In the hospital, just had back surgery - Q about lens belts

[Adam Hicks]

So I just had a chunk of disc removed (L5 S1) after it herniated nastily (I turn 30 and everything falls apart!) and I'm lying here missing my camera. When I get out I am supposed to be up and walking as much as possible, with very little sitting. Since I'm on Short Term Disability for a month or so, this means a WHOLE LOT of zoo / garden shooting.

My question is whether anyone can recommend a belt system for lens pouches, or should I use a hip pack or? I've worn vests and backpacks in the past, but I'll need to keep any weight on or below my waist for a couple months.

If anyone can shoot me a link or idea for how to accomplish this it'll get me back out and shootin' asap! (assuming I can get up and walk soon!)

Thanks!
Adam

[pradeep1]

I love your priorities. Get well soon and don't strain anything. Avoid heavy L lenses for a while.

Maybe you can use something like this to reduce strain:

http://www.optechusa.com/product/detail/?PRODUCT_ID=4&PRODUCT_SUB_ID=&CATEGORY_ID=11

[commando]

At least you have your priorities straight ;) I suggest aquiring an assistant, ideally an unpaid one such as a wife or offspring. As well as "give me the 70-200L" or "I need a new battery" they might respond to "I need a beer" or "please give me a foot rub".

Sorry, I have nothing useful to contribute, but I hope you get better soon. I've noticed the way your body goes to ****e at 30 too, unfortunately.

[kim]

So I just had a chunk of disc removed (L5 S1) after it herniated nastily (I turn 30 and everything falls apart!) and I'm lying here missing my camera.

I sympathise with you. 5 weeks ago I had L4/5 surgery to remove some arthritic growths that were pressing on the spinal cord (I'm 46 - 40 odd years of judo, soccer, tennis and football means i've worn out a bit early)

Bought a 20D, 17-40, 50mm 1.8, and 70-200 to ease the pain. I'm using a really old Tamrac satchel bag but it may wind up in my Tamrac backpack (won't all fit in my Lowepro bum bag thing - a shame 'cause I like that bag).

FWIW, I've recovered pretty well - get well soon!

cheers

kim

[IanD]

Adam,
Check out the LowePro system. Excellent belt and will give good support. hey make all sorts of stuff to hng off it.
http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Belts_and_Harnesses/belt/S_and_F_Deluxe_Waistbelt.aspx
However, the "caddy" concept should not be over looked :lol:
Get strong soon.

[photography By Evangelos]

Get well soon :D ! I too am now 32 and seems to me this is the age when you start having problems. I have tennis elbow and it hurts like a bicth :oops: . I have had to limit how long I use my right hand. At the end of an event it hurts big time. It is now 9 months and it still hurts. I am gona give it a few more months then surgery. Every time I pick up my camera I think what lens am I gona use and how long I will use it. When I am not working I do not use my 20D's I use my wife’s Canon G2 saves the arm big time. I also started using a monopod it too also helps. Best of luck and get well.


Angleo 8)

[Adam Hicks]

Thanks for the replies, well wishes and URLs! I'm lying here in the hospital bed hoping to be out of here before too long. Back is still tight as fort knox, but it's getting there!

At least I've had about 30 hours of internet time to cruise FM, SS and other sites to learn as much as I can and see a lot of nice (and crappy) shots!

I'll check out that Lowepro belt. Get it ordered in time to go home and shoot :)

[otlip]

Adam,

Think about a backpack and or a mono pod. The mono pod does double duty as a walking stick. At two weeks after my L5\L4 surgery I was shooting my son's lacrosse games. Just take the lense you will use most, the backpack distributes the weight evenly. Good luck and get well.

Otlip-52

[davelewis]

Adam:

I wish you a speedy recovery.

Regarding backpacks, you are so right about not putting weight on your shoulders. If you don't find a belt that meets your needs, you might consider one of the backpacks that has a good padded waist belt. You will see waist belts on the larger backpacks. Properly fitted and adjusted, a backpack will put the vast majority of the weight on your hips, not on your back. If the backpack only has shoulder straps, don't even consider it. The shoulder straps should only be used for adjusting the load in the pack closer to your back for better balance.

I have a bulging disc that can cause me problems. I can use my LowePro Photo Trekker and take long hikes and not have any problems at all with my back due to carrying weight. The suggestion of a using a good monopod as a walking stick is also a good idea.

[Adam Hicks]

Thanks again guys, I have a Manfrotto monopod that I use all the time with my 100-400L, so I'll be sure to carry it with me! Although I'll probably start out shooting with the nifty 50 without the battery grip, which will be fun for the challenge as well as a very light setup.

With any luck I'll be out and at home today. Still really tight, but I'm walking, so it's a start!

Adam

[CoolToolGuy]

Both LowePro and Tamrac have belt/pouch systems, and many of the components will interchange, so if you get a Tamrac belt and you like a certain LowePro lens pouch, you might be able to use it. I say might because I did find one case where a Tamrac pouch wouldn't go onto the side of a LowePro toploader bag. But I don't know if the belt has the same issues.

In any case, I think either of them has a suspender option that can distribute the weight.

Have Fun,

[MrKickalot]

I know this is not par for the course around here because everyone always recommends the best of the best (which isn't bad) but what about a simple $20.00 umbrella stroller like you see parents puching their kids around in. You can strap your camera bag in the seat and you won't have to bend all the way to the ground to get to your stuff!! Zero strain on anything but your legs!! Plus you can put a good bit of weight in them... Just a thought.... (I've done it at the Zoo... either my camera bag or this kids go in the stroller, can't carry both all day!!)

[Skinner]

I just ended a year of recovery from a severly strained lower back. No surgery required but over the year I could not stand for more than 30 minutes at a time. As a result, my 25 year career in Screenprinting is over. Now I are a telemarketer.

That's why I am working furiously to try to get some sort of photo studio up and going. I am 50 and I am hoping that might take me into the Olden Years. (Yes, I mis spelled Golden on purpose).

I can sympathasize with you. I did the extreme sports when I was young as well as the heavy work up till I was 45. Paying the price now. Arthritisis in the back and nothing they can do.

The sports were NOT worth it. Neither was the hard work. :)

[aam1234]

Hi Adam,

I didn't read what others have said, but I dropped by just to say I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you will be well soon.

Keep us updated on how things are working for you.

Best regards

[robertwgross]

The basic fanny pack (I think that the Brits call it a bum pack) works good by putting all of the weight on your hips. Some people extend that by putting another smaller one in front, which we could call a waist pack or kangaroo pouch. The camera goes there.

I saw a guy on a photo hike that had something even more back-friendly. He had side pockets that went from the fanny pack down toward his knees and fastened there. He kept long lenses there, parallel to his upper legs.

On my last photo-backpack trip, I had a backpack with 27 pounds of camp gear plus 15 pounds of camera gear. Not recommended!

---Bob Gross---

[Adam Hicks]

Than ks guys for the well wishes and continued ideas. They're letting me out of the hospital this afternoon, so I'll be up and walking about tomorrow, a little more each day. This was a reasonably minor surgery, just removing a section of disc that was bulging onto the nerve. I couldn't risk nerve damage and spend too much time trying non-surgical techniques. Plus my doc has done 4,000+ of these surgeries and is very highly regarded around here, so I expect to feel great in a few months. He told me there is a 10% chance, statistically, that I'll have the same problem on the same disc sometime in my life, but I think that's a fair gambe.

Gonna go find me some pouches!

Adam

[robertwgross]

This was a reasonably minor surgery, just removing a section of disc that was bulging onto the nerve.


But, more importantly, did you get the shot of it?

---Bob Gross---

[mjordan]

One of the most interesting packs I've seen is the Chestvest. It's a front chest pack that has straps like a backpack. The different sizes seem to be good for holding different amounts of camera equipment.

Here is the link: http://www.newswear.com/chestvests.htm


I redently bought the LowePro Off Trail 2 belt pack to go with my LowePro Photo Trekker 2. I like having my camera and a couple of lenses in front so I don't have to take off the pack every time I want to change a lens or battery or CF card. The Off Trail 2 fits good and is made of 3 compartments, a big one in the middle for camera and lens and two round lens pouches on each side. I found the lens pouches were good for a bottle of water, my 85mm lens with macro tubes, some cloth, snack bars, etc., but not big enough for my 70-200 2.8L IS or other lenses like this. So I bought the biggest slip on pouch that LowePro sells, which was about 10" tall by 5" round. My 24-70 2.8L will fit in it, but my 70-200 still won't. But I can leave the 70-200 or 100-400 on the camera with the lens shade reversed and it will fit in the main pouch. Or if I leave the 24-70 2.8L on it will go into the main pouch on the camera with the lens hood installed out on it.

This is my only complaint about the LowePro belt pack... it's just not big enough to hold several big lenses and camera. But within those limitations it worked real well on a 3 mile hike that had some steep parts as well as parts of the trail that had very low overhaning rock that I scraped my backpack on as I went under them.

Mike

[MarkoPolo]

Hi Adam,
I too had the dreaded L4-L5-S1 bulging disc. 12 years ago, I was 45. I absolutely tried everything but the surgery as I knew someone who became an invalid after back surgery. Well, long story short, the laminectomy was the best thing I could have done. In fact, I probably waited too long, as I do have a little residual numbness. But the point of this reply is to give you hope. I can do anything I want and my revovery was faster than expected. Hope the best for you as you are now not only a Canon forum member, but an L4-L5 club member as well. Can't help you on the equipment ideas other than to let you know I don't have to do any thing special at all. Speedy recovery! Mark B

[Olegis]

Adam, I hope you feel well and wish you fast recovery !

Sorry I can't help you with the topic ...

[WestFalcon]

Hi Adam,
I too had the dreaded L4-L5-S1 bulging disc. 12 years ago, I was 45. I absolutely tried everything but the surgery as I knew someone who became an invalid after back surgery. Well, long story short, the laminectomy was the best thing I could have done. In fact, I probably waited too long, as I do have a little residual numbness. But the point of this reply is to give you hope. I can do anything I want and my revovery was faster than expected. Hope the best for you as you are now not only a Canon forum member, but an L4-L5 club member as well. Can't help you on the equipment ideas other than to let you know I don't have to do any thing special at all. Speedy recovery! Mark B

Hmmm.....L4 and L5.... Do these vertebrae have red rings on them? :wink: Hopefully you aren't offended by my humor..bad backs are no fun and I wish Adam and all the best for a quick recovery.

[RDKirk]

My question is whether anyone can recommend a belt system for lens pouches, or should I use a hip pack or? I've worn vests and backpacks in the past, but I'll need to keep any weight on or below my waist for a couple months.


As has been mentioned, the Tamrac and Lowepro systems interchange many of their pouches.

If you want an effective and inexpensive start, browse some military surplus stores for a military pistol belt. The Lowepro and Tamrac pouches fit that as well, and you should be able to find black and olive drab belts for under $10. Even tyough you want to keep the weight completely below your back, I'd add an H- or Y-type padded suspenders for stability. You regulate how much weight you want on your shoulders by how tight and high you wear the belt. Both belt and suspenders should come under $25.00.

The real tip, though, is to get a military BDU belt. This is a wide, stiff belt with a FLAT buckle that works very well as a trouser belt UNDER whatever equipment belt you get. It's designed just for that purpose, and the stiffness and flat buckle keep the equipment belt from being a pain in the abdomen.

Also, get four military "keeper" straps. These are short Velcro or snap (get the snap) that you wrap around both the equipment belt and the trouser belt. It keeps the equipment belt from riding high and your trouser belt from riding low (you don't want people talking about "photographer's crack").