Carrying around LF camera in the back 40

[Doremus Scudder]

Smaller and Lighter is Better

This topic comes up occasionally, and it never fails to amaze me how much stuff people carry around just in order to carry around their cameras and lenses, etc. While strollers have some advantages, backpacks seem to me to be unwieldy. They need to be taken off and laid on the ground (not to mention all the packing material some of you seem to use...) where things can get dirty and/or blown away by wind.

I carry a Wista DX, 5 lenses, 6-8 film holders, Pentax Digital Spotmeter, 10+ filters in two sizes, dark cloth, barn doors, exposure record, flashlights, tripod, loupes, 4x glasses, sunglasses and other misc. accessories in a fanny pack, a fly-fishing vest and a small over the shoulder pouch.

I make custom-sized boxes with open tops for the lenses out of corrugated cardboard. Otherwise, things just go in pockets and pouches.

The Wista DX with a lens folded inside goes in the fanny pack along with three other lenses in their home-made cardboard boxes. Also in the fanny pack go two folding pouches with 6 filters each, sizes 52mm and 67mm. One goes in the main compartment with camera and lenses, one in the front zipper pouch. I've got some other stuff in the front zipper pouch as well. The rolled-up dark cloth is strapped onto the outside of the pack.

A short fly-fishing vest carries accessories, viewing filter, flashlight, Pentax meter, cleaning stuff, tape measure, loupe and a bunch of other smaller stuff. The filmholders and exposure notebook along with another small lens goes into a small over-the-shoulder pouch. The tripod goes in a hand, or gets strapped onto the bottom of the fanny pack for scrambling. In rough terrain, I carry a collapsible ski-pole for extra stability and my roofing gloves. Often, I carry a small pair of binoculars and my Garmin GPS as well.

When I set up, nothing has to touch the ground, with the exception of the tripod. I set up the tripod and then hang the filmholder pouch on the center-column tightening knob. The fanny pack has a shoulder strap that I wear cross-body, so when the belt is unbuckled it simply swings to one side and functions as an over-the-shoulder bag; easy to work out of. My meter and viewing filter are tethered to rings on the fly-fishing vest so I can't drop them.

The whole kit weighs in at around 22 lbs. I carry an f/8 SA 90mm, Nikkor W 135mm, Ektar 203mm, Fuji A 240mm and a Nikkor M 300mm for the most part. I alternate in a Fuji SW 75mm at times and leave the 300mm out when I'm anticipating wider views. I usually strap on a bottle of water and toss in a sandwich as well for longer trips unless my beautiful assistant is with me, carrying those things and possibly a lens or two extra

Here's a link to the kit "in action" on the Oregon Coast:

http://www.doremusscudder.com/?m=9&s=40

This set-up is good for long day hikes (I've done 20+ miles with it often). When out backpacking, I cut down the kit to 3 lenses, use Mido holders instead and somehow strap everything to my main pack, or get it inside somehow. Then, after "base camp" is set up. I use the reduced-size kit for day excursions.

Since I started carrying this set-up in 1983, I have never damaged a camera or a lens, or anything else for that matter, in transport. I lost a loupe that squeezed its way out of a small pocket in the vest once in a very and scraping descent through a steep ravine; I use a different pocket now... (I did drop my meter once before I decided to tether it on, and I've rolled a polarizer or two down a steep hill from time to time, but these had nothing to do with the carrying...) I worry about slipping and falling backward some time, smashing some gear, but have been lucky so far. Besides, a backpack has the same problem.

I do have a larger internal-frame pack for my Zone VI camera kit which includes more and longer lenses, but I rarely take it on extended trips.

Hope this helps lighten the load somewhat.

Doremus Scudder

www.DoremusScudder.com

 

[Wyno]

Tom, the colours will amaze you. It's just a shame for you guys in the US that our dollar is so high at the moment. It's sort of the reverse of what us Aussies have had to put up with for a couple of decades. If you've been watching Oprah, you know what she thinks of Oz now, so you should come on down. There's quite a few LF shooters in Melbourne and I know that they had a get together for Ralph Lambrecht when he was here a month or so ago. We are friendly folk.
I used to use foam rubber like Old Biker Pete, but I found that it was a bit too floppy for me, which is why I swapped to polystyrene. I have my 8x10 in the back pack proper in the top compartment and my light meter, cable release, blower brush. filters etc in the small compartment at the bottom of the bag (enclosed in hard foam-compartmentalised), and then I have my film holders in the daypack attached to the main backpack. I carry my tripod in my hand and swap when my hand gets tired.
Good luck with whatever route yuo choose.
Mike

 

[mrbishi]

IMO there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking off a backpack. Heck you're shooting large format it's not like you're in a hurry. I'd much rather have all the weight off my person while I setup, compose and shoot rather than carrying 22lbs in a vest etc.

Anyway the OP was asking about his PACK not about strollers or vests or anything else...

 

[jp80874]

.

Anyway the OP was asking about his PACK not about strollers or vests or anything else...

I took it to be a mixed message because he also said, "without slipping a disk?"

That is the reason at an age when my doctor said I should no longer carry this amount of weight any distance, I went to a stroller.

John Powers, carrying a much larger camera and pack, 3-4 miles, at age 71

 

[John Kasaian]

My pack for the job is an old Jansport Equinox, smaller than your ALICE but contains everything quite snuggily: 5x7 Speed Graphic, light meter, cloth, loupe, filter kit, three holders, extra lens & cables, plus I like the light gray color---I think Anssel Adams wrote something about light colors being cooler.

 

[srmcnamara]

I just throw (gently, of course) my stuff in a camelbak day pack. I wrap the folded camera in the darkcloth (sweatshirt) and put it in the main pocket. the two lenses go in a smaller pocket at the top. The film holders go in the pocket with no zipper. The tripod fits in one of the side waterbottle holders and goes under the straps that tighten everything down, and the meter and lupe goes on the other side.

I've made an effort to buy the lightest camera and lens and tripod that I can find so the whole setup (with the full 3 liters of water) can't weigh much more than 20 pounds.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

mrbishi,

I can take off my fanny pack and lay it on the ground whenever I want to. But when its wet, snowy, muddy, or I'm up to my ankles in saltwater, I can leave it slung over my shoulder and work out of it comfortably; impossible with a backpack. I find this a great advantage over conventional backpacks, which is why I advocated it (maybe the OP has a fanny pack...). I often take everything off, including the vest, when setting up when conditions are favorable and I have lots of time. However, I find my set-up superior to a backpack for the transport and for more extreme conditions (both weather and terrain) when doing landscape photography and a lot of hiking away from civilization. It is better balanced, easier to scramble over rough terrain with and easier and faster to work with in unfavorable weather or when laying the pack on the ground would be undesirable.

Point taken, however, that my post was a bit off-topic. Hopefully my comments about building cardboard boxes for the lenses helped the OP a bit. Maybe the following will help too:

Here in Europe, when city-photographing, I carry my gear in a rolling backpack (with extendable handle and shoulder straps) that doubles as a carry-on when flying. I normally wear it on my back when walking the cities (who needs all that vibration from cobblestones, etc.) or when bicycling, but do roll it on smooth surfaces in airports, museums, etc.

For this set-up, I have homemade corrugated cardboard boxes with open tops for the 4x5 camera and four lenses (slip-on tops would be an easy thing to make if needed). The lenses are stacked around the camera box, two on one side, two in front. I find the boxes rigid and sturdy enough to not only protect everything, but to help partition the pack and keep things from rattling around. Filmholders are slipped in front as well. I can carry 6-8 easily at a time, which is usually enough for a day's shoot for me. Extras are at home or in the hotel. My spotmeter goes on top of the camera in its protective case, filters and accessories go in a front zippered pocket. Darkcloth goes in the main compartment strategically placed to keep things from rattling around. Tripod is in my hand or on the bicycle rack. I set the pack directly under the tripod when working for easy access.

Hope this helps too,

Doremus Scudder
www.DoremusScudder.com

 

[mrbishi]

That's fair enough - it's great you've found something that works for you.

Just to bring up a few points - most decent packs have built in rain covers which makes it easy to put down even in the messiest of weather (unless you are wading). I also hang my pack under my full size tripod for extra stability. I can easily slide mine across and wear it across my front and access everything I need from the top (assuming the camera is mounted to the tripod already).

I'll usually carry a few double darks in my jacket in cooler weather when out an about. With the camera mounted to the tripod all that I need access to is a loupe, meter and dark cloth which is easy to get out of a pack.

In the end it boils down to what suits the individual the best. My pack is designed to be worn long distances hiking and I've never found it uncomfortable at all (though I am probably a fair bit younger than a lot on this forum).