Hikers and outdoor shooters, need Tripod / Backpack reccomendations

Hey everyone.

I have been taking my gear hiking, but after a few years of doing this, it has become painfully clear that my gear, while it gets the job done, is not ideally suited for hiking.

Basically, I am wondering what a good camera backpack for hiking / being outdoors is, as well as a nice, lightweight tripod, also to hike or take on long outdoor trips.

Would love to hear your experiences and gear suggestions. Thanks!

I have a Kata Minibee that carries my gear and Feisol 3441S on the side. It's not very big and can handle my 17-55/70-200 MkII lens, flash and other accessories while leaving a section up top for other non-camera things.

i use a gitzo 1541t and a lowepro 200aw sport

f-stop loka with waist bag for me. I wrote a little blurb on it if interested

Hiking with a DSLR - the solution?

For hiking with gear check out the LowePro Pro Trekkerseries.

I use a feisol CT 3441 T and a f stop guru. Amazing combo for hiking. The guru is perfect for outdoor activities, it was built specifically for that job, and the tripod is very light and solid. Couldn't ask for a better combo. Price will run into the $700's though. You can check my review of the guru in my sig, it might help.

I have heard fantastic things about f stop. Great review. Just curious, would the bag double as a normal hiking pack if I decided to not take any camera gear?

Coppatop85 wrote in post #14274220
I have heard fantastic things about f stop. Great review. Just curious, would the bag double as a normal hiking pack if I decided to not take any camera gear?

Thats because they are fantastic and thanks.

It would do that, yes. F stop bags work around the principal of designing a bag first, then adding an insert for photo gear, so if you take the insert out, you have a normal backpack (with some photography-specific features added such as tiny pockets and slots for batteries etc...)

I'm guessing your hiking won't involve any overnight stays. I used to hike / mountain climb / camp quite a bit in my younger days. I could not have gotten away with a pack that did not have room for a sleeping bag, tent, cooking equipment, etc. So I purchased a good internal frame pack in which I kept a modified medium-sized padded fanny pack containing my photo gear(except tripod) for day tripping away from camp.

I kept my photography kit small:
- One body (no battery grip)
- 24mm f/2.8 lens w/hood
- 135mm f/3.5 lens
- Polarizing filter (fit both lenses)
- Mini-tripod - about 8" folded up

Optional equipment i would take if I was feeling strong or if circumstances called for it:
- 50mm f/1.8mm
- Flash
- Lightweight tripod (cost me $20 in 1986 - a little flimsy but decent when weighted down, opened to about 5' tall)

As lean as this was, it still felt like too much unnecessary weight after a few hours of hiking. Nonetheless, I don't think I've ever taken better photos in my life than I did on these trips. I've certainly not had more fun. It feels really good to pare down your equipment to the essentials and then really make them work for you.

About 5 years ago I purchased a Lowe Pro Off-Trail II fanny pack bag to replace my old modded fanny pack. Honestly, I've never really used it as a fanny pack while hiking more than a couple times. The Off-Trail II has an optional shoulder strap and I used it more as a shoulder bag. I wouldn't buy a padded fanny pack like that again because it's a little too big to be truly portable and convenient, yet it is too small to accommodate the pro zooms I primarily use today.

Camera bags and backpacks are SO personal that I won't comment there but I treated myself to a Gitzo 1541 Mountaineer (not Traveler, too short) with a Markins Q3 ballhead with QR clamp for mtn hiking, usually for dealing with a 5D II with RRS L-bracket, 17-40, 24-105, and 70-200/4 lenses. GREAT setup.....light, sturdy (but not cheap).

I just got back from a 6 day hike in Luxembourg (we were staying in hostels so didn't need a tent and bedding). I didn't get a dedicated photo hiking bag but instead got a 45 litre Karrimor hiking backpack (there's plenty of companies making such bags!), I found 45 litre to be a good size and Karrimor offer a good price/performance ratio. My camera kit was body with 17-50 attached and the 10-20 and my Velbon Ultra Rexi L tripod, which I highly recommend as a compact travel tripod.

I also got a Case Logic neoprene DSLR holster to protect the camera while it was in the bag, I always put it near the top of the pack with a jacket on top of it for protection when in transit. Most of the time when hiking I wore it around my neck or holstered across my chest like the picture on the Case Logic website, if it decided to rain I'd put it back in the back pack (it didn't rain!). The spare lens was kept in the case it came with and the tripod was stashed on the side of the bag, legs in the bottle holder, a stap near the top of the bag securing it.
The neoprene case was a little too small for the 7d, although it claimed it would fit on their website. It does fit but really needs to be stretched on, kinda like when I try to fit into size 32 jeans. It's a much better fit on a rebel or 60D. There are other Neoprene holsters out there so I'd probably find a better fitting one but time was of the essence!

This wasn't ideal and I'd prefer an F-Stop or similar but I didn't want to spend a few hundred quid on a bag that may have only been used once, but having said that it did work very well. Although we had such a good time I get the feeling we'll be doing a few more hikes like this in the future.

I think I will be going with an F-stop loka or Guru -- still debating, but leaning towards the loka.

Now, how about Tripods?

Currently I am using a F-Stop Loka as my backpack, and Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 Tripod.

http://www.golite.com/

Although not photo specific, check out this manufacturer. They make great gear for camping/backpacking/hi​king and their bags carry weeks worth of supplies plus my photo gear for much cheaper than the fstop stuff.

I think the fstop stuff is nice, but gimmicky - its better suited for transporting gear from location to location than it is for doing real hiking. The ICU's add un-necessary weight and they are really expensive for what you actually get out of them. There are packs on the website I linked to that have double the carrying capacity, are extremely comfortable and lighter than the fstop bags at a lower price.

MNUplander wrote in post #14276654
http://www.golite.com/

Although not photo specific, check out this manufacturer. They make great gear for camping/backpacking/hi​king and their bags carry weeks worth of supplies plus my photo gear for much cheaper than the fstop stuff.

I think the fstop stuff is nice, but gimmicky - its better suited for transporting gear from location to location than it is for doing real hiking. The ICU's add un-necessary weight and they are really expensive for what you actually get out of them. There are packs on the website I linked to that have double the carrying capacity, are extremely comfortable and lighter than the fstop bags at a lower price.

Are those just hiking packs though? That's what they look like. I am looking for something with compartments / dividers for camera gear AS WELL as all the other hiking stuff.