Backpack for an 8 x10 field?

[MTGseattle]

My main issue with modern packs is that there are very few (if any in 2024) panel load packs. A top load keeps things nice and secure, but you're emptying the pack every time you need something unless you are a diligent and methodical packer. The panel loader I own (Gregory Targhee 45) is nice, but the pack bag gets narrower towards the waist. It works ok for a 4x5 outing but fails at 8x10.

 

[Thorsten]

My main issue with modern packs is that there are very few (if any in 2024) panel load packs. A top load keeps things nice and secure, but you're emptying the pack every time you need something unless you are a diligent and methodical packer. The panel loader I own (Gregory Targhee 45) is nice, but the pack bag gets narrower towards the waist. It works ok for a 4x5 outing but fails at 8x10.

I agree that top loaders are not really suitable for camera gear.

One option to get an 8x10 and a lot of equipment is, is the F.64 BPX. I did own one (used it with my 4x5 and had a ton of free space left, it easily takes an 8x10, too)

But there is one problem with many photo backpacks: They have been designed by companies that make photo accessories. A hiking backpack is a quite complicated thing with padding and a lot of straps and a carrying system that keeps the load away from your back. I want a hiking backpack to rest on my hip and be stabilized only by the shoulder straps. And I want the back to be solid and arched so that there is air between my back and the backpack. So a perfect hiking backpack is not something, a photo bag camera con come up with easily. If I carry many pounds of equipment on a hike, I want to carry it in greatest comfort and no, most camera backpacks (including the F64) are not that comfortable. Comfort is probably the most important quality of a hiking photo backpack.

Now I use the Cosyspeed Photohiker 44.



Cosyspeed, knowing that they have no idea how to make a really comfortable hiking backpack, did not even tried to do so, but ordered Vaude, a German outdoor gear manufacturer with decades of experience, to build the shell. Vaude made a combination of panel loader (at the bottom) and top loader (in a smaller top compartment) and Cosyspeed made stable photo inserts (they call them photo cubes) for both compartments.

You can easily carry a 8x10 camera and some smaller equipment in the insert in the lower panel compartment. And a lot of accessories in the smaller insert in the top compartment. Yes, this is a top loader, but you simply pull the entire insert out and have access.

 

[DREW WILEY]

In the 70's, most pack companies began with climbers and hikers making prototypes of what they themselves found truly useful and dependable. A lot of that was going on right here locally. You had packs by Jansport, Lowe, Kelty, seriously thought out and built domestically under the company oversight of the actual individuals. But now nearly everything is outsourced, made in quantity, and then potentially tweaked only after a lot of negative feedback in some particular or another. If I had a problem with a Sierra Designs tent, for example, I just walked across the RR tracks from my office and talked to the designer (who now, long retired, lives in my neighborhood). If it was North Face, a ten minute drive away (and I'm talking about the real deal North Face, not its "factory outlet" import stuff like today). Marmot was headquartered nearby. Eventually a backpacking and photography pal of mine bought the entire Sierra Designs facility. If I needed a pack modified, there was and still is a specialty shop in town, who even made my black Goretex dark cloths. So many things have changed. Now it's all about mass retailing.

 

[MTGseattle]

That local ad for the vintage Kelty got deleted after I contacted the seller. I wasn't holding my breath since it was a pretty old ad.
I did however get lucky with an old ad for a 16x20 enlarging easel last year. I'm not sure why it hadn't sold, but I count myself lucky on that one.

It's an unofrtunate state of the world economy: I looked into making my own modern (lightwieght, water-resistant) darkcloth, and it wasn't economically feasible vs what exists off the shelf.

.

 

[MattKing]

Thread title updated, and now returned to its original form.

 

[MTGseattle]

Sorry everyone, I did not mean to stretch this thread out. I clicked on the wrong sub-thread prior to my reply. (much like grabbing a group text instead of your intended single recipient).

One thing I did experiment with is the Mindshift rotation 180 pro I have. I placed most of my small 4x5 kit in the upper main compartment, and a 35mm slr, my light meter and some filters in the "waist pack" portion. It works out pretty well in that I can whip around the waist pack portion and use the 35mm (or digital) quickly for exploratory frames and/or frames that don't seem to need large format finesse. I had thought of kicking the Mindshift pack on down the road, but I think I'll hang onto it.

I'm curious what the Kelty and North Face, etc made in the USA packs cost back in the day. Everything that is recent and tempting is at least $450. Do the equivalent dollars add up? I've been looking into some of the Mystery Ranch packs under their "military" line. There are a few that have pack bag sizes that would easily accommodate 8x10. The search continues...

 

[DREW WILEY]

Real Kelty, full-sized at least, was expensive. I recall prices around $250 in the 70's, which was quite a bit back then. North Face entered the game later with the first really high quality internal frame pack which sold for around $600. Jansport and Lowe weren't cheap either.

 

[MTGseattle]

Well, I pulled the trigger on something that could work out pretty well (I sure hope so). It's a pack from Mystery Ranch and is designed for hunting.
I should see it this weekend. I'll experiment with a load-out and report back. I found a place that had one as an "open-box" deal in the correct harness size for me. I saved about 35% off of retail. How does a backpack end up as "open box?" I have no idea. I'd bet decent money they're shipped in clear plastic bags.

 

[Kino]

The next morning he was sleeping in late. There was a little snowbank nearby. I covered his whole face except his nose with snow, then backed off and started yelling, Avalanche!

This sounds like a Patrick F. McManus story evolving...

 

[DREW WILEY]

I talked on the phone to him a couple days ago. Now it's his son - my grandnephew - who stumbled onto a Pentax 6x7, bought it, and is hoping to use it for his own mountaineering photography. He's off to Norway right now. But I hope to spend some time coaching him in film photography later in the year.

 

[GregY]

Real Kelty, full-sized at least, was expensive. I recall prices around $250 in the 70's, which was quite a bit back then. North Face entered the game later with the first really high quality internal frame pack which sold for around $600. Jansport and Lowe weren't cheap either.

Drew I think your memory has failed you. In the mid 70s Kelty packs were about $50... the same price as Galibier Super-Guide climbing boots. Here's a price list from the 60s... frames and bag were priced separately.

1960's Kelty Price List - Backpacking Light

I am finding a bunch of old stuff in the garage. Here is a price list. Not sure if it will be legible. Edit: Zip codes came into use in...

backpackinglight.com

 

[DREW WILEY]

That list was for earlier, less featured packs than the 70's - 80's variety, which were sold complete under different model names. I have a few of those earlier ones laying around too, just for free parts; quite a bit of difference - mostly canvas rather than nylon. I don't remember what my old ash handle ice axe cost; but half of it is still broken off up the ice. I'm not familiar with Galibier boots. My first decent boots were true double-walled Raichle Swiss boots bought around 1966, heavy as heck; but I could posthole in deep snow all day long. My pack back then was homemade; I couldn't afford a real Kelty, or really, anything decent except the boots themselves. My sleeping bag was darn near worthless; sometimes I didn't even bother bringing it along. It was only around 1980 when I took up LF photography that I purchased a Kelty - so perhaps that's where my memory of its price lies.

 

[GregY]

That list was for earlier, less featured packs than the 70's - 80's variety, which were sold complete under different model names. I have a few of those earlier ones laying around too, just for free parts; quite a bit of difference - mostly canvas rather than nylon. I don't remember what my old ash handle ice axe cost; but half of it is still broken off up the ice. I'm not familiar with Galibier boots. My first decent boots were true double-walled Raichle Swiss boots bought around 1966, heavy as heck; but I could posthole in deep snow all day long. My pack back then was homemade; I couldn't afford a real Kelty, or really, anything decent except the boots themselves. My sleeping bag was darn near worthless; sometimes I didn't even bother bringing it along. It was only around 1980 when I took up LF photography that I purchased a Kelty - so perhaps that's where my memory of its price lies.

DW, Galibier was the choice for mountain guides. Your fellow Californian Royal Robbins became the US importer....& they even designed a very popular blue suede/red laces...rock climbing boot... the RR.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I don't remember Royal being in business that early. I didn't know he ever lived in Modesto. His first actual store I'm aware of was in Berkeley five minutes from where I worked. All kinds of outdoor manufacturing and sales ventures were there at that time. But I never actually walked in his little place. Store-bought boots were torture to me due to deformed feet, so I eventually went to custom ones along with prescription carbon fiber orthotics, and that made all the difference. I'd probably be a person non grata in Royal's digs if they learned my nephew was the one who re-bolted the Dawn Wall after Royal chopped the bolts - obviously many years later, but still .... And that 3rd climb redo confirmed Harding's claim that he first did the route on only a pint of water a day (there were still dozens of bottles of wine stashed in a big crack).

Oh, and another reason Kelty packs jumped so much in price is that they stopped direct sales and went to retailers, so a big markup there. But that was still well before the sale of the company and the packs being outsourced, and the terrible quality drop due to that. When I needed some new shoulder straps after many years,
one of them snapped the first trip, right when I was edging along about a 3 inch wide ledge! Yikes!

 

[GregY]

I don't remember Royal being in business that early. I didn't know he ever lived in Modesto. His first actual store I'm aware of was in Berkeley five minutes from where I worked. All kinds of outdoor manufacturing and sales ventures were there at that time. But I never actually walked in his little place. Store-bought boots were torture to me due to deformed feet, so I eventually went to custom ones along with prescription carbon fiber orthotics, and that made all the difference. I'd probably be a person non grata in Royal's digs if they learned my nephew was the one who re-bolted the Dawn Wall after Royal chopped the bolts - obviously many years later, but still .... And that 3rd climb redo confirmed Harding's claim that he first did the route on only a pint of water a day (there were still dozens of bottles of wine stashed in a big crack).

Oh, and another reason Kelty packs jumped so much in price is that they stopped direct sales and went to retailers, so a big markup there. But that was still well before the sale of the company and the packs being outsourced, and the terrible quality drop due to that. When I needed some new shoulder straps after many years,
one of them snapped the first trip, right when I was edging along about a 3 inch wide ledge! Yikes!

As an aside. Royal's in-laws had a paint store in Modesto and that's where they lived. He worked selling paint. He opened his shop in Modesto in 1971 and i visited that shop a few times on my way to Yosemite in the early 70s.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Interesting. I had mountain property until relatively recently, but south of Yosemite.

 

[blee1996]

Now I use the Cosyspeed Photohiker 44.

It seems the Cosyspeed Photohiker 44 is sold out in US. A bit unfortunate, since their price was reasonable and shipping was free.

I like the LowePro Trekker AW backpacks, since they are also a mountaineering company that makes good "real" hiking backpacks under the Lowe Alpine brand. They have good harness for heavier load, long distance and challenging terrains. I have never carried 8x10 into the mountains though. My plan has always been to use 8x10 in studio, and 4x5 for the hikes.

 

[MTGseattle]

blee; I think that's the sensible approach. I feel like I have a few years left in me of ignoring what's sensible. I would like to at least summit Mt Rainier one of these years but I will definitely not be making 8x10 summit portraits.

The Copyspeed did look promising, but it still means wrestling with an insert. I'm not sure the pack I ordered solves that problem, but if I use an insert, it will be easy to get in/out of the pack.

@GregY I just spent an enjoyable detour running through the threads in your link. Good stuff. Any idea if the Jim Fitzgerald in the thread is the same Jim Fitzgerald carbon printer?

 

[GregY]

blee; I think that's the sensible approach. I feel like I have a few years left in me of ignoring what's sensible. I would like to at least summit Mt Rainier one of these years but I will definitely not be making 8x10 summit portraits.

The Copyspeed did look promising, but it still means wrestling with an insert. I'm not sure the pack I ordered solves that problem, but if I use an insert, it will be easy to get in/out of the pack.

@GregY I just spent an enjoyable detour running through the threads in your link. Good stuff. Any idea if the Jim Fitzgerald in the thread is the same Jim Fitzgerald carbon printer?

MT.... I don't know about Jim F.... whether it's the same person or not.

 

[Vaughn]

@GregY I just spent an enjoyable detour running through the threads in your link. Good stuff. Any idea if the Jim Fitzgerald in the thread is the same Jim Fitzgerald carbon printer?

I do not think he is the same Jim F. I co-instruct carbon workshops with him and he has never mentioned having a Kelty...or having done much backpacking, though he carries an 14x17 camera around. I'll ask him the next time I talk to him -- probably soon, as we are gearing up for a workshop in April in Yosemite.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Another plug for Atlas packs. I have the smaller Atlas Athlete but they also comes in a larger Atlas Adventure.

What I needed was a pack made with a separate compartment for camera stuff, but also a pack which expands for extra clothes while winter hiking. Being able to pack enough for overnighters was also a requirement. Also had to open from the back, so that when placed on mucky or snowy ground the back & shoulder straps wouldn't get soaked.

Slipped and fell into a pool below a waterfall once. The water went over my shoulders before my feet hit bottom, so the pack was fully submerged...only a couple drops made it into the camera compartment.

Here's my pack all sleek & thin with just camera gear, and the second photo is bloated for an overnighter:

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Another one, out in the field beside a sizeable bear dump.

Note hip belt pouch for gunslinger fast access to bear spray

 

[MurrayMinchin]

This fellow uses an Atlas Adventure for his 8x10.

(The Athlete camera compartment door hinges from the bottom, while the Adventure hinges from the side).

 

[DREW WILEY]

That Atlas looks like a nice day hike rig, but too small for serious backpack trips with LF gear, when you need to also carry lots of food, a tent, sleeping bag etc, etc. The more problematic issue is with all the weight being dependent upon that perimeter zipper. Zippers are often one of the first things to go bad, and here you've got even the shoulder straps themselves dependent upon the reliability of a long zipper itself.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

That Atlas looks like a nice day hike rig, but too small for serious backpack trips with LF gear, when you need to also carry lots of food, a tent, sleeping bag etc, etc. The more problematic issue is with all the weight being dependent upon that perimeter zipper. Zippers are often one of the first things to go bad, and here you've got even the shoulder straps themselves dependent upon the reliability of a long zipper itself.

Yeah, the Althlete's shoulder straps are attached to the bag and the belt is attached where the zippers originate for the camera door start so is much stronger. It bloats out quite well as there is expandable space outside of the camera compartment.

The second photo in post #46 does include a tent and (summer) sleeping bag.

I purchased some strap-on side pouches for extra gear, but haven't needed to use them yet.

As I recall, the OP wasn't looking for an expedition pack.