Large Format 4x5 Camera Hiking Backpack Question

Hello everyone! I'm planning to take some landscape photos this summer but far from driving road which means I need hike 2 days to reach the location I want. I need to carry 4x5 camera with 4 lens with some accessories, sleep bag, tent, food, clothes. I have a friend is going with me, but he is not going to take any camera equipment. He told me that he can carry tent and some stuffs.

I's told that I need to use a professional hiking backpack instead professional camera backpack to carry camera gears and other stuffs. But all backpack for hiking has no foam protection layer, and fabric of hiking backpack is thin. Please give me some advises on camera gears protection. Thx

I use an Intrepid 4x5 which is pretty small and light.

My longer lenses go in socks or, if flat enough and already in a lensboard, are wrapped in micro fiber cloth secured with rubber bands.

My camera gets wrapped in dark cloth. Ground glass is protected by this http://www.badgergraphic.com/opencar...&path=2_82_166

Film holders are held together with rubber bands and then holders and spare film are tucked into the changing bag.

Tripod is attached to pack frame.

A small nylon bag from Delta Airlines that hangs from the outside of the pack contains odds and ends like loupe, etc.

Not too scientific but pretty inexpensive. Leaves lots of room for important things like food and water and sleeping needs.

How far is a two day hike?

I have used a light-weight top-loading backpack--ULA Circuit, and a panel-loading backpack. Now all my photo gear is in a Granite Gear panel-loading backpack. Panel-loading backpacks are much, much better than the top-loading kind for fishing photo equipment out of the pack.

When I have everything packed, there isn't much room for clothes, food, water, sleeping bag. This is not a problem as long as my photograph is not far from the car because tent, sleeping bag, food, water are elsewhere in the car.

If I were to undertake a 2 day hike to a location, I would reduce the number of film holders to just those I reasonably expect to use, leave my 90mm lens at home (you may lighten up in another way), and pack Mountain House freeze-dried meals, my Trail Designs' 'Tri-Ti' alcohol-burning cookset, a change of poly/nylon underwear, plus minimum clothes for the weather, sleeping bag, and my 1-person tent. Tripod lashed to the outside of the pack. And, believe it or not, an umbrella. Important clothes include a wind-resistant outer shell, water & wind resistant pants, and a hat that works in rain and sun--I love my poly Tilley hat. Take a stocking cap if you expect cold nights at high elevations; put it on and get into the bag, get warm, and sleep.

I hiked 120 miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT) last year, and persons with umbrellas were hiking in the rain, dry from the waist up. Worked much better than the poncho I took.

On my next hike I will take chocolate-covered roasting coffee beans. One afternoon on the AT my tail was dragging, and my sister gave me some of those beans. Eat 3 - 5 and in just minutes I was back in shape to hike the rest of the afternoon. A big stimulant. Actually, chocolate-covered coffee beans are useful in many other activities.

put each film holder into its own ziplock bag...you'll be glad you did!

I've taken one to seven day treks -- from Canada to Mexico -- with my trusty TOKO (NOT Toyo) 4x5 and lenses from 37mm Mamiya to 600mm Fujinon, PLUS 12.5mm to 100mm Minolta macros. With all the regular, essential camping gear and food, my backpack can easily top 60 pounds. All I have ever used is a standard framed backpack. It carries everything. I put my gear in a basic KIWI camera bag that fits in the top of the backpack. OK, not everything. I put my extra boxes of 4x5 film in a side pouch of the backpack -- but for photography before breakfast, after lunch or dinner, I just take the KIWI out of the top, unlash the tripod (on the side of the backpack), and I'm ready to go at a moments notice. Seven days has always been about my max. It's always possible to take shorter trips, which means less food weight, or take less gear, which means less photographic weight -- or both!!!

When I've backpacked, I put the camera gear in a small day pack attached to the top of my backpack with the camping gear. That worked well. I'd suggest you have a very light weight camera, limit yourself to two lenses, and also limit the number of filmholders you take or use grafmatics.

I'd limit myself to two lenses rather than ditch film or film holders. You can save weight with a smaller and potentially less sturdy tripod and that's OK for occasional use.

I solved the film holder "problem" by using the SUPER-thin, original, Mido holders. That saves at least a pound, depending on the number of holders you normally carry, but they are hard to find nowadays.

As to cutting down on lenses, you can always expand your repertoire -- simply and inexpensively -- with one or two close-up lenses. I know that sounds very odd, but check out:

http://www.subclub.org/fujinon/close-up.htm

About 45KM two days

"How far is a two day hike?"