How do you carry your gear?

[paul owen]

I'd be interested to know how you carry your LF gear. Do you use one system/bag for every eventuality or do you have a specific bag etc depending on how much you intend carrying. I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out a practical system and eventually bought a Lowepro Super Trekker (VERY big). But I do find that a holdall is easier to work from but not as comfortable to carry!! Any ideas / thoughts ?

[BobF]

I store and car carry a linhof and 5 lenses plus some accesories in an aluminiun breifcase style case. It is very protective for banging around in the car but too heavy fully loaded and when opened on the ground I always get dust or foxtails in it. So if I go even a 100 ft from the car I transfer a couple of lenses and accessories to an old over the shoulder expandable laptop case I got at Goodwill. I keep most accesories such as light meter darkcloth and film holders in this bag all the time. I carry camera on tripod over my shoulder. I like working this way but it is not really big enough and won't accept the camera inside in case of drizzle on a longer hike so I have a waterproof stuff sack to put on the camera if needed.

I just this morning found a Lowepro 600 Stealth reporter soft case. Not cheap and not really made for LF but it looks perfect as and over the shoulder bag that has enough room for everything I would carry on short trips. It also has enough room for the linhof and a rain cover for when I get caught in rain. I think it could also be easily hooked up to my old Kelty backpack frame for longer hikes.

For me there seems to be three kinds of carry needs; in or at the car, short carry of 100 yrds or so, and longer multi hour hikes. Woops, add in over night carry though I have never yet done that with 4x5. There doesn't seem to be a real good all purpose solution for all situations, but for me this stealth + hard case may end up being the best combo.

The large Lowepros are great for protection and carry but if you don't want the weight of your entire system then you have to unload something. Without an additional case that means you just put them on the car floor till you come back?

[jwrupnorth]

Paul, I also use a Lowe-Pro Super-Trekker AW purchased back in 1997. I believe the model has been modified since then. The original seems to be bombproof, if a bit heavy naked. I shoot with a Cambo 45NX, mounted on a Manfrotto 3263 geared head (also bombproof), set on a Gitzo G1348 carbon-fiber tripod. This leaves room for 3 lenses, a complete Lee filter system for both color and black and white, 8.5"x11" notebook, 8.5"x11 reference notebook, vest with all pockets filled, repair tool kit, and Pentax Digital spotmeter. Film is often hand-carried in a separate padded container, or strapped on the back of the Super-Trekker, as is macro and flash gear, when neccessary.
Depending on my planned shooting subject, the total weight can top out at anywhere from thirty-five to fifty-five pounds. Masochism helps.

[Sean]

Has anyone tried tube framed backpacks? Supposedly they put a lot of weight onto your hips instead of your spine. I have a herniated disk in my upper back that gives me serious grief if it gets irritated. I'll need some kind of alternative to a standard pack. I've thought about making a lightweight all terrain hand truck type apparatus that I could strap my gear to. Something like a handtruck but with all terrain tires. I guess I'll look into it more when I actually make my jump to large format. If there are any members with back trouble who have found a good pack solution let me know. Thanks

[paul owen]

Ross, I know what you mean about back problems! The Super Trekker and Pro Trekker both feature internal aluminium frames that transfer the load to a MASSIVELY padded waist strap. I must admit that although heavy when empty - it IS comfortable to carry (even when ALMOST ) fully loaded. The problem with regular holdalls is that you put a great deal of weight/strain on one shoulder - not that comfortable for any distance!

[BobF]

Paul & Ross

In keeping with my different case for different length carry approach, I also use an old Kelty backpack to stuff my equipment in for long carries. It is one of the original waistbelt backpacks and carries the gear weight quite well but is top loading with no internal gear padding and is hard to work out of. That is part of the reason for the smaller over sholder bag I use, It fits nicely into the backpack for the long carry then comes out for use when I get there.

I have experimented with using a Mountainsmith internal frame backpack for camera and overnight gear but even with the weight on hips it becomes quite a load with only 3 lenses plus overnight gear. I am to old to be a masochist anymore so I haven't actually tried an over nighter yet. I have carried a parred down 35 system or a GSW690 on camping trips using this pack but that weight is a lot less.

BTW I also have back problems that kept me out of Vietnam and am able to carry 30-40 pounds with a suspension backpack all day. Of course we could all get llamas. I tried using my kids but that didn't work out well.

[b.e.wilson]

I use a simplistic approach: I have a large shoulder bag to keep my Super Graphic, holders, film, but when I leave the car I carry the camera on a tripod, and use a photo vest for holders, meter, filters, digital camera, maps, headlamp, survival kit, GPA, PDA, and water. I also have a small shoulder bag for the three lenses I always carry.

[carlweese]

I routinely travel with four formats: 5x7, 8x10, 7x17, and 12x20. Each "set" of equipment has its own case. Light meter, levels, tape measure, dusting brushes, etc, etc, go into a vest with a lot of pockets, or a belt with several pouches, depending on the weather. The cases, along with two tripods, go in a full size pickup truck with room to spare. I also carry another backpack that can carry either the 5x7 or 8x10 outfits.

[Steve Hamley]

Folks,

I use a system that Kerry Thalmann uses and has described in his review of the Toho FC45x. Scroll down to figure 16.

http://www.thalmann.com/largeformat/toho.htm

For extended hiking, I use a Gregory Forester and a Pelican 1525 didvider set for 4x5 and a Pelican 1455 divider set for MF gear. The advantage of using a real backpack is two-fold, one, you can shop until you find one that really fits you and puts the weight on your hips (you can carry more weight comfortably), and two, you have room for raingear, lunch, a parka... The pack needs panel access to work well, but I've been thinking about having Dan McHale make a custom SARC that's split in two so you could slide the divider set out of the pack w/o dragging your lunch and raingear with it. Or one with panel access.

http://www.mchalepacks.com

There's a third plus too, if you want to hike sans cameras, a real pack works well for that too.

If you want to work out of the car, just put the divider set in the floor, or in the corresponding Pelican case, and you don't have to repack your gear. You can also find a smaller pack just for working from the car cheaper than the Pelican case.

Thanks!

Steve

[Doremus Scudder]

Sounds like you guys are either muscle men or masochists to carry so much stuff in the field.

My 4x5 folding field along with 4 lightweight lenses (90, 135, 203 and 300mm, one folded up with the camera and 3 in makeshift cardboard boxes) and filters fit inside a medium size fanny pack. The focusing cloth straps on the back and my little Manfrotto tripod straps on to the bottom (although I usually carry it in one hand when not scrambling over rough terrain).

A short fly-fisherman's vest carries a Pentax 1° spot meter, a Voss gel filter holder/barn door lens hood, small flashlight and various other accessories. I used to carry film holders in its side pockets, but now have a little padded pouch that I carry cross-body which holds up to 10 conventional film holders, or many more Ready-loads. On long hikes I usually carry old Mido holders. The pouch holds about 35 of them plus adapter.

When everything is strapped on, both hands are free for rock climbing, scrambling over rough terrain or bushwacking through dense brush. The pack is waterproof and zippered shut so camera and lenses are protected from the elements. A lightweight waterproof windbreaker protects the rest of the stuff in the vest if there is a downpour. The focusing cloth is made from white Gore-Tex and can be strung out to make a little rain fly or worn as a cape if needed. It's also great for protecting the camera on the tripod from that unexpected "sneaker" wave or drizzle when shooting.

When working, the fanny pack unbuckles at the waist and hangs from a shoulder strap so that I can work out of it like a regular shoulder bag. The film pouch hangs on the tripod for easy access and extra stability.

The whole outfit, including water bottle and sandwich, weighs very little and is good for extensive (8-12 hour) day hikes.

If I backpack for several days, the fanny pack buckles on to my backpack. Tripod and vest get stuck somewhere where I can get to them easily.