about $40) and still have room for my other stuff. Best part is that this whole kit runs $140.
As for the tripod, it has a built in system that works well. Put 2 feet in one of the water bottle pockets and use the side compression straps to secure the tripod.
If you want a panel loading pack like this, the Osprey Stratos 24L is nice option. My wife uses this as her daypack, but I've used it for the above camera gear. It has the same options built in to carry a tripod too, its just smaller than the 40L packs.
If you don't like mounting a tripod on the side of the pack, I've built some custom tripod slings for my own that hang on the pack and don't swing and weigh next to nothing. I have one I can sell for a Deuter Futura.