Backpack for Gitzo 13xx series and 4x5

[Steve Gilbert]

I apologize if this question has already been asked, but none of my searches turned up exactly what I'm needing to know.

I need to get a backpack for my Shen-Hao 4x5 rig. This is mainly for short hikes...a half day at the very most. I'm looking at the Lowepro Trekker AW series. While just about any of these are big enough to hold my gear, my main concern is my big Gitzo 1325 tripod with Markins ballhead. This is a pretty big tripod, and it seems that having it strapped to the center of a pack would result in awkward balance, and also maybe require a bigger pack than what the gear inside needs.

Can anyone comment on which Trekker model is the smallest one that can also carry this tripod in a practical manner? If it comes down to it, I'm willing to buy the big Super Trekker, but I'd really like to keep the pack as small as is practical. Unfortunately, I don't have a store nearby to check them out in person.

Also, it seems to me (I may be wrong) that it would be more stable to strap the tripod to the side of the pack and closer to my body than on the center of the pack. Do the Trekker packs support this configuration? Is there a more practical pack that I should be considering?

Thanks so much for any advice!

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Steve,

I have used just about every Lowe pack there is from time to time over the years, and all are excellent. However, I think I have finally decided there is no single best bag for me so I bought the padded camera case and lens case from Gnass Gear as it allows me to use a variety of backpacks depending on what I need ( I think they are at www.gnassgear.com).

The Gnass products are excellent quality but be prepared for a long wait. If they say two weeks plan on six, but I think the gear is worth the wait.

The Lowes are all excellent products and you won't go wrong with them. The center mounted tripod position offers the best balance, but you can change this to the side if you like ( at least I could on the ones I have owned). It will carry heavy tripods but I am not sure any of the current production photobackpacks actually do a very good job of securing a large tripod.

Another option is the F64 line of packs which I have not used but have heard good things about. Tenba and Tamrack also make nice bags so they might be worth a look.

Hope this helps and have a good one.

Eric

[Steve Gilbert]

Funny you should mention Gnass...my buddy uses their lens cases, and I just ordered one for myself just this weekend :-)

My only concern is finding a comfortable way to carry this big tripod. I've got leg wraps on it, and I've just been carrying over my shoulder, but that's getting old really fast.

The Lowepro Photo Trekker looks plenty big enough for my needs...maybe even a size smaller...I'm just having a hard time imagining this big tripod strapped to such a small pack.

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I used to strap a big Bogen to the Lowe and it was fine, the tripod stuck up above my head so had to be careful going under branches but it worked OK. The thing about the Lowe's tripod carrier is that the straps are elastic ( at least the two I owned) and so the tripod had a tendancy to bounce when I hiked. I replaced them with straps made of webbing which ended that problem.

I use a 12 series Gitzo now and it fits on the side of the REI daypack I use very nicely. The 13 series is larger of course. If you have an outdoor / backpacking store close, take the tripd down and see if you can find a pack that will handle it. I use the external compression straps to lash mine to my pack and it works great.

If not then I would suggest the Pro Trekker AW or the Super Trekker. The Super is a LARGE pack and can handle anything you want to through at it. I friend of mine puts his Sinar monorail and four BIG lenses in it and carries it comfortably.

Good luck.

[Jack Flesher]

You might want to look at the f64 backpacks -- I use a large, and find it very flexible. Not too expensive at around $150 from B&H: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=91693&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

[Larry Mendenhall]

I carry a Bogen 3021 tripod on the Lowepro Pro Trekker with no problems -- not sure how long your Gitzo is folded up or how heavy. My tripod with head is about 27-28 inches and probably weights in around 6 to 7 pounds. These numbers are just off the top of my head, so I could be off a little. I also carried it on my previous backpack - the Lowepro Photo Trekker - again with no problems. With both packs I carried it in the center.

I agree with Eric, the center position provides better balance. When I tried carrying it on the side, it felt very lopsided. In the center position, it rides very well and feels very secure. I just got back from a great Chuck Farmer workshop in Zion and had no trouble scrambling around the boulders or hiking up the river with my pack. My guess would be that your tripod will ride better than you think.

Good luck!

Larry

[Garry Teeple]

I carry my tripods on a waist belt. I made a semi-hard plate from plastic mounded on the waist belt and a strap at 90 degrees to the belt to clip the tripod on. The tripod carries about like a large frame .44 mag.; fastest tripod in the west. I've used this system to carry a Bogen 3236 with 4047 head for many miles. I finally came to my sences and bought a 3221, much lighter and easier to use. If you would like to see a picture of the tripod carrier drop me and email.

[Paul Butzi]

I use a Tenba PBL. It's outrageously huge.

[Gregory Gomez]

When buying a backpack, it’s all about the fit and the importance of buying either an internal or external frame pack. While backpacks designed for cameras are okay for shot distances, they have three major drawbacks: price, load capacity, and load balance.

You could buy an external frame Kelty pack for about $90 that has a load capacity of 3900 cubic inches, more than enough to carry an 8x10 and a very heavy tripod, which you can easily strap to the outside of the pack. Moreover, the weight of the pack would be distributed between the hips and upper back. Backpacks designed for cameras, even expensive ones, place the entire load on the shoulders.

Using a Jansport external frame backpack, for example, I was able to carry an 8x10 camera, tripod, and camping gear, a 67-pound load, 10 miles over a 12,000-foot mountain pass. Try that with any camera-only backpack.

The Kelty backpack mentioned above would give you the same performance when doing four-to-eight-hour day hikes in which carrying food and water may also be required.

Here is a Kelty backpack on sale at REI:

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47883050&parent_category_rn=4500534

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

OK, I may be in the minority here, but I normally just carry my tripod in my hand when hiking. I'm talking on-trail hiking here - not scrambling or climbing. I've been doing this for the past 17 years with a number of tripods weighing anywhere from 3¼ - 12½ lbs. I've probably hiked a few thousand miles, including many times over 20 miles in a day, with a tripod in my hand. I switch hands every so often, and if I'm feeling really energetic, I'll even do arm curls with the tripod while I walk - that way my arms get a good work-out just like my legs.

The only time I ever bother to strap my tripod to my pack is when I'm backpacking and will be hiking several miles without stopping to take any photos. Or, when I need both hands free (scrambling, boulder hopping, hiking in snow with trekking poles, cross country skiing, etc.).

In addition to having the tripod handy (literally), I prefer not having all that weight hanging off the back or side of my pack. I'm also taller than average, and no matter if I strap the tripod horizontally or vertically to my pack, it always seems to get caught on every overhanging branch and all the trailside vegetation. Worst of all is when I duck to clear an overhanging branch or rock and the tripod doesn't. That'll knock you on your rear end faster than anything.

The carbon fiber tripods I've been using for the past several years (Gitzo 1227 and 1325) are so much lighter than the old metal Bogens I used to carry that they feel absolutely featherlight when carried in the hand.

Since I almost always carry the tripod in my hand, the pack I use isn't all that relevant, but for those who are curious, I use a Tenba PBH-K (that's a monsterously, insanely HUGE pack that fits on a Kelty external frame). This pack is bigger than I really need, but it allows me to carry all the photo gear I want and still have room for extras like food, water, rain gear, fleece jacket, etc. It also shares the frame with the Kelty Tioga pack I use for backpacking. With the external frame and a couple of bungee cords, I can (when I wish) strap the tripod to the pack frame either horizontally or vertically. I don't think Tenba makes this pack anymore (and I wouldn't recommend it anyway unless you NEED a REALLY big pack). They still seem to make the PBH model, which is the same thing with it's own harness (frankly, I can't imagine carrying a loaded pack this big without a properly supportive frame).

Kerry