Backpacking/Hiking with MF gear.

MARKNABIA

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StoneNYC said:
Wow! That second one is great! Velvia100?

Man I need a 6x12 roll film back for my 4x5....

Love panoramic landscapes...


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Click to expand...

thats velvia 100. I brought 1 pack of velvia 50 and 2 pack of velvia 100.
 
OP
OP

jwatts

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MARKNABIA said:
i have a satori but too small for me to carry even overnight pack, so i use it for day hike only, and i use an 80 litre pack from mountain coop.
http://www.mec.ca/product/5011-460/mec-ibex-80-backpack/?f=10+50597
Click to expand...


It's interesting to hear that. I like the modular design of f-stop gear's packs and ICU units, but the packs seem pretty heavy per liter for multi-day/high altitude use.

I think I'm going to end up constructing my own lighter weight ICU type case (under the 1.6 lbs mark of the medium sloped ICU) I'd like it to fit into a North Face Verto 26 (11 0z) + packs into its own pocket, for all day hikes and trips from base camp, then pulls out and I can put it into my multi-day pack. If I keep the custom ICU at right about a pound. I can have my day hike bag at 2 lbs) which about 3 lbs less than anything I'm finding commercially as well as none of those packs can fold up as small on themselves to transfer into a larger bag.
 

DREW WILEY

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Finding a comfortable pack is really more important than just shaving a few more ounces off. And then you need to routinely train with it loaded, so your back and shoulders are accustomed, as well as for general conditioning. Choice of photo equip, film usage, etc is highly personal; but the most common travel mistake I see photographers making in long treks is to carry way more lenses than they really need.
It's impossible to always have the right camera and lens on hand for every hypothetical opportunity. You either have to operate on probability
or some specific hunch. Unless the facts dictate otherwise, only carry the lenses (or lens) you most instinctively use anyway. Otherwise,
enlist a mastodon to carry your gear.
 

StoneNYC

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Sadly my comfortable pack is a mountain hardware pack with a pivoting hip joint, it's a fantastic design and own tons of design awards but it squeaks when you walk, and it's sort of like a hard frame pack but the belt strap is the harder part so it doesn't pack/travel easily and if you break it, you're screwed, it's made of carbon fiber haha.

It's never broken on me but you can't take it on a plane without putting it in another box or suitcase.

Wish I was rich, I could have a design team make the perfect equipment, I'm the first in 5 generations to NOT be an engineer... But I still have that mindset.

Then I would make money by selling the stuff... Ya gotta have money to make money


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Soeren

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Vaughn

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baachitraka said:
One Rolleicord and lots of film.
Click to expand...

Rolleiflex, lots of B&W film, Luna Pro SBC, cable release, lens cleaner and the smallest Gitzo...in a small camera bag w/ shoulder strap (about 6wide x 8tall x 14long). On backpack trips the camera bag gets packed inside on top. I have to take the pack off to get to the camera, but that's okay. Seems these days I look for any excuse to do so on the trail. "Stopping to admire the view." as my parents use to say on our family backpack trips.

I could take a pound or so off with a lighter tripod and the Gitzo can be a PITA since it no longer has any of the rubber grippers on the legs anymore. But with the cheap ballhead on it, it is only 16" long. What is nice about Rolleiflex cameras is one does not need a tall tripod since one looks down onto the GG. And no temptation to pack extra lenses.

Backpacking with the 4x5 is a bit more commitment. I prefer solo trips with LF. The heavier weight slows me down and I prefer to be able to set my own pace, change plans on the fly and take the time to really see where I am. My 8x10 gear is all heavy-weight stuff...not really packable.
 

DREW WILEY

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I'm a career jerry-rigger and make all kinds of things. I've made most of my own darkroom equip. Yesterday I made and tested a power pole sander for safely removing the paint up high on my eaves, and it works great. Wonder why nobody thought of that before. My 8x10 system
easily fits in my pack, but I wanted it to look cool, so I did a wild verdigis patina on copper-clad circuit board for the groundglass cover. Kinda goes with my recent find of an unused vintage 70's US-made Kelty pack. Now I just need to make a new ash handle for my old wooden ice axe.
The original shaft is still buried up on some steep ice slope which gave me an unintentional cheap thrill. My carbon tripods all have the platforms
significantly modified. But I prefer the older 3-wall Gitzos to the slightly lighter new 2-ply ones. A friend slipped a remote stream with one
last summer and broke two of the legs, plus sent one of his expensive Zeiss 66 lenses underwater. We cobbled together a workable tripod
by attaching a couple pine sticks with duct tape. I worked, but was really best for the laughs.
 

Joe Vitessa

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Mamiya 6 and three lenses is the best travel/backpacking setup I've ever used. So light and compact. A perfect medium format solution. Great for landscapes or whatever captures my fancy. A Rolleiflex is also great, but I miss the M6's 50mm lens.
 

takilmaboxer

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Waterproof bags for the gear are essential. On a trip to remotest Glacier Bay, I had my gear in Ziplocks while my friends did not. We were doing relays to get all our climbing gear up to a lakeside camp and left one load overnight. A hard rain raised the lake level by two feet and when we returned to the lake, their Nikons were ruined. My Pentax gear was nice and dry.
 

grain elevator

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I haven't used that specific jacket, but other sailing jackets. They are heavier than typical hiking jackets. And using them with a backpack will make hardshell jackets break down / leak more quickly. So if you want to do serious hiking and want the jacket to last long for sailing, I don't recommend double duty. If its only day trips with light or no backpack, it should be fine.
 
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