backpack for a big hasselblad kit

[Alastair_I]

A Lowepro Prorunner 300AW swallows into the main compartment, based on my MF kit:

• RB67 Pro S with attached 180mm, 120 back, wlf
• 90mm
• Spare back
• L-grip
• Filters
• Film
• Cable release and odds'n'sods

Plus two from three..

• 360mm
• Polaroid back and packfilm
• Sekonic L-758

And that's about as much as I want to carry weightwise, along with the tripod on the external clip. If you want more, it has attachment points for the sliplock system. And it's small enough to fly European budget carry-on.

But, there is no magic bag.. and one bag will never be enough

[one90guy]

For me Mountainsmith works, it carry's more than I want to carry. It is comfortable, and i have a real bad back. I tryed several before finding one I like. The worst was the big Tamarac shoulder bag, used it once.

[benjiboy]

If I had this problem I'd take all my gear into a camera store and try it in several brands of backpack until I found the right one.

[Mark Fisher]

Even in Chicago, it is surprisingly hard to try a bunch. Calumet will have a handful out on the floor in this size range and they are the biggest.

[Ricus.stormfire]

Most of the larger backpacks from the known bag makers would suffice. I use a ThinkTank Streetwalker Hardrive to carry a similar kit, but with a 500mm lens along too on occasion.

Just make sure that the straps are high quality, I've seen some cheaper backpacks that, that's the first part to give in and pull loose sending your gear dropping.

[Frank Bunnik]

I had the exact same kit as you have + a 250mm lens and all of that fitted into a hadley (stacking the 80mm on top of the 50 or 150mm lens). Heavy indeed. When I trekked to Everest base camp and the Gokyo lakes in Nepal, I brought the 50mm, 150mm and 250mm lenses in a Lowepro Computrekker. Fine bag, not too heavy when empty. Everything fitted with plenty of room for an extra lens.

Good luck with your choice, Frank
www.frankbunnik.zenfolio.com

[fenderslash]

I recently added a fourth lens to my kit and had to get a larger bag. I chose the Lowe Pro Flipside 400 and have not regretted.
It takes a little getting used to but it's main feature is that you can keep the waist strap on, take of the shoulder straps and swing the bag around in front of you. You access the insde of the bag from the back. Standing in water this is a huge advantage.

That said, i do not have a lens as long as the 250. my lenses are 40, 50, 80 and 150 a 503CW and 3 backs.
There is room for filters and small stuff in front of the bag and i have bought one of the lens attachments which holds my extra film rolls.
It is possible that one of the many lens attachments would hold your 250mm.

I have this bag too and I really like it. When solidly packed it can carry a lot of gear. Earlier this year I travelled with a three-lens Hasselblad kit (50, 80, 150mm), a three-lens EOS-1v kit, and a Wollensak Stereo 10, all in the Flipside 400. There was no room left for any significant accessories like flash units, etc, although I could still carry smaller stuff like filters, meter, film, etc. Although it carried all this gear the weight was something I'd rather not experience again for extended periods like that! Since I've been back I've been using the backpack as a one-camera kit bag and it's great. You'd have no trouble putting your kit in it I'm sure. One thing that particularly drew me to it, especially for travelling, was how the main compartment is accessed from the side that contacts your back. That's much more secure in my opinion. No low-life in a crowded train can unzip the backpack and steal a lens on the sly.

Having said all that, the only other backpack I own and can compare it to is a Micro-Trekker 200. It can fit my 3-lens Hassy kit with a few small accessories, but it would be too small for a four-lens kit.



The pouch in the top left of the photo is my light meter and the camera at the top of the photo is a Stereo Realist (I ended up taking the Wollensak Stereo 10 on the trip rather than this Realist though). The main flap has some storage space on the inside for thin items, and on the thief-accessible outside rear there is a larger storage space as well for miscellaneous items. Ignore the Canon gear and the Stereo Realist and you'll get an idea of what else you can fit in this backpack on top of my 3-lens 500C/M kit.