Can we talk about solutions for backpacking?

Hi there,

What does everyone do for backpacking with camera gear? I'd like to be able to keep my camera and tripod handy, but protected.

If you want to be very specific, I've got a Gregory Baltoro 75 and an Osprey Exos 46.

I'm thinking of maybe trying to find a way to attach a Thinktank Digital Holster 20 to the outside of my bag for the 6D with 17-40, strapping the tripod to the outside and putting the Lee filters in a hard sided case in an easy to access pocket.

Any backpackers here?

Mahalo!

Lyle

I have done a bit of bivouacking with my camera gear, I can tell you what worked for me.
First, I stripped the gear down to a minimum. Reason of weight, volume, and ease of carry.
Second, I got some discardable one/two use plastic covers for camera, the ones that Adorama sells I believe, you get 2 per bag, and they're about $10 a piece. Good enough to keep camera out in rainy conditions.
Third and as you already mentioned, a good comfortable bag to carry the gear. Waterproof (not submergible) is not that hard to find nowadays, but the secret for me -a must in my book- is the Silica bags. Can get them for free by asking around Best Buy or other similar stores, or shell out a few bucks online. These will effectively dehumidify your bag.
Always carry a towel, even if a soft, new hand towel, that can always be dry and used to clean your gear at a moment's notice.
The tripod is not my first concern, personally I'd use a cover bag if it came with it, otherwise just anything will do to cover it from the elements (upside down garbage bag, trimmed at the bottom).
For short assignments outdoors less than a week, I have done without any issues.
Hope this helps, and good luck.

Multi day backpacking or just walking in for a few hours?

I love my lowepro protrekker 400. I can carry everything i need + food and a small butane cooking stove. And i can strap extra layers to the outside. But i only use it for day hikes, not overnights.
I bring it car camping too for when we go hiking. Works great.

For my full day hikes, which will include different clothing options, and food and water for the day I use my Osprey 32. I use a Tenba messenger insert in the bottom of the pack for my extra camera lenses, flash etc.

Here is a shot of the insert in the bottom of my pack. You may notice that I have sewed a zipper so I can close the insert up.

nice setup, Ron!...

I used an F-Stop Tilopa and medium ICU last weekend and it worked great. I was able to carry all of the gear in my signature plus the typical tent/sleeping bag/sleeping pad, etc, for a quick two day backpack trip. I just used some extra straps to attach my sleeping bag to the back of the pack which also held my tripod. It wasn't light at over 50 pounds but the pack was comfortable! I could also go with a smaller ICU if I wanted to pair down my gear but the medium held everything plus spare batteries, remotes, filters, etc, etc.

I've done multi-day with my 1D and 24-105 in my Lowepro Toploader 75AW, which I use as a front pack. I'm mostly family backpacking and Boy Scout backpacking, and I'm so much more fit than my group, that I can manage the extra weight with no penalty or discomfort. The Toploader works great under my backpack straps (put the camera bag on first). Being on my chest, it's no effort at all to grab the camera for a quick shot and put it right back in the bag.

I also use this pack on the front for skiing sometimes. It's very easy to ski backwards and pull the camera out for a couple shots while I'm watching my kids, then pop it back in the bag.

I'm assuming since you use a 75 liter Gregory pack that you're on multi-day trips. I use an Osprey Aether 85. I put all my camera gear in an F-Stop medium ICU and I put my filters in a hard plastic tupperware container. I don't do a lot of shooting though as I hike so I don't mind that the gear is stowed away. Then again, my Osprey has a front zipper that I can access the center of my pack without having to unload the entire pack.

That is awesome. You are obviously very talented. Too bad you don't go into business making those. They'd sell like hotcakes.

mainbyte wrote in post #16837948
For my full day hikes, which will include different clothing options, and food and water for the day I use my Osprey 32. I use a Tenba messenger insert in the bottom of the pack for my extra camera lenses, flash etc.

Here is a shot of the insert in the bottom of my pack. You may notice that I have sewed a zipper so I can close the insert up.

I do some leather work so I made a holster for my tripod. I used to carry my tripod on the backpack, but it is much more accessible on my side. I also have a filter case on the same belt which holds my ND and CP filters.

Here is a shot of my holster.

I also made a leather holster for my camera, which fits both my 7D and 6D with my 24-105 lens. My camera holster also has a cover (not shown) when it is lightly raining, or the terrain might cause me to stumble. The holster also has a belt at the bottom that goes around my waist so the camera stays snug to my body. I got my idea for the camera holster from a company that makes them.

Here is my camera holster.

It is very comfortable to wear the camera holster, tripod holster, and backpack, and it allows quick access to both my camera and tripod without having to remove my backpack. I generally hike the more rugged trails and this setup allows quick access while also providing some protection. Even with this gear on I can use my hiking poles freely when needed.

Keep in mind that I am just throwing out some ideas here, and I don't expect everyone to be able to create leather items, but I thought another view on how gear could be carried while backpacking/hiking may be helpful.

Ron

Step 1: Pack your backpack as if you are not planning on carrying any photography gear
Step 2: Hire a Nepalese Sherpa and have him carry whatever you want!

Yep, definitely multi day use in mind though the concept is the same...how do you carry and protect your gear (while keeping it semi handy) when using it in a non camera backpack, no matter the size.

That messenger insert is a great idea, I"ll have to look into something like that. Thanks for posting it! That leather work is really nice, I'm guessing you make handgun holsters as well? That's way above my skill set, though it is the concept I'm looking for for my 6d/17-40.

Mahalo!

For a regular pack, I just drop the camera in there on top of my shell (jacket). I don't abuse my pack, and anything in it will be treated gently, and the shell suspends the body and lens away from the sides of the pack. I don't want to lose the space taken up by an insert (I do have one to use, but don't).

I did a few days of skiing with my 1D3 and 24-105 in my day pack, just sitting in there on its own, with no padding. There's nothing I can ski into that will hurt a 1D without hurting me badly enough that the camera no longer matters.

I wear the camera on a BlackRapid and, if I bring it, the tripod gets strapped to my external frame pack.

For safety I put the camera in a LensCoat RainCoat to protect it from rain and brush.

For overnight I have a large dry bag I keep the camera in so the tent moisture doesn't do any damage...

I really like Shane's idea, though. Camera kit is heavy!

Lyle, what did you decide on?

Well, I am going to use one of the Luma Labs thingies sandwiched between my L bracket and camera, clipping the camera to my shoulder strap with a carabiner. I went as far as looking into making custom straps that will clip to my shoulder straps and the bag to drop my camera to my hip on the right side, but I think for the upcoming 4 day trip I'll keep it simple and see how it goes. I may add something like the op/tech slr pouch for some protection, though I'm more concerned with some protection from rain.

I'll pop my Lee filter pouch in the brain of my bag for easy access, along with an extra battery and lens cleaner. Still looking around at options for the inside of the bag, trying to find something self contained that I can use modularly inside of other things, like Pelican cases that I occasionally check. Maybe one of the F Stop ICU bags. Thanks for the heads up on them, hadn't seen them before.

The tripod will just get lashed to the outside, hopefully to the loops for trekking poles and the like.