Bag For Skiing and General Use

[kristofor]

Hi Guys,

I am tossing up between the dakine sequence or getting a dakine ridge with the camera block for use skiing and also just generally.

I have read plenty of reviews on the sequence and I like what it offers. I cannot however find one for sale in the black/olive camo colour, i do not want to get the black colour which everyone seems to be selling.

The other option is to buy a dakine ridge and put the camera block in it.

Does anyone have any experience with either of these? What advantage is there to buying a ridge over the sequence? Do any of the other dakine bags fit the camera block in them and still keep the same amount of protection?

I don't have somewhere here to go see these bags so I need to rely on people's experience.

Also where is the best place to buy online that ships internationally?

Thanks
Kris

[BearLeeAlive]

There have been quite a few threads on this topic already, you might wand to try and search for some of these, lots of good info in them.

Have you also looked at the Burton Zoom Pack? It is the one I ended up with and I an very happy with it. I did look at and try the DaKine Sequence. They are both excellent packs and have a few differences. The number one reason I went with the Burton was the way it fit me, it just seemed right. I wore in almost all the time skiing last year and use it quite a bit for general use as I love the rear opening feature.

Your best bet is to try on some of these packs with weight in them and see what works best for you. I really don't think you could go wrong with any of these packs.

[kristofor]

Yeh I did look at the previous threads, but they didn't really give me enough info in terms of comparison between the ridge and sequence.

The burton zoom is good but it doesn't really appeal to me.

I would like to try the packs on but because I am in Australia there really isn't many people in Australia selling them.

[Rudy M.]

I for one found I don't like skiing for any length of time with a DSLR--just too big and heavy. But, the Lowepro Toploader zoom worn on chest was the best over all carry option, with Slingshot coming in at 2nd place. What was a lot better was a home made sort of chest pack with a smaller camera (Oly C5050). A chest pack is just so much more convenient for stopping, shooting, then continue skiing, and is way more convenient on the chairlifts.

[JohnJ80]

Here is another, and I think better option than anything else out there.

Skiing with camera gear is not a great idea. I take an XT and a sigma 18-200 put it in a zing neoprene case and put it in my regular skiing backpack. This is way better than getting some camera only backpack which tend to be far bulkier.

http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Backpacks/allWeather/Primus_AW.aspx

This also lets you take gear out without putting it down - the MAJOR problem with all backpacks to date.

The other alternative is a top loader mounted on your chest.

Here is the Think Tank Photo Digital Holster (which I think is best).

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/images/features/DgtlHlstr/DHHNS_1.jpg

Alternatively, also consider the Think Tank Change Up

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_ChngUp.php

I just got this and think it might work ok for skiing too.

The best bet though still remains a regular backpack for skiing (I like BCA - Back Country Acess) with your camera protected appropriately inside.

J.

[kristofor]

Ok Thanks for those options, although I am really after a backpack. I am not too worried about skiing with camera gear.

Really needs to be a backpack, something about riding with the camera in front of me worries me about the cameras safety. I would deffinately prefer a Dakine to another brand for a bag I will ski with.

Do any of the other Dakine's fit the camera block in them besides the ridge?

I like the fact the ridge has the hydration pocket aswell which will suit me perfectly as I hate the water bottle option of the sequence.

[GrizzlyFD]

I have used several dakine bags and plan to outfit my ridge pack with a camera block on the inside compartment. The inner compartment is very nicely isolated from the outer compartment and there is plenty of space for a significant amount of padding. I'll probably pick up some mat foam or something similar to make it up.

The heli and heli pro bags only top load so I would stay away from those, in addition they are also a good deal smaller. Not sure what you are carrying but this might come into play.

The dakine bags handle weight very well and are extremely well built. I have done several backcountry trips with them with a decent amount of gear and the load was well distributed and sits right on the hips.

I also looked at the dakine sequence, but it's sort of a one trick pony. I want a bag I can use for pure skiing and also camera transport/protection.

Check out backcountry.com. They have a decent selection and customer support is excellent.

[kristofor]

Thanks for that, The ridge is sounding like the bag to get. What is it like compartment wise?

I had a look at backcountry.com, the ridge isn't listed on their site. Maybe Ill have to contact them to see if they have it available.

[GrizzlyFD]

The main compartment is quite large and could probably fit several (4-5 decent sized lenses) and a camera body + grip. The outer compartment is much smaller and is perfect for an avy shovel blade or something flat. There is a smaller compartment on the top that's perfect for goggles or other small items.

[TeamSpeed]

Any thoughts toward the Kata backpacks? They have body armor on the outside and a ton of padding and configurable pieces inside, with a robust shoulder/chest strapping. Not sure if the color is what you would want though, and there are not separated compartments, other than the different pocketed areas (4 separate zippered areas, then the large internal compartment for equipment). The R-103 has a second laptop compartment, and their larger sets of backpacks have even more space/storage areas.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=347433

[EOSAddict]

I was just about to post about KATA but TeamSpeed beat me to it. If I was going to fall on my a**e I'd reckon a KATA would see my kit right!

[BearLeeAlive]

I have wiped out good smacking my pack with the camera in it a few times. Everything was fine. The camera gear itself can take a fair bit of abuse, especially if padded a bit. I would highly recommend trying out any pack before you use it. I was set to buy the Sequence, even after handling them and looking them over but the Burton fit me better, so that was the deciding factor. I think any of the above packs will do the job, having one that fits well while skiing and offers good shoulder and waist support is the most important factor.