Help - Need Suggestions on Hiking Gear - Backpack, Camera Strap & More

[theraven871]

I just finished a serious hiking day trip. It didn't take me long to realize that my gear wasn't up to the task.
By the end of the day, my BlackRapid camera strap literally fell apart from my camera bouncing around so much. (Yes, my camera took a fall. Thankfully, my lens survived!).

As so many of you have discovered before me, I need a better method of bringing my gear along with me.
What do you all recommend? I'm looking for some type of a backpack. If it has a way to attach a tripod, even better. Waterproof is highly desired.
What camera strap do you use when you're out in very rough terrain? I'm looking for something that won't bounce around.

Any other tips and/or gear you've found to be of great value?

 

[lambertpix]

Whenever I'm doing any sort of serious hiking, I wind up strapping my TLZ bag to my chest for the camera itself, along with an additional lens case. That gives me my camera with two lenses right up front where I need it, and anything beyond that goes on my back.

Among the biggest benefits, I can keep both hands free when I want, but I have very quick access to the camera (vs.dismounting a backpack to retrieve it):

Philmont2012-Ball311.jpg by lambertpix, on Flickr

Philmont2012-Ball281.jpg by lambertpix, on Flickr

For this sort of backpacking, mounting and dismounting the pack is a fairly involved process, so it was really important for me to keep the camera accessible. The first shot also shows my TrekPod (moment of silence) which gave its life in service of this particular hike. It's not the best walking staff nor the best tripod, but the mere fact that it was passable at both jobs was remarkable.

In the photos above, I didn't really have a whole lot of extra stuff, but for day hikes & such, I'll sometimes use the padded insert from my LowePro Nova bag for extra photo equipment and tuck it into the top of a day pack. This winds up being a pretty versatile kit, but I've also had my eye on something like LowePro's Photo Sport AW kit, as I think it might fill that "day pack" role pretty nicely, and is probably a little handier than what I'm doing now.

 

[Overread]

Consider a photovest - you can use it to distribute the weight around your body and also carry a few smaller lenses/accessories that you need access too without having to open up the main bag - then your primary bag can carry your hiking gear (or you can use a proper photography backpack if its more a phototrip).

Check out The Vest Guy for some ideas

 

[theraven871]

Whenever I'm doing any sort of serious hiking, I wind up strapping my TLZ bag to my chest for the camera itself, along with an additional lens case. That gives me my camera with two lenses right up front where I need it, and anything beyond that goes on my back.

Among the biggest benefits, I can keep both hands free when I want, but I have very quick access to the camera (vs.dismounting a backpack to retrieve it):

Philmont2012-Ball311.jpg by lambertpix, on Flickr

Philmont2012-Ball281.jpg by lambertpix, on Flickr

For this sort of backpacking, mounting and dismounting the pack is a fairly involved process, so it was really important for me to keep the camera accessible. The first shot also shows my TrekPod (moment of silence) which gave its life in service of this particular hike. It's not the best walking staff nor the best tripod, but the mere fact that it was passable at both jobs was remarkable.

In the photos above, I didn't really have a whole lot of extra stuff, but for day hikes & such, I'll sometimes use the padded insert from my LowePro Nova bag for extra photo equipment and tuck it into the top of a day pack. This winds up being a pretty versatile kit, but I've also had my eye on something like LowePro's Photo Sport AW kit, as I think it might fill that "day pack" role pretty nicely, and is probably a little handier than what I'm doing now.

I really love that pack. But to be honest, its much larger than what I would need for a "day pack".

 

[lambertpix]

I really love that pack. But to be honest, its much larger than what I would need for a "day pack".

I certainly wouldn't suggest that as a day pack, but using the TLZ w/ something else winds up being pretty versatile, IMO. Here's that LowePro padded insert on top of my day pack, for instance:

All loaded up, ready to hit the road:

This was a winter hike, so the batteries wound up in my pocket to stay warm.

 

[spacefuzz]

My favorite camera backpack to date is the F-Stop Tilopa. Good size, carry enough for a day hike or overnight, good padding, tripod attaches. For the full review with pics: Review: F-Stop Camera Backpack — Matthew Kuhns Photography

Another option is using a smaller bag on a strap and trying to keep it by your waist. Getting it to stay in place and be comfortable can be hard though. As for the front mounting packs I've never been a fan, don't like the thought of anything besides my fat belly obscuring my footing.

 

[dannylightning]

I have the lower pro runner 300 back pack. fits all of my gear in it and it including the 150-500mm lens, I can carry a tripod on it, it has a weather cover that pulls out if it starts to rain. seems very well made. I really like it. with all my gear in it or attached to it including the tripod its around 20 lbs or so.

Amazon.com : Lowepro Pro Runner 300 AW DSLR Backpack (Black) : Camera Cases : Camera & Photo


I think its a really nice back pack that your average person would be happy with.

 

[jsecordphoto]

I have a clikelite escape bag and I love if for hiking. It's not really big enough for an overnight trip, but I'm usually just hiking out for sunrise (usually around 10 miles or so round trip) and it's really comfortable. Securely holds my tripod and all my gear, it has a rain cover that you can pull out too.

 

[JoeW]

I suggest you think of two options:
1. A day pack that you can strap a tripod to, and in addition to that..
2. Some kind of sling or holster or big fanny pack that will hold your camera and the gear you're bringing.

Realistically, if you use a backpack for your camera (and it's a day pack that is holding water and food and maybe some fleece and a few other odds and ends) than you don't have an accessible camera unless you take the backpack off, set it on the ground, and unzip. That's okay if you're not going to shoot on the trail but I suspect you want to (thus, your use of the Black Rapid). So unless you're willing to pack up your camera and not use it until you get to a destination, don't think of using a backpack for your camera. There are some lovely ones...but like I said...when you add in water, food, fleece, maybe an extra pair of socks, some bug spray, a cell phone, sunscreen, something to start a fire with, maybe a little bit of first aid stuff...it's not a camera backpack anymore. It's a daypack that you want to put some camera gear in. So look for a way to carry your camera and maybe a key lens outside of the backpack. Tactical vest is fine (does keep hands free) and you can also put other stuff (bug spray, energy bar) in it too so they're handy. But it won't offer much padding to the camera if you slip and fall. So I'd recommend looking at something like a holster or small sling or a big fanny pack (that could hold a body, a 200mm zoom and maybe one other lens plus a few small items like cleaning cloth, battery, SD cards, and a few filters).

 

[CmazzJK]

I just finished a serious hiking day trip. It didn't take me long to realize that my gear wasn't up to the task.
By the end of the day, my BlackRapid camera strap literally fell apart from my camera bouncing around so much. (Yes, my camera took a fall. Thankfully, my lens survived!).

As so many of you have discovered before me, I need a better method of bringing my gear along with me.
What do you all recommend? I'm looking for some type of a backpack. If it has a way to attach a tripod, even better. Waterproof is highly desired.
What camera strap do you use when you're out in very rough terrain? I'm looking for something that won't bounce around.

Any other tips and/or gear you've found to be of great value?

Several brands of camera packs come with some sort of way to attach a tripod. As far as waterproof goes good luck... Nothing with zippers is going to ever be "waterproof" however, they sometimes come with rain covers. If you're that worried about it you could always carry a dry bag or the cheaper version being a garbage bag or something like that to put the important stuff in in case of rain. Hope that helps

 

[lambertpix]

Several brands of camera packs come with some sort of way to attach a tripod. As far as waterproof goes good luck... Nothing with zippers is going to ever be "waterproof" however, they sometimes come with rain covers. If you're that worried about it you could always carry a dry bag or the cheaper version being a garbage bag or something like that to put the important stuff in in case of rain. Hope that helps

I'm not sure that's entirely true.

Lowepro | DryZone Series waterproof camera bags

 

[CmazzJK]

Several brands of camera packs come with some sort of way to attach a tripod. As far as waterproof goes good luck... Nothing with zippers is going to ever be "waterproof" however, they sometimes come with rain covers. If you're that worried about it you could always carry a dry bag or the cheaper version being a garbage bag or something like that to put the important stuff in in case of rain. Hope that helps

I'm not sure that's entirely true.

Lowepro | DryZone Series waterproof camera bags

If you notice there are no exterior zippers it's basically a dry bag made into a pack. Which I will admit is the first one I have ever seen and it's pretty sweet.

 

[CmazzJK]

Several brands of camera packs come with some sort of way to attach a tripod. As far as waterproof goes good luck... Nothing with zippers is going to ever be "waterproof" however, they sometimes come with rain covers. If you're that worried about it you could always carry a dry bag or the cheaper version being a garbage bag or something like that to put the important stuff in in case of rain. Hope that helps

I'm not sure that's entirely true.

Lowepro | DryZone Series waterproof camera bags

Correction to my previous post I was looking at the wrong bag, you're right that pack is a regular pack but supposedly waterproof... I'm curious to how they sealed the zipper so well?

 

[Mirrorless Journey]

Something like the Peak Design CapturePRO could be useful to have quick access to the camera.

 

[lambertpix]

Several brands of camera packs come with some sort of way to attach a tripod. As far as waterproof goes good luck... Nothing with zippers is going to ever be "waterproof" however, they sometimes come with rain covers. If you're that worried about it you could always carry a dry bag or the cheaper version being a garbage bag or something like that to put the important stuff in in case of rain. Hope that helps

I'm not sure that's entirely true.

Lowepro | DryZone Series waterproof camera bags

Correction to my previous post I was looking at the wrong bag, you're right that pack is a regular pack but supposedly waterproof... I'm curious to how they sealed the zipper so well?

I'm not sure. I've got a more conventional dry-bag (for canoeing, etc.) that uses a completely different sort of seal. It's an interesting bag, but I think their regular AW covered-bags suit my needs upwards of 99% of the time. Still, if you need one of these, it's sort of nice to know it's out there.