p.2 #1 · Suggestions for 600mm lens carrying system for hiking
GroovyGeek wrote:
Over the last few years I have gravitated to Gregory packs, particularly the Zulu 45 for my typical day trip landscape use, Zulu 55 for trips over a few days, and the Baltoro 95 Pro for week+ backpacking. Each of them carries weight much better than any photo backpack I have ever used. They all have side pockets for water. For landscape work I use a Shimoda medium DSLR unit which is perfect for a Z8, 14-24, 24-100, 100-400, 1.4x TC, a few spare batteries, and a set of filters. The Zulus are front panel access, the Baltoro is top access only but when I am backpacking I don't need easy access, I am most worried about weight distribution. Tripod is strapped either to the side or the front. When on the side I tuck two of the legs in the mesh side pocket and use a side strap to attach securely. I attach the tripod on the opposite side of the 100-400 to balance the weight better. IMO this is a more comfortable setup than either the F-Stop or Shimoda packs, both of which I have owned and used in the past.
I have gotten into birding lately. There I use one of two setups. For Z8 + 180-600 + 70-200 I use the Shimoda RST25 in a Mystery Ranch Scree 32 pack. The fit is perfect and the front Y zipper is very convenient. There is a small amount of extra space for 2 batteries, a TC, and a few other things. When I need to carry a big lens, ie. the 800 PF + 180-600, I switch to a Shimoda XL50 RST in a Trion Spine 50. There is room for a dead horse inside the XL50, it should also fit a Z8 attached to a 600/4 TC. Note that this is the now out of production Trion Spine, not the regular Trion which does not carry weight as nicely. As you correctly point out, this is a winter touring backpack which does not have outside pockets for water bottles. When birding I am rarely more than an hour away from my vehicle, so I don't need much water. I will typically have a 3rd party water bottle sleeve that I attach to the left shoulder strap https://a.co/d/0cvjFlBj
I never worry about lack of padding on the front. Most photos backpacks are needlessly over padded, with a ratio of external to internal volume that is way too large. My landscape kit usually sees much rougher conditions, when I usually have some extra items in the front pocket of the Zulus - sun hat, knee pads, perhaps an extra layer of clothing. Those provide more than enough buffering for me....Show more →
Thank you for all of this info. I have been looking at the Zulus, the Coulee, and the Eberlestock Freefall.
