Best system for carrying gear on wedding day with minimal or no assistance?

Yet another newbie question as I throw together my wishlist-o-gear for the summer... I'm going to be shooting a couple weddings this summer and will likely have a friend helping out as second shooter, but I won't have an assistant or anything. So I'm trying to come up with a good system for carrying gear and having everything available on wedding day.

I've been eyeing the Lowepro S&F system--I like that it's modular, secures the camera straps to the shoulders, and has the very-favorably-reviewed lens exchange case as an available module. Also, the belt/harness/speedlite case/lens exchange case actually come in at a pretty reasonable price.

The big downside in my mind is that it has a very "tactical" look to it--maybe it's just because I'm in the army, but the system reminds me of the LBE/LBV used for carrying ammo and grenades and what not.

Anyone using the S&F stuff? If not, what do you use for running and shooting with two bodies, a few lenses, and minimal or no assist?

I would suggest ...
you carry 2 cameras {FF and APSC} w shorter and longer FL.
I use 5D with 17 - 40L at high ISO and 20D with 24 - 105L, 580 Flash w Diffuser.
Do not Change Lenes and keep a spare card in pocket.
You need to be portable and move at weddings.
Keep the bag/gear in a locked car.

Buy a shootsac.

Or a cotton carrier.

I use the Cotton Carrier and Lowepro Exchange Messenger bag with great success. It may make you feel "tactical" but you can dress it up very easily. I wear a black dress vest over it, and still have room for my camera to pop on it.

Here is a good example. You cant see the CC very much, but that is kinda the point.

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Red Tie Photography wrote in post #11698230
I use the Cotton Carrier and Lowepro Exchange Messenger bag with great success. It may make you feel "tactical" but you can dress it up very easily. I wear a black dress vest over it, and still have room for my camera to pop on it.

Here is a good example. You cant see the CC very much, but that is kinda the point.

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I shoot one camera, but if I do start to shoot 2 bodies it comes with a belt holster, which I find works great for engagement sessions. Just make sure you have a belt that is heavy duty enough to handle it.

So, is that the vest or the "carry-lite" version?

I know its hard to see, but I am actually wearing the CC vest underneath my dress vest. Here is a bit better example of the ensemble. Dont mind the goofy guy...

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The Black Rapid RS DR-1 Double Strap is meant to be a very good and increasingly popular way of carrying two camera bodies. Iv not personally used it mind due. More info and pics here :-

http://www.warehouseex​press.com …DR-1-Double-Strap_1520233

I'm a solo shooter. I shoot with 2 cameras, and I have been carrying them on Neoprene straps from Ritz camera for years. When I switched to the neoprene straps I immediately noticed less strain on my neck at the end of the wedding day.

A couple of years ago (when the shootsack and boda bag first came out) I picked up one of these: http://www.adorama.com​/TR5534GB.html and have never looked back. At a wedding I wear the cameras all day and pack the bag with: 2 flashes (in the front pocket), 5 lenses (in addition to the 2 on camera), an extra 8 pack of batteries (in the side pocket), an extra battery for each camera (in the front pocket), and various other necessaries in the flap pocket.

For a portrait session, I pack the camera in the bag with 2 lenses, one flash and the other things mentioned.

It is cheap, portable, and if it doesn't fit, I don't need it .

Having said that, for this year, I have picked up a Spider holster for my 2nd body. I was skeptical (and I am cheap to a fault), but after trying it out at a trade show in January, I was instantly sold. In addition to the weight being on my hips, I like the fact that I can still wear a suit with the Spider.

I wasn't familiar with the Lowepro S&F, but I looked it up and it reminds me a lot of the think tank modular system. Quite honestly, that setup, while great for running and gunning isn't great for weddings. Especially at a reception when you are running between tables or on a dance floor, you don't want the equivalent of a 70" waist.

Picture moving a christmas tree around the dance floor. That would be you with all of those lenses strapped to you.

Black Rapid RS DR-1 Double Strap is very good. I use that and also have a third body on a Crumpler Industry Disgrace around my neck. I generally don't need to change lenses during the ceremony unless I'm going for something more creative with the fisheye or UWA.

Personally I'm not overly bothered as to how I look and a lot more concerned about what I shoot.

I can also manage (when on location as opposed to the reception or ceremony) having a Lowepro Computrekker Plus AW on my back. It sounds a lot but I actually find it can help balance me. Not everyone's cup of tea though.

You could easily use the Black Rapid RS DR-1 Double Strap along with a small backpack. Personally though, having gone to three bodies I never want to go back to just two bodies as it makes life so much easier.

An assistant is way more valuable than a second shooter for most of the day.

I shot dozens of weddings by myself, but I don't do it any more. Assistants make things a lot easier, just managing gear is a huge help.

tim wrote in post #11702848
An assistant is way more valuable than a second shooter for most of the day.

I shot dozens of weddings by myself, but I don't do it any more. Assistants make things a lot easier, just managing gear is a huge help.

I agree, but not just from an equipment perspective. For me, they're just as much a help with off-camera lighting. I always tell prospective clients that a second shooter increases the number of pictures they'll get; an assistant will increase the quality of the pictures they'll get because they make the hard shots possible.

Hmm... of all the options brought up so far I'm liking the CC and the Spider holster... I do like the Spider's beefier-looking design and the way it attaches to the belt.

So I'm thinking that the setup might be 5D2 + 24-70L with the Industry Disgrace strap around the neck, and the 7D+70-200 in the Spider holster. One wedding will be outdoors and a bit more spread out, so the 70-200 might go on the 5D2 for that one, with the brick going to the 7D. The L primes can come out for dark receptions as needed. Might put one lens bag on the belt in case I need to switch to a prime.

Peacefield wrote in post #11703342
I agree, but not just from an equipment perspective. For me, they're just as much a help with off-camera lighting. I always tell prospective clients that a second shooter increases the number of pictures they'll get; an assistant will increase the quality of the pictures they'll get because they make the hard shots possible.

Yeah off camera lighting, driving, fetching meals occasionally, noticing details I miss, adding different angles of photos, etc, etc.