4x5 film on wilderness trips

A bit of a newbie question here.

I'm just curious as to how people pack their 4x5 sheet film for long trips. I will be doing an 8 day trip into the Boundry Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in the end of May and there will be no returning to civilization for that time period...this means carrying a good quantity of film. Most of the travel is done by canoe (which will help), but there are overland portages to jump between many lakes. Quickload sheets are my choice since it will save significant time vs. loading and unloading film. I understand that bulk film is probably lighter given the large quantity of sheets needed. So, how do you carry a large quantity of film around with minimum bulk but still adequate protection from bending/moisture? Cheapie solutions such as ziplock bags and rubbermaid containers come to mind, but I don't know how space efficient that would be.

Another question is of course how much film to actually bring. I was thinking around 100-120 sheets (12.5-15 sheets a day). Obviously this differs person to person how much they shoot. Given my current weekend average, that would place me in the safe zone.

Any thoughts or experiences would be most appreciated.

How much film is really up to your personal style. I generally carry film in its original box which is pretty rigid. For "dry" trips I slip the boxes into a cordura pouch (generic one I picked up at REI) to protect from dust. On trips where water is involved you may want to get a dry bag (I use the ones from Pacific Outdoors which are very versatile for other purposes as well).

Guy

Thanks Guy. I'll take a look at those items you mentioned. Oh, and using a film box makes sense I suppose.

Joel: you say "Given my current weekend average", but do you normally mix canoing with photography? If you will spend time paddling between areas, 12-15 images in a day sounds like a HUGE amount to me. Will you actually have time to make that many photographs each day?

I also carry my QL's in their original box when backpacking. If they will chance getting wet or bent, then Tupperware or something similar is a better option, although more bulky and heavy.

Thank you Michael,

No, I normally don't mix canoe travel with photography (usually its just extended hiking). However, I don't usually photograph during the time that I'll be canoeing either. I'll be photographing very early morning, late afternoon and evening. The canoeing will primarilly take place in the harsher light periods.

12-15 is a lot, you're right. Like I said, that would be an amount which I know I'd be safe with. I often will make a minor bracketing my expsure or make a backup copy of the composition. This eats up film. I just would hate to get out there and be faced with changing light and not have film to record it, you know? Since its my first extended trip with the 4x5 I'm just not sure what all to expect. At best, I would expect a couple possible compositions at sunrise, and then 2-3 more at sunset/late afternoon. I'm sure some days will have bad weather though, and other situations will arise. I suppose that 10 sheets a day would most likely be adequate. The trip will be a learning experience, no doubt.

Joel - I suggest Quickload for most purposes, and there are a couple of particularly good reasons for your upcoming trip. One is dust/dirt...assuming you'll be changing outdoors, there is a good chance of getting a lot of dust into loose sheet film. Another reason is the fact that you'll have early sunrise and late sunset. After you've been shooting, canoeing, hiking, etc. all day, believe me when I say that you won't feel like unloading, cleaning, and reloading holders when you'd rather rest

Yet another reason is flexibility. My guideline is to take 2x as much film as I expect to shoot, and it usually balloons from that reference point because I use various film for specific purposes, i.e. Velvia, Astia, NPS color neg, and Acros b&w neg. Since I use QL film, there's no problem to use whatever flavor I like; if holders were loaded in advance, I'd surely run short of the desired flavor at the most inopportune time.

I agree that 10 sheets a day is probably plenty. I normally shoot 2 sheets of each composition, and even at that, my all-time record is about 15 sheets for a day with great light all day long (i.e. soft light).

Thanks Danny for the advice, what you said makes a lot of sense. I shoot a 3 film loadout as well, so that does complicate the issue somewhat (Astia, 160s, and Velvia), though I could pretty easily get away with 2 (Astia and 160s).

By the way, I had the oppertunity to view some of your panoramic prints last fall at the Waters of Superior gallery in Duluth MN. The prints were really stunning and inspirational. Any plans on shows in the MN area in the near future?

I use the QL boxes, but I take the sheets out of the foil and slip them into a ziplock bag. I can fit an additional 5 or so sheets into each box that way. More sheets per box means less bulk and weight and if the box happens to get wet, the ziplock bag prevents disaster.

I use Quickloads, and keep them in the original box. I put the box in a double ziploc. That's works for me until I get up to needing more than three boxes. At that point, sheet film and a days worth of film holders reduce bulk, but at the expense of convenience and dust. I've done both and prefer the QL approach, agreeing with Danny that probably the last thing you'll want to do after a day of canoeing and portaging is change out film.

As far as quantity, I tend to get more discriminating about what I shoot when I don't have access to more film. A big day in the field might be a dozen or so sheets when the light is good all day. More commonly, about 1/2 that.

Sounds like a great trip!

I would think 10 per day would be plenty. It's not like you have a motor drive. I would suggest going to Cabelas or Scheels (I know you have one there) and get two dry bags. They are in the "canoe" section. Keep half the film (exposed & unexposed) in one and half in the other. I would also put the exposed film in heavy duty freezer ziplock bags as insurance. One thing you won't have to worry about is the film getting too warm, LOL! There's still snow up there. One thing you might be careful about is handling film and anything plastic if there is bugspray on your arms and hands. You're probably aware it eats plastic.


Kent in SD

Thanks Harley, Rick and Kent!

Kent, it probably will be pretty cool up there still (we're talking the end of May here, so it should be snow free by that point ). The mosquito's shouldn't be out in force yet though which will be nice. I'll check those items out that you suggested. Thanks!

Thanks for the kind comments on my prints at "Waters of Superior" gallery, Joel. Other than continuing the selection there, I don't have plans for a show in MN anytime soon.