Backpack for an 8 x10 field?

[DREW WILEY]

Most people don't long-haul a lot of stuff. I did for a long time. But having spent time in the mountains yourself, you've no doubt had to either guide out or outright rescue people over the years who wandered into the backcountry ill-equipped for sudden weather changes even on a day outing. Or alas, the third alternative, a body recovery. Even on my own day hikes, especially in autumn, I often carried a spare jacket and raincoat to loan to people in trouble. There were a few times it probably made a life versus death difference. Same in some of those southwestern canyons in fall, which can experience day/night temp swings of 80 or more degrees. And I've been briefly underwater pack n' all a couple of times - why you want big plastic trash can bags along too, surrounding your critical gear and supplies.

Anyway, thanks for the flick. It's always nice to know what else is out there.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

It's a rare day I meet someone in the bush around Kitimat on day hikes, and even rarer still if overnighting in the mountains. It's all a matter of scale...a teeny tiny population (8,500) and lots of mountains and forest trails to choose from.

Since I hike alone, my concern is to carry enough gear on day hikes to spend the night out in an emergency. Luckily, that's never happened...

Click here and zoom out for a sense of I'm talking about: https://www.google.com/maps/place/K...32661!4d-128.637191!16zL20vMDdjdjg3?entry=ttu

 

[Chuck1]

Looks nice

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Since we're meandering into multi-day hiking territory here, has anybody checked out a Lowepro Photosport 70L backpack?

PhotoSport Backpack PRO 70L AW III (M-L)

The new PhotoSport PRO Backpack is built for professional photographers who need a lightweight, comfortable bag that perfectly suits their gear and use during a multi-day photography mission in the backcountry. It is designed to protect photo gear with the integrated and removable GearUp PRO XL...

www.lowepro.com

How Do I Carry All My Photo, Climbing, and Camping Gear for Multi-Day Photo Excursions Shooting Alpine Architecture? - The Lowepro PhotoSport Backpack Pro 70L AW III | Architectural Photography Almanac

Hikes through the Alps are my favorite excursions, in search of new architecture to photograph. Here I have to work out my pictures. For these photo shoots, I usually stay one night on location. This way I reserve the time with the most beautiful light for photography: late afternoon, blue…

apalmanac.com

 

[DREW WILEY]

I grew up where rugged wilderness began five minutes away walking right out the front door. And most of my life I've gone solo, though with numerous exceptions of course. Now well into my 70's, I'm less likely to go seriously off trail alone anymore. I've done the whole gamut : ultralight before that term was ever coined, and then for several decades becoming my own fully equipped wilderness motorhome, carrying an expedition grade tent, clothing suitable for any kind of weather all year long (summer can turn into winter in the mountains in mere minutes), and a serious Sinar camera system. Now I've mostly scaled back to a little 4X5 Ebony wooden folder and 6x9 roll film backs, or else a Fuji 6X9 rangefinder, at least for multi-day outings. Good real boots are essential, regardless.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

I grew up where rugged wilderness began five minutes away walking right out the front door. And most of my life I've gone solo, though with numerous exceptions of course. Now well into my 70's, I'm less likely to go seriously off trail alone anymore. I've done the whole gamut : ultralight before that term was ever coined, and then for several decades becoming my own fully equipped wilderness motorhome, carrying an expedition grade tent, clothing suitable for any kind of weather all year long (summer can turn into winter in the mountains in mere minutes), and a serious Sinar camera system. Now I've mostly scaled back to a little 4X5 Ebony wooden folder and 6x9 roll film backs, or else a Fuji 6X9 rangefinder, at least for multi-day outings. Good real boots are essential, regardless.

Do I remember reading that you were/are a certified mountain guide?

The only outdoorsy time I've spent in the US was on a month long dirt bag climbing trip to Joshua Tree in the mid 80's. Never attained a high level of climbing skill, but had a blast for over twenty years before that scratch got itched. Now 63.

Valley bottoms here in the Coast Mountains of northern British Columbia have seen a lot of logging, but there are sizeable remnant patches of old growth forests, and the mountains are untouched.

I lost another couple decades to the ocean, first with sea kayaks, then a diesel trawler when my wife's shoulder got wrecked in a car accident.

Started using a 4x5 in my early 20's. Dragged that thing everywhere and camped in a Sierra Designs minimalist tent (their first one, I think) they were advertising in the back of Backpacker Magazine. Now using a Fujifilm mirrorless camera which my body appreciates, especially after selling off a group of lenses that had my digital gear weighing the same as my 4x5 gear.

What boots are you using? I got a pair of Salewa Mnt Trainer Mid's which have laces right down to your tippy toes...you can lash your toes in tight like a climbing shoe when moving over steep ground:

Switchback Travel | Salewa MTN Trainer Mid GTX Hiking Boot Review

Comfortable, stable, and very grippy, Salewa’s alpine-ready hiking boot is highly capable for navigating rough terrain with a pack

www.switchbacktravel.com

 

[Chuck1]

Kennetrek's are nice, if you can find them for less than full price

 

[DREW WILEY]

No Murray, I'm not a mountain guide. Had some of them hanging around my house a lot at one time. I was more a naive climber in my youth. But once I went to big cameras and heavy packs, I never did much of anything harder than class 3 pitches or steep ice, with a few exceptions a rope was handy for, raising or lowering the pack over some cliff or crevasse. Another reason I like a solid external frame.

The original Sierra Designs office was right across the RR tracks from where I worked. What they claimed was the very first "no rainfly needed" tent was designed by a fellow still alive in my neighborhood, but now on an oxygen bottle. And the very first one sold was to a co-worker of mine, who went along with me on a long loop trip which involved a lot of ice axe hacking. Very humorous story (at least to me). I won't go into all the details; but when we got back down to about 10,000 ft elevation with a big rainstorm coming in, that "no rainfly needed" tent of his became outright miserable. It's never smart to be the first guinea pig.

I wear custom Essato boots which were then made in Portland. They're really nice and should last the rest of my life. They can be resoled many times if necessary; but I've only had them resoled once. The original owner and patent holder is out of the picture, and since his son took over, there have allegedly been all kinds of problems with their products and delivery schedule. Anything of comparable quality I'm aware of would cost about $3500 today. I paid $750 for mine about 20 yrs ago.

 

[MTGseattle]

The Atlas packs were definitely on my radar. I brought the Osaka 8x10 in with me to Kenmore camera a year ago and tried every combination of things they had on the shelf. Nothing worked seamlessly. (Maybe nothing will)? Also our individual ideas of seamless will likely vary.

My new pack is here;

Backpack Hunting Packs | MYSTERY RANCH Backpacks

From scouting to pack out, we make sure you get in with everything you need to get the job done. Explore big game packs from MYSTERY RANCH now.

www.mysteryranch.com

It allows one the ability to sandwich game (if hunting) or an extra bag of gear in between the pack frame/harness and the main pack bag. The harness is super comfortable (In my house at least) and it seems to be made as well as anything from the typical brands one might see at REI or wherever.

My biggest issue with the used Lowepro super trekker is that there is room for a very lightweight set of rain gear along with my basic 8x10 kit, but not much else. I'm fully in the @MurrayMinchin camp in that I feel like it's pretty irresponsible to head out without at least enough food/water/clothes to overnight if the hike goes sideways on you.

I'm still likely going to have to purchase a dry bag or something for the emergency pack. I then have to decide whether camera gear stays in the main pack or if that is what I place in the middle space. It will take a few outings to dial everything in.

As I said, I found an "open box" deal. The pack was $378 with free shipping. I didn't even have to settle for camo. If I decide to really go nuts, they make a bigger pack bag that will swap right over onto my "frame."

My current boots are some Zamberlan full leather ones that aren't even broken in yet. They seem well made, but only time on the trail will tell.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Another nice thing about true custom boots - little or no break-in time. They fit correctly right from the start. The better ones are real moose hide, quite waterproof on its own, though boots should always be oiled too.

No need for an expensive dry bag if you're traveling on foot. Just put everything critical in nice thick 6-mil polyethylene garbage can bags. I won't go anywhere without a serious Goretex parka always in the pack, sometimes a big nylon poncho too, plus line (which can double as an emergency tent).

 

[Vaughn]

I wore a locally (Arcata, CA) designed boot made by Red Wing, although I started to wear them when I was 14 (1964) -- bought at a Red Wing shoe store on Colorado Blvd in Pasadena. The Irish Setter Sport Boot. The 12D fit me perfectly, so I did not worry about custom-made. They were ready to go on the first hike. Had to keep them nicely oiled. I wore that model until the 1990s..and now my feet have changed. I just spent a month in Japan -- walking 8 to 10 miles most days on city streets. I appreciated my new Keen hightop waterproof hiking boots...cushioning, fit, and arch-support. Pavement is hard stuff!

The Irish Setter Sport boot was not the toughest boot around, but it was above the ankle, no excessive heel height, and they were a little lighter for all-day hiking while maintaining wilderness trails with pick-mattocks, pulaskies, McLeods, and misery-whips. I used leather laces so they would not melt while fire-fighting...and around the cook fires. The US Forest Service had minimum requirements to meet for boots worn fire-fighting. Usually my boot uppers would develop holes and stitching issues (even with a few repairs) somewhere through the third resoling. Since they were mostly a single layer of good leather, they dried quickly (planting trees in the rain, crossing braided rivers, etc means wet boots), and dried to fit. After burning thru a pair of boots my first couple years doing trailwork, I would remind the crew that the most expensive tool they use are their boots...better to use the shovels or McLeods the gov't pays for to move dirt from the trail (easier on the knees, too).

Off topic -- just looked up "The Red Wing Irish Setter Sport Boot" thru Google. There is quite the market for used boots...my pair aren't pretty, and one of them has been my doorstop for the last ten years. Doubt I'd get a hundred for them.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I wear high-quality US made Red Wings for day wear - only they had the absurd width I needed in a short length, and were even willing to mismatch left and right shoes. I hope they still offer that, because my pair is finally wearing out. But those won't work for me carrying a heavy pack. I need a lot of extra ankle support and serious weather durability for that. About $300 to replace today. But in all of these high quality examples, the extra cost is well worth it over time, since otherwise you burn through way more pairs of lesser boots, and the overall cost comes out much more in the long run. For example, I had a previous pair of custom boots that cost me $200, quite a bit back then, but those lasted 30 years of hard mountain use and were resoled 8 times. Toward the end of that cycle, ordinary store-bought leather hiking boots were costing over $200, and typically lasted only 2 years - and many of those can't even be resoled.

Boots are a bit off topic - but the same can be said for packs. The most expensive one might turn out to be a real bargain in the long haul. But if you can find the same thing hardly used for nearly free, then it's reeaaaaly a bargain.

 

[Vaughn]

...
Boots are a bit off topic...

Yes and no...my 8x10 gear ends up being around 60 pounds (pack, Zone VI 8x10, Ries pod and head, 5+ holders, a few lenses, and all). As we know, what's on the feet is as important as what's holding the weight on the back.

That first pair of Red Wings in 1968 cost $42 -- a inflation calculator has that being $375 in today's money. My previous hiking boots I had were from JCPennys.

I used a Kelty Tour Pack for years -- their first internal frame pack. Much better than an external frame pack for hitch-hiking thru the US and NZ, as many times the pack and I shared back seats of VW bugs and such in the 70s and early 80s. I am using a internal frame MEI travel pack (front-loading) for the 8x10 since 1996...pretty sweet, actually.

There is some question if they are still in business...https://www.meivoyager.com/index.html#buy

 

[MTGseattle]

Long delay, but here is the “frankenpack.”
Everything fit in the Mysteryranch as delivered, but I didn’t like what having the camera on the bottom was doing to the zipper. Since it’s a hunting pack, the inner pockets are mesh only, and that isn’t ideal for some of the small extras we need with our cameras.
I sent the Lowepro trekker 600 aw on a bit of a diet and proceeded to strap it to the mysteryranch frame with a bunch of various sized Velcro straps. It’s definitely not expedition rated, but nothing moves in an unpredictable manner, and all of my gear is secure.
This hasn’t solved the issue of space and having emergency overnight supplies, but in my opinion having to make an emergency overnight in the woods be result from an injury or from getting ridiculously lost.

Pack with 8x10 kit is 28.6 pounds

 

[david schaller]

I will also suggest Mystery Ranch. I use a Dana Designs Terraplane from 30 years ago for my 8x10, and their Bomb packs for 4x5s. Mystery Ranch now has a very nice Y zipper system that gives full access to the contents of your pack. I imagine that is what I would buy now if I didn’t already have these packs.

For boots, Limmer’s customs for backpacking, and Limmer’s stock boots for photography and bird watching.

 

[MTGseattle]

I've been curious regarding the "Y" zipper packs. The Sawtooth pack I bought has a 3/4 circumference zipper. Since the zipper has a curve and the 8x10 is all sharp corners, I didn't trust the relationship of the 2 over a long service life.
Limmer boots look serious.

 

[Imaginaut]

While I don't have a bag with a "Y" zipper, I do use a Mystery Ranch Terraframe for longer hikes with camera equipment, including for large format use. The bag has a large "U" shaped zipper opening that is not stressed in loading by virtue of not opening the full length of the pack. The fabric is extremely durable, the stitching is heavy-duty, and the load shelf allows me to pack my 10x12 camera if I feel so inclined. I don't miss having internal organization, mostly because I want my miscellanea handy while I'm taking photos. I keep a small lightweight nylon bag packed in the backpack with my light meter, loupe, extra cable release, bulb blower, lens cloths, lens wrench, etc. The tripod straps on the side (or can be carried), anything I don't use regularly can go in the two outer pockets or the brain, and I have plenty of room for extra layers, a small stove, and emergency equipment.

The downside to using a comfortable, durable, and capacious bag is that all the ultralight backpackers will snicker.

 

[MTGseattle]

My primary concern with just putting everything into a large backpacking pack was the camera somehow getting damaged. I got wrapped around the axle so to speak thinking wrapping the camera in my dark cloth wouldn't be enough and every other solution seems to add a bunch of volume. I have an older lowepro 70+15 pack here that can definitely hold everything.
Ultimately it just boils down to process for all of us. Whether we want to hike miles from the vehicle/camp with everything or not.
I think Ben Horne has a couple of the better videos out there running through what he uses for his Zion trips.

I wouldn't worry too much about the ultralight crowd. They may scoff, but we're out in the wild with very different goals. We can certainly poach from their gear choices. Everyone needs a Titanium spork.

 

[david schaller]

I put some padding/ground cloth/rain gear at the bottom of the pack, and wrap the darkcloth around the camera for 8x10, or have the 4x5 in a soft cooler “case.” I unpack everything and spread it out on a ground cloth to set up.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've only ever used an F.64 backpack. I can pack quite a bit in it. I used it once for a really long slog, and it was pretty uncomfortable. Short hikes, no problem.

 

[Imaginaut]

Damage is a very real concern - it's not much use getting something to a destination in more pieces than it was in at departure. For 4x5 I have everything packed in one of two (lens quantity dependent) Nya Evo padded inserts, although of course the inserts add weight. For larger formats I pack the camera in a mixer bag with the ground glass facing toward the backpack's back panel, and use a smaller padded bag for lenses. Since the backpack has no padding, I find these solutions to be an acceptable balance between weight and protection. In the past I've used my dark cloth and a fleece along with some cardboard, but indeed it does all boil down to process and the specific equipment in question.

With regards to camping equipment, a spork is indispensable! I don't worry about the ultralight backpackers, I just find it interesting to observe trends and relative perspectives. I'm out and about with about 30lbs on my back - not including water and tripod - if I take far too many lenses and film holders out with the 4x5. It's extremely easy to trim that down with a more purposeful equipment selection for longer hikes, and my with my overnight gear added in the pack is bulkier but ends up weighing only a little more. Food and water make the biggest difference when added on.

 

[DREW WILEY]

That's another reason external frame packs make sense - the camera is well protected from impact. I use simple Gator fomeboard sections as dividers, and simple bubble packing as needed. It's all retained easily in the box-shaped structure of an external frame.