Hiking with a Camera

Tried searching, but was unable to find what I'm looking for. I'll be going to Jackson Hole in a month and am trying to get ready. I recently purchased a backpack for the hiking I'll be doing and took it on it's maiden voyage last weekend. As this hike was pretty easy and the weather was nice I kept my camera out most of the time which bugged me as it was supported around my neck. I noticed there are D loops on the backpack shoulder straps and figured I could by some camera straps made to attach there which I could use when hiking with the pack to put the camera weight on my shoulders and off my neck. Anyone know a good system to buy for this? I assume it would either need to have clips built in to a regular camera strap or have some kind of quick release system and come in pieces. Or maybe I'm off base and there's a much better system for hiking out there.

TIA,
Jon

I currently do the same thing as you when I hike. I have a NatGeo (or a small CamelBak) that I use to carry stuff...and having my camera usually leaves me wanting a better way to support it. It'd be interesting to see if people have a better way than us both.

simple solution: the Cotton Carrier. Link/review here:

https://photography-on-the.net …&highlight=cott​on+carrier

I used a CC when I hiked Yosemite last month.

If you are taking day hikes, you might enjoy a LowePro AW300. You can store your camera inside and sling the pack around to access it. It has a waterproof cover in case of rain and a nicely padded interior.
Of course, I happen to have a brand new one for sale...

we use our slingback 200s for quick hikes. great solution for one body and one or two lens.

If you have a Domke strap the nylon connector ends that are attached to the camera body can be unclipped from the fabric neck piece and re-clipped to the dee rings on the pack straps. This makes a safe, secure, and comfortable carry and it can be instantly returned to conventional neckstrap usage or removed to put it in the pack. Also, the nylon connectors can be clipped together to make a carry handle for the camera.

Some 15 years ago I hiked in Minnesota and one of the longer trips I made was from Grand Marais to Duluth carrying, among other things, a Canon A2 SLR film body and a couple of lenses. I used a binocular harness to hold the camera against my chest preventing the SLR from bouncing and striking my sternum with each step. The arrangement worked well and if it began to rain, as it did many times over those 21 days, it only took a moment to stuff the rig into a watertight bag, set it in the pack and continue on my way.

I should hope the ideas from that have improved from those days but the binocular harness worked well.

The Cotton Carrier I mentioned earlier in this thread is an improvement on the binocular harness, IMO.

I think the thinktank 360 uses a similar system and i remember it being sold seperately too.

poloman wrote in post #10415084
If you are taking day hikes, you might enjoy a LowePro AW300. You can store your camera inside and sling the pack around to access it. It has a waterproof cover in case of rain and a nicely padded interior.
Of course, I happen to have a brand new one for sale...

Clarification: poloman means Lowepro Slingshot 300 AW. A newer version, 302 AW is out.

I'm going to purchase and use Cotton Carrier for hiking.

J-Blake wrote in post #10414392
I noticed there are D loops on the backpack shoulder straps and figured I could by some camera straps made to attach there which I could use when hiking with the pack to put the camera weight on my shoulders and off my neck. Anyone know a good system to buy for this? I assume it would either need to have clips built in to a regular camera strap or have some kind of quick release system and come in pieces. Or maybe I'm off base and there's a much better system for hiking out there.

TIA,
Jon

You mighjt be interested in Tamrac N-11 Strap kit, which will hook to the D-clips.

Here they are for rederence: Link

I never wear my strap around my neck, always across the shoulder. But I thing my solution is a holster bag. I have the one that fits my 7d with 70-200 and when I hike, I have that so I can pull the camera out whenever i want and yet, it's not a big bag.

I read about the cotton carriers in my research. Not sure how I feel about those. They're seem a bit much, though maybe that's what is needed. The bag I have is a Lowepro Primus which is a backpack style bag which offers side entry like a sling bag. It holds quite a bit more than a sling bag and seems a bit more comfortable. The side access works as advertised and is great for accessing the camera compartment, otherwise you have to remove it and it's similar to a fast pack. But even the side access is nowhere near as fast as raising the camera which is right in front of you.

I'll look into the Domke and Tamrac straps. When I posted the OP, I had just seen the Tamrac online and was wondering about this and if there were others and what people thought who had used them.

I'm going to try another hike this weekend and will give the across the shoulder method a try. I don't know how it's going to work with the backpack on, but we'll see. Thanks for the responses everyone.

Jon

Op/Tech Bino/Cam harness. Comfortable, greatly reduces camera swing/movement, and cheap.

I hike all the time with my mountainsmith borealis at backpack. The best thing I did though was buy the luma loop. Now I put on the loop before I put on my backpack. Then click on the camera onto the loop via a quick connect lanyard. Camera hangs by your side and when you want to shoot, just grab it and it slides up the loop so you can shoot. Best part is you can remove your backpack without taking the loop off, which was a pain when I used the standard neck strap.

Another huge reason I got the loop was the quick connect. Now when I stick the t2i on the tripod, I don't have a neck strap flapping in the wind.

All in all, great purchase, although a bit pricey. The reason I didn't go with the black rapid is because it attaches to the tripod screw and therefore, does not offer the quick connect feature as you would have to remove the screw when you wanted to mount onto tripod.