Most Heat Resistant Camera Bag?

[snegron]

Any suggestions on a very heat resistant camera bag, preferably a back pack style bag?

I plan on traveling for some time in Florida and I need to place my camera equipment in the trunk of my vehicle. I will have a small bag inside the car with me, but my back up equipment and larger lenses will have to be in the trunk (no choice in the matter for me).

The equipment will spend about 12 hours in the trunk on a daily basis for several weeks with temperatures reaching about 120 degrees farenheit. I expect to air out the equipment every 4 or 5 hours, but there might be times when I won't get to stop for about 8 hours straight (yes, I get pretty good mileage from my car).

p.s., No, my "adventure" does not require adult diapers, I will not be on a bank robbing spree, and there will not be any bodies in the trunk (they wouldn't fit anyway with all the camera equipment). The project I expect to do is to photograph all 30 of the existing light houses in Florida. I have shot a few so far but there are many located at the extreme north west and north east ends of Florida I need to photograph. The driving times will be long and brutal. I need a back pack that can hold a lot of equipment, can withstand high temperatures, will be easy to take with me when I trek across beaches and onto small boats to get to lighthouses. Also, I would like for it to be weatherproof so I won't have to worry about the monsoon-like rain we have here every afternoon.

 

[Andy K]

Have you considered adapting a couple of coolboxes? You know the type people carry food and drinks in to the beach.

 

[Nick Zentena]

You just need a 12V outlet in the trunk. I don't think you'd need to adapt the coolers much.

 

[snegron]

Have you considered adapting a couple of coolboxes? You know the type people carry food and drinks in to the beach.

Not a bad idea, but then there is the question of portability. For example, a typical day would be:

Wake up at 5:00 a.m., load equipment into trunk. Drive about 5 hours to area near light house, stop for fast food along the way, arrive at destination by 10:00 a.m. Grab equipment from trunk and get a few shots before the mid day sun ruins the lighting. Throw equipment back in trunk, drive 3 or 4 hours to next destination. Arrive at next light house at approximately 2:00 or 3:00 p.m., take equipment out of trunk, take several shots of light house from shore, hop on small chartered boat and head out to light house for closer shot. About an hour later, head back to shore (trying to get to shore before black rain clouds pour water and lightning over me), throw equipment back in trunk, drive 3 more hours to hotel. Next day start all over again.

The reason for the back pack is that I need to grab the equipment and someties run to the location before the weather acts up or because I have to get on a chartered boat and back within a certain time frame. On some of the light house shoots I have done, I have only had a few seconds to race out of a car, run to a spot to capture the image, and run back to my car before the rain and lightning started.

 

[Andy K]

Take an umbrella and photograph them WITH the rain and lightning, that's what lighthouses are for.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Can you use a bag that fits into a cooler? Or maybe you could make a temporary cooler out of large sheets of styrofoam.

 

[snegron]

You just need a 12V outlet in the trunk. I don't think you'd need to adapt the coolers much.

Again, not a bad idea, but there will be times that I will be limited for space on a small boat and will have to leave some equipment in the trunk for about 6 hours (some lighthouses are in off shore islands that have these all day boat trips. They usually take you there in the morning, let you "play around" on the island where the light house is, then pick you up in the afternoon. I have made the mistake of taking too much equipment on these types of trips and have regretted it about 3 hours into the day trip).

My vehicle would be parked unattended for several hours while I'm out taking pictures, so I would not be able to leave it plugged into the 12V outlet in the trunk. It would drain the battery. Since I will be far away from home, I will have most of my equipment with me, some will be used for back up because I will not be able to drive home every day.

 

[Nick Zentena]

You could just get an extra 12V battery and mount it into the truck. I don't know how much current those things draw but even a smallish battery should handle things. This way no risk of being left with a dead battery. At least if you wire it up right -)

 

[snegron]

Can you use a bag that fits into a cooler? Or maybe you could make a temporary cooler out of large sheets of styrofoam.

I would definitely need a cooler for film, but I will be packing at least three 35mm camera bodies, 3 lenses from wide angle to 300mm. Also, I plan to take a couple of Mamiya 645's with lenses (the RB might have to stay home).

 

[Pinholemaster]

I'd reduce the gear you need to bring.

I'd never put cameras in the truck of a car even if they are cooled. The vibration inside the car truck with wreck your gear just as fast as the heat.

 

[snegron]

Take an umbrella and photograph them WITH the rain and lightning, that's what lighthouses are for.

I actually tried that once! It was the Jupiter Inlet Light House and I held a large umbrella in one hand, camera in the other. Problem is that lightning here in Florida is a serious problem (they call this the lightning capital of the world), and light houses seem to attract lightning. You are correct though, light house images look spectacular in bad weather!

 

[DBP]

I would (and do) use soft sided coolers. Keep most of the film in a smaller cooler with ice packs, and some insulation in between the ice packs and the film. I saw a coworker with a small cooler used to transport breast milk the other day that seemed just right for this job. Put the film you are planning to use at the next site in a shirt or vest pocket.

 

[Lee L]

I do as David suggests, use camera bags that fit inside a cooler. But I don't use a backpack camera bag. I keep film inside a smaller cooler.

Lee

 

[jeroldharter]

If you put the bag in a cooler, then how will you keep the cooler cool?

How about using a big Pelican case that you leave in the car which will be air conditioned most of the time and use a smaller case or backpack onsight to load with the required gear? You could set some ice or cold packs on top of the Pelican with no worries on the back seat of your car. If you stay in a hotel you could drag the whole thing indoors on rollers.

 

[Sirius Glass]

At times I have a somewhat similar situation in Southern California. In addition to the other suggestions, I recommend that while you are driving keep the camera bag/pack safety belted in the car seat because

1. The air conditioning is better for the camera and lenses. It will keep the camera cooler and therefore the long term damage from heat causing the lubricants from evaporating on then condensing on the lens elements, the diaphragm and the shutter.
2. The seat is better protection from road vibration than the floor or the trunk which are both hot.
3. In event of an accident the seat belts will keep the equipment from bouncing around.

Before you get to a place where you will leave the car for hours, take out those things that you will need and then put the rest in the trunk and drive to the location where the car will be left.

Steve