I’m typically wearing a backpack when I’m out, and both of mine have daisy chains on the straps. So my straps become safety cords because I use a small carabiner either at the strap return, or loop and clip the camera to the daisy chain. It distributes the weight through my pack, keeps my camera out of the way, and quite secure. Hope that helps!
HoltShotsNM wrote:
I usually have my 150-600 on for hiking with smaller lenses in the backpack. And my front backpack chest strap is where I’ll hang the tripod foot.
BlackRapid Double Breathe Camera Harness with a Think Tank Pixel Racing Harness underneath attached to a Think Tank Photo Steroid Speed Belt (which allows me to carry a TTP Speed Changer bag with filters etc and a tripod on my hip). It takes a few minutes to put it all on and get it adjusted but it's worth the effort as there is no strain on my back or shoulders.
Either that or I just grab my Ricoh GR and throw it in a pocket.
I use as small of a backpack as I can get away with. Spare card, battery and a lens. I had the perfect backpack, but sadly my new camera doesnt fit in it. I have a 1DX Mark III and its pretty tall so now I cant zip it any longer. And I cant even seem to find a tiny backpack that will fit it
Really light and fast: phone to document anything interesting
Light and fast: RX100 in pocket. And this is what I carry for most of day trips, from Whitney to countless Cascade scrambles.
Now for those hikes with known photo opportunities, I tried Lowepro 200AW, did not work out well cause not enough space for wilderness essentials. Also tried camera bag insert in a normal backpack, not a fan for the extra steps to take camera out. OK around camps, not so good on the move. That was when I still had my beloved Pentax K3 and a few primes. Then I switched to A6000, and started to pack them in a fanny pack with improvised foam liner. Worked quite well until couple of days into a multi-day winter trip. A section of the climb was steep enough that I wanted to buckle up the waist band of backpack to reduce instability, not going to work. Just beginning of this year, I found the 5.11 sling bag I used to conceal carry firearm should also work as a camera bag, and again with DIY form liners I took it to St Helens summit and circumnavigation trip. Set up as cross chest sling bag, with A6100, couple of small primes in it, and an ultralight tripod attached to the bottom, it was decently comfortable, and not in any interference with a normal backpack. Access to camera is quick and easy. I even practiced ice axe self arrest with it and felt quite confident. Although I lost the ball head later bushwhacking through some dense stuff at night. Branches must got in the way and unscrewed it from the tripod. I will continue to test this set up in the future trips, and I did locklite my replacement ball head to the tripod so hopefully not to loose it again.
I'm always hiking/climbing first, photo second on my trips into wilderness so less camera/no camera is OK for me.
I use a lot of different ways, I don’t think I’ve found anything that is universally perfect.
First is a dedicated landscape setup where the trip is all about photography and doesn’t have any technical terrain. Two bodies, full range of lenses, circular and NiSi S6 system, power bank and full cleaning kit, etc. I like the Atlas adventure pack for these trips because it is so photo-centric with many features that make shooting easier. The back panel
Is great. Take it off, flip it up and I can get shooting any lens, any filter setup in seconds. One body is on the shoulder with a peak designs clip while I’m moving; with whatever lens seems best for quick shots at the time. This is a heavy setup, and the atlas packs are very very heavy themselves, comparatively but I’ve done some backpacking with it and it is manageable.
Second is an ultralight kit for long or difficult movements but still without technical terrain requirements. Peak design small camera insert and gossamer gear Mariposa pack. One body, ditch the most beastly of the telephoto lenses. This is usually for really remote areas or week-long outings by myself.
Third is for technical terrain trips where the purpose is still photography but I need to have crampons, ice axe, skis, avalanche gear or other climbing gear too. Peak designs medium camera cube, all the lenses but still 1 body and no filters. Typically I’m more focused on people in these scenarios so I am okay ditching the NiSi kit and other filters. Goes into the bag last and I can still access the camera through the side of the peak designs cube.
Not pictured is the ‘ultra-minimalist setup’ for full on rock climbing, which is the camera and 1 lens; used to be the Sigma 35/1.2 but now I’m waiting for the 35GM, so I don’t have it to photograph. Camera and lens go into a pouch that gets clipped to my climbing harness. I also used the Loxia 21 for this setup for a time but found autofocus to be too useful in one-handed scenarios to go without
Great thread with a lot of interesting perspectives. I have some similar methods to what folks have listed here. I also have strong opinions :P.
In all cases, I use a pack designed for hiking / backpacking / mountaineering, and make it work for my camera gear. I feel that camera-oriented "adventure" bags are overengineered for photography solutions and don't make great hiking bags. I also have way too many bags, so probably use that logic to convince myself to stop buying them.
It's very important to me that the camera gear is, for the most part, packed INSIDE my bag following the basic principles of packing a heavy bag. Camera gear is heavy, and having a bunch of it dangling off the outside of my bag hurts my shoulders and my balance.
For casual hikes, I rarely take pictures, but I will usually throw my camera (in a protective cover) somewhere near the mid-center of the bag. My PD Capture Clip will be attached to the shoulder strap in case I keep my camera out for long periods of time.
For alpine climbs / mountaineering, I pack as above but try to anticipate interesting parts of the climb and load my camera onto the Capture Clip ahead of time, for three reasons: 1. climbing seems to present a lot more interesting shots than typical day hikes 2. I prefer to move light and fast on climbs and stopping to rummage through my bag for a camera is not a good idea, 3. if we're roped up e.g. on a glacier it's just not a good idea for me to try to get my camera out.
I've found for scrambling and climbing, the capture clip is the only realistic way to have your camera ready for shooting -- it doesn't dangle, it's off the center of your torso, and it is accessible. I mean, nothing's worse than scrambling on some rocks and having your camera flopping all around. You can still certainly smash your camera and I'd be a little concerned about it being painful if you have to self-arrest, but otherwise I haven't had problems here.
Shot of me in my mountaineering setup, on the way down after bailing on the approach to the Mountaineers' Route on Whitney (thunderstorms + partner had bad AMS). Pack's probably 50lbs on this one :/
Some example shots I feel like wouldn't be possible / safe / would have been missed without the camera clip: Summit pyramid by Instagram: @mptoyama, on Flickr
I have a few different setups depending on how "serious" I'm being towards photography at the moment.
- On a stroll, walk, short hike with friends/family I never take anything larger than a compact camera. Right now that happens to be an Olympus XA, but I've had a few different truly pocketable options. Anything larger/more serious/slower to shoot and I will drop out of the group and bother my companions. Rarely do I really have time to really compose anything but lighthearted quick snapshots. These can occasionally really turn out well. I prefer wrist straps to shoulder straps with small cameras - virtually anything will do.
- For slightly longer hikes in new very photographically rich locations where I'm by myself or just with my partner, I have a small canvas camera backpack made by Koolertron. It has a padded camera compartment that is just large enough for my Pentax 6x7 and 90mm f2.8, or my Sony A7III and Sigma 35mm f1.4, or my Olympus OM and 3 lenses (it's that small!). I'll also carry a pocket camera for quick casual shots. I won't take a tripod 99% of the time here.
- For real, dedicated hikes that I take for the purposes of exploration/photography I pack a Shimoda Action X50 with gear, food, water, camping supplies etc. Depending on how I pack, it can hold every piece of camera equipment I own and be manageable to carry. I'll also attach my tripod to the bag which is convenient. The only camera I'll have readily available is my compact camera of choice. If there is a scene that really warrants composing and shooting in earnest, I'll set down the bag, set up the tripod, and get to work.
I'm generally relatively slow and methodical (comes from shooting so much film). My "serious" camera never needs to be ready on a moment's notice - my compact can cover anything fleeting good enough for my purposes.
Depending on where I am at, I will hike with my camera attached to the tripod and carry it over my shoulder. Been doing this for decades, so am used to it.
For day hikes, birds and landscapes, I have a Mountainsmith Descent 11L. This is an amazing bag. Very rugged and can fit my 5dm3 with 100-400L II mounted along with the 16-35 and 70-200. Great bag. I like the Sling style bags so I don't have to remove the bag to get to my gear easily. It just swings around front and opens on top. I tried many other slings and this is my favorite for the space, ruggedness, and build quality. The padding is amazing compared to Think Tank and Tenba.
Dustin Gent wrote:
Depending on where I am at, I will hike with my camera attached to the tripod and carry it over my shoulder. Been doing this for decades, so am used to it.
I do that when I move from one location to another in the same area...but to trek any distance or over any mildly challenging terrain, everything is put into my pack so I have both hands ready if need be. Really depends on the terrain one walks over.
Dustin Gent wrote:
Depending on where I am at, I will hike with my camera attached to the tripod and carry it over my shoulder. Been doing this for decades, so am used to it.
Just curious what tripod, ball head/clamps do you use and what gear do you carry. Thanks in advance.
The Peak Design capture clip has always felt super secure on my hikes and I'd highly recommend it. Easy access to the camera, you can clip it it a number of convenient places, and I don't have to worry about movement or having both hands free.
I use my peak design capture clip for everything from short walks to multi day hikes with long distances, mountaineering etc. Basically the only reason the cam gets into my backpack is when it's really steep (/I have to climb) and the cam gets in my way or is in danger of hitting rock.
For redundancy, I always have the 'standard neck strap' thing attached to my cam and wear it loosely around my neck. So if the capture clip fails or if I drop the cam while quickly wanting to snap a pic, it can't fall down.
I personally would never just put my cam in my backpack until I reach my final destination with the proper light. Firstly because I like to sometimes just 'photodocument' a trip so I can later show my friends and family some pics of what I was doing. Secondly, even if I didn't want to photodocument, I would have missed a lot of decent 'while walking' shots, including this, this, or that one.
I have yet to meet a back ventilation system that really worked, and I hate having a sweaty back, so a backpack was out for me. I only day hike (<10 miles) and was only looking to carry camera stuff and a bit of water.
I purchased the Evoc Hip Pack Capture 7L Compact Camera Bag which is aimed at bicyclists and am satisfied-ish with it.
I like to shoot large streams (poorly) and macro things (also poorly) while hiking and want to carry a tripod, macro focusing rail, a full frame DSLR, a macro lens, wide/ultra wide lens(s), and filters. This pack holds them all and a water bottle while keeping your upper back and hands free and relatively stable.
The flip side to that is it is like 10 pounds as I load it, which is a bit much for just a belt strap. I purchased a cheap set of duty belt (police officer gun belt) suspenders to help even the load. They work-ish, but the overall situation is not the greatest, though I think that is more a commentary on the stupid number of things that I put in it.
