Large format carrying stroller

[jeroldharter]

I have tried all sorts of things. First, I have an inexpensive stroller with small swivel wheels that was basically a frame on wheels to which you could attach baby car seats. I used it to strap on Pelican cases. It worked well in town but the wheels were too small and that "lashing down" was too awkward and unreliable.

Then I bought a used Burley bicycle trailer with stroller attachments. It is relatively huge and it wheels like a dream with little resistance. The down sides are that the wheels are bicycle sized so it is awkward to stow in a vehicle. It is also cumbersome to break down and put back together. It is too big to take on a plane. The wheels are narrow so it is not so good off road.

Finally I bout an InStep 3 wheeled jogging stroller with a large, fixed, front wheel. It is the best so far. My only complaint is that the seat is intended for a child rather than camera gear (of course). That requires the case to be stored sideways so it is somewhat inconvenient to open the camera bag but no big deal. Other than that, it is durable, has somewhat larger wheels so it works well on trails (but I would argue against icy inclines), folds easily, is more easily transportable, can be taken on flights and is great for lugging stuff around airports. If I were handy, I would make a sling for attaching a tripod easily. You have to improvise with the tripod.

Also, it keeps your gear in front of you where you can see it so I like that if I am in crowds. If you are setting up in crowded areas, it allows you to seal off an area around your tripod and nobody is tempted to step over it like a backpack on the ground.

At first I thought I would want the swiveling front wheel but they cost more and more people recommended the fixed wheel. I like the fixed wheel better. It tracks better when walking so requires less attention and effort. When loaded properly, the balance on the rear wheels is very good so that turning is easy.

[John Powers]

Some very interesting ideas have been posted. I am 70 years old and have been using this baby jogger for five years. http://babyjogger.com/perf_jogger_lp.aspx. I use it for 8x10 and 7x17 cameras with Ries tripods. Most of the time I use it for following the towpath while photographing the OH & Erie Canal. I have also used it in cities and across open fields, not cliffs nor stairs.

Low center of gravity and a place to store film holders was mentioned. Note this baby jogger has two rails going between the front and rear axles. The rails are long enough to hold seven 7x17 film holders in a nylon bag. Alternatively I carry 8x10 film holders in a cheap Walmart bag bungied to these rails. I have not had a tipping problem. This may be because of the low center of gravity, the wide track of the rear wheels, or that I do not drink and drive.

I found a cooler bag that is about a one foot cube with 1/2 inch padded walls, top and bottom. This is my “stuff” bag. Inside are five lenses on boards in open zip lock bags, meter, 9” level, loupe, tools, stop watch and dark cloth. This bag rests in the seat.

For several posters carrying a tripod has been a problem. I mount either RH Phillips camera folded flat on a Ries head on a Ries tripod with the spikes extended. The jogger has a foot pad into which I have drilled two ¼” holes for the spikes. The camera is bungy corded to the top of the “stuff” bag for padding and hooked to the shock absorbers. The two holes are the only modification I have made.

I hike 8-12 miles a week with my two Labrador Retrievers. This has conditioned me so that I can easily walk the jogger two miles out and two back with all the gear. There are things beyond 50 feet-yards from the car that I feel are worth photographing. Beyond that I can usually find a parking place closer. I drive a Toyota Highlander or midsize all wheel drive SUV. I transport the camera mounted on the tripod on one side of the back floor, the collapsed jogger on the other. For long trips I have a steel 2x4 foot basket that plugs into the trailer hitch. I can carry the jogger in this and both cameras on tripods in the car.

I think Jerold makes two very good points here. “Also, it keeps your gear in front of you where you can see it so I like that if I am in crowds. If you are setting up in crowded areas, it allows you to seal off an area around your tripod and nobody is tempted to step over it like a backpack on the ground.”

I chose the jogger vs. the bike trailer because I see more at walking speed than I do at bike speed.

John

[bob carnie]

You know , I just started my journey with a couple of large format cameras and after one weekend I releized I need to join a gym or get a unit to carry the cameras. I was going to get hold of John Powers and ask him, but lo and behold here is the exact thread I am looking for and bookmarking.

thank you all

[John Powers]

You know , I just started my journey with a couple of large format cameras and after one weekend I releized I need to join a gym or get a unit to carry the cameras. I was going to get hold of John Powers and ask him, but lo and behold here is the exact thread I am looking for and bookmarking.

thank you all

It is a joy to help Bob who has helped and taught so many of us.

I found my jogger on eBay. The older version had one fault in my opinion. The parking brake locked the front wheel which carries far less than 1/3rd the weight. It was useless. The newer version locks both back wheels. Look for that feature or park the old one jammed against a tree or post.

The gym or certainly the hiking made all my blood and breathing tests better, increased my stamina and made my angry doctor stop yelling at me. He has a phi beta kappa key, has kept me alive the last forty years and cured all the ills I asked about, so I tolerate the yelling.

John

[bob carnie]

John I think you will go on for another forty years and I hope I can too.

[Lenny Eiger]

I'm very interested in this thread. I appreciate everyone's input, however, I have to admit, I don't see my solution yet. I think that many of the carriers would work, but I don't want to push things on a trail. I would want to have a backpack harness to pull it. I did see one on the Chariot, but it seems backwards to me.

I envision a single wheel, or two wheels on a very short axle, maybe 4 inches across. Then one could hike up a fairly thin trail.

There is an overabundance of photographers, especially around here (CA). I don't like to photograph the same thing every one else is photographing, and so that means getting off the paved roads and out of the car.

Lenny

[rdenney]

I envision a single wheel

This would be known as a wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow concept could be easily enough modified to attach to the sides of a hip belt.

The Babyjogger convertible bike trailer/jogger looks as though it holds more, folds easily, can be made water resistant, and has wheels large enough to go off-pavement.

http://babyjogger.com/switchbck_hybrid_dtl.aspx

But if I were actually hiking on narrow hiking trails, I would optimize for a backpack solution. There is a picture of me floating around my pile somewhere of me carrying a Cambo monorail (with four lenses, ten film holders, and Bogen 3036/3047 tripod, plus sundries) in a modified Kelty external-frame backpack. I hung the camera in the top compartment with the rail extending out to the sides. I still have that backpack, but it goes unused. I was tougher in those days.

Rick "happy to push something with wheels over flat, smooth walking paths" Denney

[deadpan]

I've considered many options, and am still saving/ deciding, but came across these while on my search. It is currently my favorite in terms of choice and features. Not the cheapest option however...

http://www.humpalumpa.com/

[Richard Wasserman]

I know everybody seems to like jogging strollers, but in the same situation I went with a Sherpa Cart. www.sherpacart.com It has a smaller footprint than a stroller and is narrower. Holds a lot and is easy to maneuver.

[Rick Moore]

I know everybody seems to like jogging strollers, but in the same situation I went with a Sherpa Cart. www.sherpacart.com It has a smaller footprint than a stroller and is narrower. Holds a lot and is easy to maneuver.

I have been using a Sherpa cart with a Tenba PBH pack strapped to it for my 8x10 since 2001. The only thing I've added is rim seals to stop the tires from leaking too fast. It's not perfect, but it works well for me.


--
Rick