I’m about to purchase a digital SLR for my PCT hike this year (I know it weighs a lot, I’ve already considered it, so please, no need for comments re: this), and am wondering how those of you who have hiked with similar setups in the past have made it work. I’m only going to bring two lenses, and I really hate to keep the camera or extra lens in my pack when not using it, because I know doing this will mean I take a lot less pictures. Any advice?
Novakaine
here is an updated version of a reply i made on an earlier thread about SLRs-
the history of carrying my camera goes as follows:
-in october of 2000 i set off from springer with the slr in my backpack and a point and shoot in my pocket. i took literally no pictures with the slr and ended up sending it home two weeks later.
-in april of 2002 i set off from the roan highlands with the slr attached to a side compression strap on my pack with a small carabiner. this proved to be a decent method for me but i didn’t like that the camera wasn’t protected.
-in october of 2003 i set off from katahdin with the best system i have found. i use a Lowepro off trail 1. i use a small carabiner to attach the handle to my sternum strap and thread the belt of the case around my torso (in between my pack and my body) and have no problems with it. the system doesn’t bounce and the belt strap around my torso doesn’t bother me.
i have used this set up ever since i first tried it in 2003. in the off trail 1; i carry my camera body, 3 lenses (28mm, 50mm, and 100mm), extra rolls of film, a shutter release cable, a small spiral notebook and pen for recording the camera settings of each shot, and two small silnylon stuffsacks for when it rains.
when it does rain, i also have a larger OR stuffsack that i put everything in and then store in my backpack. i don’t take any chances.
although it is a little bigger and heavier (1.8 pounds) i also carry a Quantaray - QT-100 Compact Travel Tripod. i have found that this works quite well for those long exposure sunrise/sunset/nightime/moving water shots.
last summer i walked the john muir trail and carried 15 (yes, i said fifteen) pounds worth of camera equipment with me. i carried my nikon with 3 lenses (28mm, 50mm, and macro to 90mm); a canon ae1 with a 16mm fisheye lens, and a bronica medium format with a 75mm lens. i would carry one of the cameras in my lowepro bag and the other two in another camera bag in the top of my pack.
heavy but well worth the weight.
that’s all for now.
grizzly adam
I have a Lowe Pro Photo Runner that I use while backpacking, in sort of the same way as Grizzly. However, I do not hook a caribiner to my sternum strap; my torso is too long for that. I also do not use the belt from the Photo Runner. Instead, I use my backpack’s hipbelt and pull it through the back belt loops of the Photo Runner. This works wonderful for me, since everything I would need to a picture is at my fingertips, right at my waist. The Photo Runner is big enough for my DSLR, 18-55mm lens, 80-200mm lens, 18" tripod, polarizing lens, UV lens, lens hood, cleaning kit, and miscellaneous lens caps. I always have one lens attached to the camera, and the other in a ziploc. I use a 13" Sea-to-Summit dry bag if it rains, and just put my camera away into my pack, which is covered with a pack cover. This set-up works well for me and weighs about 6 pounds. The Photo Runner costs $60-$70.
the solemates
I carry a belt pouch that is big enough to hold my Pentax K1000 and one extra lens. I line the pouch with a plastic bag to keep the camera dry. If it is raining hard I put the whole outfit into a silnylon bag in my pack. That is why I have almost no pictures of hiking in the rain. I recently purchased an Olympus Stylus digital camera which is weatherproof. It fits into the belt pocket of my ULA P-2. I still carry a little baggie with me for when it rains but leave the camera in the pocket for easy access.
Big B
Hey Novakaine, I’ve read [in Backpacker] that the guy who first trekked the C2C trail carried an SLR. Even though his camera weighed a full quarter of his base weight. About 3 out of 12 pounds if I remember. He remarked that if he was going to do this the pics might as well be great. Perhaps look into his methods.
Ablejack
I carried a Nikon D70 on my Sierra High Route trek this summer, along with many other shorter trips. I’ve got a Lowe Nova bag that holds the camera, a lens, and other goodies. ULA sewed loops onto it so that it would slid onto a ULA hipbelt. You must carry your camera where you can get to it without taking off your pack.
Memory card management will be important. Assuming you get something l like the D70 (6MP), you’ll get a little less than 600 shots at Large+Fine JPEG on a 2 GB card. I would not shoot RAW, as you’ll have to spend loads of processing time after the trip and you’ll get far fewer photos. The D70 is pretty battery efficient, so the 600 shots can be done with 1 battery charge.
On a long trip, you’ll either need more memory, or buy a portable drive. Another 2 GB card isn’t too expensive. A 40 GB portable drive is more, but perhaps a bit more flexible. In a bounce bucket, I’d put a battery charger and spare memory or the drive.
Also, I would only bring one lens with you. On a long trip, you’re going to have to worry about sensor dust and other things. Get a good, general purpose zoom (something like 17-80 or 18-50) and call it good. Adding the second lens probably won’t be super useful. The only exception I might make for this is a low light lens, like a 50 f/1.8. This is cheap (about $100) and light (about 6 oz) and optically better than almost any zoom.
Suge
The above post has lots of good info. Read it again. Especially; “You must carry your camera where you can get it without taking off your pack.” If you want to carry a camera, you’ll want to use it. Bury it “safely” in your pack and you too often won’t bother.
Thanks suge.
Ablejack
Yes, to confirm, Andy did carry a dig. SLR on his hike, when I ran into him in the 100MW in Maine that Sept he sheepishly admitted that though he was a confirmed Go Liter, he went big on the camera end. Email him through his website www.andrewskurka.com and ask him, he’ll share his experience I’m sure.
Bluebearee
Make sure however you carry your camera, that it is easily and quickly available to you. I carried a Canon Digital Rebel SLR on my 04 AT hike, using a Dana Designs Rib (not made by Marmot now?) which attaches to my front pack straps below my sternum. It is better to carry a heavy SLR higher than your waist, as that helps prevent it from bouncing. I padded it with a 6"x30" piece of thick polartec that I folded over several times and then sewed.
Instead of carrying 2 lenses, I would buy the new Tamron 20-200mm lense (35-300 with 1.6 DLSR conversion factor) for less than $400. Make sure you carry an extra battery if your camera does not use AA.
30-30