Backpack Suggestions - Please Help

[Benjamin]

It's summer time, I'm looking for a backpack for hiking purposes. The problem right now with most photography backpacks available is that they are designed only for holding camera gears and almost nothing else (like a lowepro nature trekker). Other bag not design for photography simply cannot hold a camera safely enough to not make me worry. So basically what I really want is a normal sized (similar to the Lowerpro Rover and can be brought onto a flight) backpack that will hold some of my photo gear and lots of other personal stuff. (a rain jacket, food, water, a handbag from my girlfriend, some first aid stuff and so on...)


I have been looking at the Lowepro Rover and the Dryzone Rover, they seem to be decent bags but I just want something that's focused on personal storage while can take some gear (like one camrea one lens) safely. Is there anything like that? Or is there anything that's better than the Lowepro Rover/CompuRover/Dryzone Rover? Price is not a big factor as long as it's a good value.


I have a Naturetrekker and a Nova 180.


Thanks for help in advance.

[ShutterbugJohan]

If you could get a camera holster like the Lowepro Toploader 65 AW, you can put it inside the backpack or strap it to the backpack's exterior. You could also use it without the backpack. Just my $0.02 []


--Johan

[Benjamin]

Thanks Johan!


One of the issues to put a camera bag inside a backpack is accessability. That way I will either get easy access to my camera but leave my personal stuff at bottom, or the other way around. I have tried to puting my Nova 180 into my other backpacks but doesn't seem to work. There's no place where I can hang a camera bag tightly on my daily backpacks...


Now the answer seems to be a Lowerpro Dryzone Rover - waterproof is a plus.

[George Slusher]

Kata makes a series of bags that might work, including their 3-N-1 series. You can also use a photo backpack by putting the camera gear in only part of the compartment and other gear in the rest. (That's also a good way to travel with camera gear.) Also, don't be so quick to discount regular backpacks. It's pretty easy to get lens pouches and camera body pouches that will protect you camera gear as well as--or better than--a photo backpack. Lowepro makes very good semi-rigid lens cases that provide a lot of protection. (Bryan apparently uses them--see his reviews.) they're also good for storing lenses. I have several, but have switched to Think Tank lens changers for carrying/using lenses. Other options include various soft neoprene wraps, Op/Tech pouches (I have one for my 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, which didn't come with the Canon case), etc. Indeed, some pros will take the dividers out of a backpack or roller bag and use the Think Tank modular pieces. By including a Think Tank belt, they have a belt system to use the gear when they get to their destination.


Think Tank also makes the Rotation 360º, which has a smallish top compartment for gear. You can also attach other Think Tank modules to the side or the belt and a tripod to the back. One neat feature of the Rotation 360º is that you can access some of your gear without removing the backpack. It also stands up when you put it down, as it has a rigid frame on the bottom. See the videos on their site for examples. I recently got a Rotation 360º, but haven't tried it out yet. I regularly use their Speed Racer, Change Up, belts and modular components. I have their Airport Antidote and Airport Acceleration for traveling, the Urban Disguise 50 for around town (when one doesn't want to be conspicuous!) and other stuff.


Yet another solution, especially if you hike long distances, is to leave the DSLR home and take a super-zoom, like the Canon SX10 IS, instead. The SX10 IS goes from 28-560mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8-5.7 @10 MP, takes movies, has lots of controls (including manual mode), a good IS, weighs 20 oz, and uses AA batteries, so it's very convenient. The photos are also quite high quality--not up to a 5D with L lenses, but at least as good (at low-to-moderate ISO) as an early Digital Rebel with the "consumer" lenses. Also, if you lose or damage it, you're only out $370. My second digital camera was (is, really--I still use it) a Canon S3 IS, a two-generations-earlier ancestor of the SX10 IS. You might be able to get a used S5 IS on eBay for a lot less. To add to the versatility, there are quite a few walking staves that have 1/4-20 camera screws on the top. The neatest are the various models of the TrekPod, which has fold-out legs, so it can be used as a minimalist tripod. (I have a simpler staff that is spring-loaded, so it's better for walking, but it's not as good for photography.)

[Benjamin]

George,


Those were wonderful suggestions. I think bags like the Speed Racer will make the most sense to me. I was not aware of the way how waist bags may work, but now it seems reasonable to me as they free my hands and shoulders. The Speed Racer will hold as much gear as I need and I can through it into my backpack when not needed - plus, it's not too expensive. So thanks for this idea


I guess I will have to carry DSLRs since image quality is my top priority, some time I will need to carry an 1V-HS, so whatever bag I buy it must have enough room to fit that one in.


Thanks agian for the help!


Ben

[George Slusher]

Ben:


A beltpack can be useful, but the Speed Racer may not fit in a backpack, unless the backpack is huge. The Speed Racer is [url="http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_SpdRcr.php]officially[/url] 12.5" x 9" x 11", but it's really bigger than that, as those dimensions don't include the belt. You can stuff the belt into a slot on the back of the Speed Racer, but it's still bulkier than those dimensions. I took a few shots with my Canon G9 of my Speed Racer, loaded to the gills. (It weighs about 18 pounds loaded.)


Outside:








You can see from the ruler that it's really longer than 12.5" when packed. Here's a shot with the lid open. Note the belt is on top--that's the side toward the user's body. This may also give you an idea of just how big the Speed Racer is. Think Tank makes two similar, but smaller, beltpacks, the Speed Freak and Speed Demon, but they won't hold a "pro" DSLR (or one with a battery grip) like the Speed Racer can. I have large hands are really need the BG-E2 grip to be able to hold the 30D comfortably.











On the left is a Canon 100-400mm L IS lens with tripod ring and hood reversed. (The 70-200mm f/2.8L fits, as well.) On the right is a Canon 30D with the BG-E2 grip, with a Canon 17-85mm IS lens attached, also with the hood reversed. The 30D also has a Really Right Stuff L-plate, which makes it a bit wider and taller.


The upper parts of the dividers fold down to make a shelf for the camera. If you don't have a grip, the camera can go in the middle. I could also put it in the middle by turning it around, but it fits better this way, as the top of the camera is narrower than the grip. Next shot is without the camera.











Yes, this is flipped around--it's the way I see the bag when I'm carrying it. I did these on my porch. It was slightly raining and I didn't have a lot of room to maneuver. At the bottom of the hole on the left are a lens hood for the Sigma 10-20mm, a 77mm stack cap set with several filters, and a small Giottos Rocket blower.


In use, I will often leave the lid open and put the 100-400mm lens with
the hood deployed and the lens cap off "upside down" from the photo. It
could go that way normally, but it fits better this way because fo the
bulk of the camera. When I have another lens on the 30D, I put the 17-85mm in the hole on the left. (I have the tripod ring on the 100-400mm because I often use it with a monopod and it's a lot more stable with the monopod attached to the tripod ring than to the camera. I have a Kirk Arca-Swiss-type quick-release clamp on the monopod, which holds either the Wimberley P20 lens plate on the lens and the Really Right Stuff L-plate on the camera. That's a lot quicker to use than screwing the monopod into the ring and camera sockets. Sports photographers usually do screw the monopod onto the lens plate of their long lens--e.g., 400mm f/2.8L IS, as they probably have another camera body with a shorter (e.g., 70-200mm f/2.8L) lens. Even if they do have to change the lens, they can easily unmount the camera from the lens and leave the lens attached to the monopod. Bird photographers often do the same with a tripod. However, I have only one camera body.


Last shot, with the divider top flipped over to show what's underneath.











In the center compartments are, on the "front" (away from my body) a Canon 1.4x expander on top of a Sigma 10-20mm lens. (The Sigma won't fit in there with it's hood reversed, so the hood, which is only marginally useful, at best, is in the left compartment.) In the other compartment is a Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens with a hood reversed. (It's not the usual ET-67 hood--which I have--but the shorter ET-67B, which doesn't get in the way as much when shooting macro and is easier to fit in a bag.)


This is with the removable foam insert in the bag. You can take it out to make the bag roomier--there is velcro for the dividers on the inside of the bag. (You might need to do this with a 1D or 1Ds with an L-plate attached.) The insert does provide some extra protection. It attaches to the "back" of the bag (lower side above) with velcro, but is not attached on the "front" (top of the photo). I use that gap to keep two BP-511 batteries and several Singh-Ray filters. (The Cokin P holder and ring are in the front pocket, along with a slew of other stuff.) There are also two CF card slots--you can see the blue edge of one. The red loop has the rain cover attached to it. If the weather is good, you can leave the rain cover out to reduce the bulk. On both sides of the bag are stretchy pockets, with mesh pockets over them. I usually keep an extra body cap and rear lens cap in one stretchy pocket and various stuff, like the hat above, in the mesh pockets, which have drawstrings. (The other one often has sunscreen and insect repellent, which I don't want inside the bag, plus sunglasses.) <span style="text-decoration: line-through;"]There are stretchy pockets on the front, where I put lens caps and other stuff temporarily. (No, there aren't! I was confusing the Speed Racer with the Change Up, which I carry a lot more often.) In the back, just outside where the macro lens is, is a pocket sized for a reporter's pad and pencil. I do keep a small notebook there.


When I carry the Speed Racer, I use both the shoulder strap diagonally across my body and the belt. The belt has rails for Think Tank's modular gear.


Lowepro makes a combination backpack-beltpack, the Orion AW, that may be worth checking out. The beltpack goes under the backpack--it looks like a regular backpack when the beltpack is attached. If you don't carry a lot of photo gear, the Think Tank Rotation 360&ordm; I mentioned before is another option, as is Think Tank's Change Up, which is a much slimmer beltpack. It holds the 100-400mm or 70-200mm f/2.8 comfortably with the removable insert out, plus some combination of two of: 580EX flash, two stacked prime lenses (e.g., 50mm f/1.8 &amp; 85mm f/1.8) and my Optura 50 camcorder, but it doesn't hold the camera with lens attached. You can add a Chimp Cage for the camera body, as well as other modular bits. At horse shows, I carry the Change Up plus the camera on the strap.

[Benjamin]

George,


Thanks a lot for your detailed explanation! I'm looking at the Speed Racer here just like I look at it in the shop! I forgot to mention last time that I use a 1V-HS as my main camera so I do need something that can hold a pro body. I can imagine the Speed Racer to be similar in size with my Lowerpro Nova 180 shoulder bag except for being considerably deeper - to be able to hold a 100-400L is good news. My largest camping bag will hold the Speed Racer no problem, but I don't use it too often for a day trip or something. I appreciate the way that it can hang around my waist and free other parts of my body to carry something else.


The picture you showed me with your 30D is my normal configeration when using my Nova 180, I carry one camera and an extra lens. Some time I also carry an external flash and some filters, so the Speed Racer looks good for that too. You pack your gear tighter than i do, so I think I can try to squeez some extra space for filters and stuff which does not take too much space to begin with.


I'm aware of the Orion, but it seems that the speed racer is better built and serves a clear purpose. I probably go for the Dryzone Rover if I need something like that.


But anyway, I'll go take the speed racer home some time soon[]


Thanks again for the help! It's greatly appreciated!


Ben

[rcw911]

Benjamin


I have a Lowepro Fastpack 350 that I have hiked around China and in the desert in Nevada. Great pack. Lots of places for some extra gear and pretty light. Will also carry a laptop and fits in overhead on airliners.


Bob