I am considering an Osprey 18 or 24 for carrying both camera gear and non-camera gear while hiking. For those of you using this or a similar pack, I am curious about the following...

1. How to you load your camera gear in the pack? (placement in pack, protection, do you use lens cases or wraps or some sort of insert?...etc.)

2. How do you attach your tripod to the pack? (I have a 3-series Gitzo and Markins Ballhead. Will this work?)

Thanks!
Pat

I use a North Face Recon II pack for day hikes with a moderate load of gear. It usually has a 5D with 24-105L and 40D with 70-200/4L IS (lenses mounted on cameras, hoods in working position, and lens caps on). The bodies are at the bottom of the pack with lenses pointing up. I have a pad of neoprene foam on the bottom of the pack to cushion stuff when I set it down. Before I start shooting, both bodies are wearing Lens Coat BodyGuards and both lenses have Op/Tech Snoot Boots (the 70-200 hood is reversed at this point). There's room for a 17-40L wearing a Snoot Boot in between the up-sticking lenses. The middle pocket has space for a 580EX, TC, cleaning kit and etc. There's also enough room for a survival kit, some rain gear and some light weight underlayers, but not enough for a planned overnight trip.

For travel (especially by air), I usually have a Manfrotto 345 Tabletop tripod inside the pack, and I don't take a full sized tripod. For bigger loads of camera and/or camping gear, I use a LowePro Vertex 300, which has a really good tripod carrying system. If I'm stomping around with my Recon and full sized tripod (for macro or long lens), I usually carry the tripod with a shoulder strap, and sling it upside down (head at the bottom) to keep it stable.

I use a standard daypack at times. The back is already padded for use with a laptop and I use lens cases or the pouches they came with I haven't found it necessary to additional padding for the camera but haven't done anything serious either. The pack is equipped with several compression straps that allow for easy carrying of smaller tripods either horizontally underneath or vertically on the back. In the past I've backpacked and again the packs had sufficient attachment points for dealing with the tripod on sides, top or bottom. Kind of depends on the pack involved

Hey, Patrick.

This is something I struggled with for a long time. I'm honing in on a system I'm happy with, Not much time to post right now, but here's the basic idea:

First, you have to define what you mean by "hiking." Are you hitting the trail for just the day, solely to take photos, or are you doing a 2-3 day hike, and taking camera gear along.

Those are two radically different scenarios.

What I've been doing is combining two different pack (one large one small, for each scenario) with a molle vest that holds modified Lowepro cases. You could use the Lowepro vest, but it's severely limited. To use any standard molle vest, you have to cut a slit out of the Lowepro case's back insert part, but then it works fine. You could also use standard molle pouches, but they would not offer much protection if you fell.

I keep a few choice lenses on my chest, (in the pouches) for fast changes. I keep my longest lens (a 300/4.5) on my 5D, placed in a Lowepro ToploaderAW on my hip (and tied to my leg) I keep the top open, so I can pull the camera out and shoot within seconds. I figure anything that needs that much speed will also require the long lens.

For day-jaunts, I use a small pack, with a hydration bladder. (similar to the Osprey, but a little smaller) The pack basically holds my lunch, flash, and a few small doo-dads. Because the lenses are mostly on my chest, I don't have to worry about dividers & padding inside the small pack. It does what it was designed to do.

For 2-3 day stuff, I use a Gregory Paliades 80. This pack is large enough for a week-long trip, so it does a 3-day with room for a small Lowepro camera backpack tucked inside. -if it's a difficult climb, I put the camera & tele inside this small pack, as they get a bit cumbersome on the hip all day. Once I make camp, I can just use the vest, or I can use that small camera pack. Nice.

If I really want to go light, I put a bladder-carrier on the back of the molle vest. Light & cool.

The tripod is a bit tough. With the Palisade, I use D-rings & cords, and it's not bad. I haven't figured out a good system yet with the day-hike rig.

Have you considered Dakine's line of snowboarding backbacks? I'm assuming you want one for the room and strap support, their bigger one might be the ticket.

I have an Arctery'x Bora 95, and while it's roomy enough to carry everything in my garage, it's not a photo backpack.

What I do is arrange all of my photo equipment such that all I have to do is unzip the bottom compartment of the pack to get to it. The tripod gets attached to the outside with the built-in straps/etc. Inside the pack, I use the foam pads from my Lowepro and just arrange them to hold the lenses nice and snug. This seems to work best for me.

Thanks for the posts so far. I am only a day hiker. Typically I would carry 1-2 bodies and 3 lenses (17-40, 24-105 & 70-200 F4.) Misc items (cards, batteries, filters...etc.) And finally the toughest part, the Gitzo and ballhead.

The main reason I am considering an Osprey, Gregory, Deuter...etc. is for the comfort. I really like the airpocket that some of these packs offer to keep your back cool. Also they have a much better harness system. My biggest question is how to attach my tripod. The fabric on some of these bags seems pretty light and while the Gitzo is not overly heavy, it is a fairly good size tripod.

Thanks again for comments / suggestions.

Pat

genoph wrote:
Have you considered Dakine's line of snowboarding backbacks? I'm assuming you want one for the room and strap support, their bigger one might be the ticket.

Good thought. I took a quick look and they look intersting. I will look into them a bit more. Thanks.

I've got a bigger Osprey, 50 I think. I fill it full of all my gear in various Kinesis pounches. The nice thing about the Kinesis gear is that it all plays nice together. I can use those same pouches on a Kinesis pack, a kinesis belt, kinesis harness, or tied to a shoulder bag. I finally have the bag nirvana and can customize my carry gear to that trips needs.

You might want to look to the more technical brands or models, as mountaineering, skiing, etc., packs are set up to deal with ice axes, skis, tents and tent poles, etc., so they often will have sound attachment points.

Patrick Cox wrote:
The main reason I am considering an Osprey, Gregory, Deuter...etc. is for the comfort. I really like the airpocket that some of these packs offer to keep your back cool. Also they have a much better harness system.

Exactly so, Pat. I agree 100% with this thinking. Some of the newest packs from Lowepro & such have "decent" hip support, but I have tried them, and they are still miles behind the Gregory system. Of course, if you're carrying less than 20 lbs, and/or only going out for 3-4 hrs, it might not make much of a difference.

I still recommend finding a pack that's large enough to hold a small photo-pack INSIDE, along with your lunch, a sweater, and light rain gear. That really gives you versatility.

benchase wrote:
I have an Arctery'x Bora 95, and while it's roomy enough to carry everything in my garage, it's not a photo backpack.

What I do is arrange all of my photo equipment such that all I have to do is unzip the bottom compartment of the pack to get to it. .

Sweet pack! I love my Palisade 80, but the (larger) Bora was high on my list.

It's obviously massive overkill for the OP, but if I had that pack, I think I'd put lens-dividers into the top "fanny pack" portion. You could then remove it and use it for short location shoots. No?

sounds very small, i uses a 50l berghaus, you will need space to stuff other gear and a bit of food too. a tight fit and you'll have to pull everything out to get anything, also compression straps make a big bag smaller.

http://www.berghaus.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=1490&Gear=2

i'd imagine there is something similar from a US company.

I use a custom McHale pack with two compartments. The survival gear goes in the lower compartment, the 4x5 goes in the upper one. I have the camera body itself wrapped in a thin pad with velcro on the corners (fold the corners over and it covers the camera body). The lenses travel in a pouch made by Gnass Gear, and the film holders in another one. Gnass seems to be out of business, but fortunately PhotoBackpacker.com is not, and will work with you to supply pouches if you need them.

If I bring along extra toys like my dSLR lenses, they go in the top compartment around the 4x5 gear.

For the tripod, if I carry my small one I just stuff it head-down in one of the water bottle pockets on the side, and for the large tripod I loop two of the velcro straps that are attached to the daisy chains around the legs and stuff the bottoms of the legs into the ice axe loops to stabilize it, two legs on one side, one on the other (centers it better).

Unfortunately, that approach doesn't work so well with snowshoes attached to the daisy chains, so I tend to stick with the smaller tripod.

One thing to note is that it's recommended to put the heavier stuff higher up rather than lower down. It helps to distribute the weight of the heavier stuff over your hips, making it easier to carry if you have a good suspension and harness.

Whichever one you get, make sure that it's properly fitted when heavily loaded; if you go to a shop like REI you can get one of the staff to fit the pack onto your body, load it up with weight (they keep a supply of sacks for weight on hand), and then do some shopping with the backpack on to feel how well it carries over time.

I have the Dakine Sequence, and I really like it. For my purposes, it's a lot better than a typical photo backpack -- it's lighter and wears very comfortably. The removable camera block is nice, since it gives you some flexibility if you want to downsize to move lighter/faster. Good tripod attachment options, too. Carrying a 3-series Gitzo is not a problem.

I also recently picked up a Gregory Z22, which is a smallish pack with the sprung frame to keep the bag off your back. It should be cooler than the Dakine, though obviously not able to carry as much bulk. It should be good for a body and a couple of lenses in their own cases, as well as food, jacket, etc.

Like you, I have a 3-series Gitzo (3541LS), and I'm not sure how well it would ride on the little Gregory -- I think I can rig attachment points, but it might be pushing it. If I didn't have the Dakine and wanted a Gregory/Osprey-style pack that I wanted to load a bit heavier, I'd probably go up a size (Gregory Z30, or an Osprey equivalent).

I'm going to Big Bend National Park later this week, and I'll take both bags -- the Dakine will haul everything, and the Gregory will be a lighter option for quick scrambles. If I know I want to carry the big legs, I'll probably stick to the Dakine (I also have a 0-series Gitzo that I can easily either slip inside or lash outside the Gregory).

Cableaddict wrote:
benchase wrote:
I have an Arctery'x Bora 95, and while it's roomy enough to carry everything in my garage, it's not a photo backpack.

What I do is arrange all of my photo equipment such that all I have to do is unzip the bottom compartment of the pack to get to it. .

Sweet pack! I love my Palisade 80, but the (larger) Bora was high on my list.

It's obviously massive overkill for the OP, but if I had that pack, I think I'd put lens-dividers into the top "fanny pack" portion. You could then remove it and use it for short location shoots. No?

There isn't nearly enough room in the top portion, but it does make a handy fanny pack. The top portion is much more flat than deep.

I backpacked (multi-day hikes) when in college, so I knew what a good backpack felt like. When I started day-hiking with gear, I got the LowePro Nature Trekker II. Heavy, bulky, but protected my gear. But it was a pain. I bought a Deuter Futura Zero 40L from recommendations here. Trampoline-back is a wonderful thing! No more drenched backs! I use LowePro pouches for the lenses to give them a bit more protection than the normal Canon bags, pack them on top of a layer of spare clothes, wrap the camera body (if I'm not shooting while hiking) in my hiking sweatshirt, and lash my Gitzo 1325 (older 3-series) to the outside. Yes, the tripod does bounce a bit if I don't do it properly, but it works. This has proven to be a fantastic pack. My only wishes was that it had separate areas with access so I didn't have to undo everything to get to the camera gear.

I've hiked with a MkII, 70-200/2.8IS, 17-40, 50/1.4, and even a 300/4IS and 1.4xTC, all with the 1325 (Markins M-20 head). Much more comfortable than the LowePro bag, and can carry actual hiking gear, too!

John

John Patrick wrote:
I bought a Deuter Futura Zero 40L from recommendations here. Trampoline-back is a wonderful thing! No more drenched backs!


Hey-hey John must have seen one of my posts. I've been using that pack for 2 years now and still love it. I've used it in all sorts of configurations and am carrying a 4X5 camera system in it these days.

It may have been one of your posts. There was a nice thread about hiking backpacks, that included a few different shots of different "real" backpacks. When I read that, saw that REI had the Deuter 40L on sale... well, it seemed "destined." Took it to RMNP and GSMNP and it worked very well.

John

Chiming back in -- I carried the Gregory Z22 on several long day hikes in Big Bend last week, with ~8 pounds of camera gear plus food, water, and extra clothing. The longest was 13 miles (whew!), and it was very comfortable. The harness and ventilation panel were great.

I never put on the Sequence, except to schlep gear from the car. It would have been great if I'd wanted to go a bit heavier, but light was good this time.