Anybody ever try one of these?

[Cletus]

So I finally got my big Sinar F2 8x10 outfit and boy am I ready and rarin' to go! And then I tried to pick it up. It's heavier than my imagination made it out to be. I got out for one day with it to expose a couple sheets, everything loaded into the back of my truck and no going more then six feet away for a photo. In the meantime, I keep looking around, reading and researching, trying to guess what might be the best way to hump this heavy thing around when I'm out shooting. I'd like to be able to get, like, maybe TEN feet from the truck for those occasional great photo ops!

I've looked at (well not really looked at, but seen pictures of) various backpacks, but none seems up to the chore of the big monorail and a bunch of film holders, lenses, etc...I also thought about some kind of Lightware or Tenba case, but those are some pretty expensive options and won't be any easier to carry around. I asked the question here a while ago, before I even got the camera and got the obvious answer: Wheels!

I think this will end up being the way to go, but I just don't relish the idea of pushing one of those off-road, "sport" baby strollers around. I'm thinking I'll get enough gawks with the camera alone, without having to look like one of those nuts you see in the park.

So what about one of these?




It's a golf caddy type thing and looks like it could pretty easily be modified into some sort of dolly-rack to carry a bag or case (or small backpack?) with holders and lenses and stuff, along with the camera mounted to a tripod. It has big enough wheels to go slightly off-road, or at least as much as I usually care to anyway. I'm not a big hiker and will just take the 4x5 if/when that day comes.

Any thoughts on this? Anybody already using one of these, or something like it? At first I was thinking about a carry-on type suitcase, but the wheels are too small to be useful and I don't know where the camera and tripod would go...Any other ideas for good wheels to hump gear?

Thanks for your thoughts!

[John Koehrer]

Many have used baby strollers, the three wheeled jogger variety. They're going to have a slightly larger wheel and wider tread on the back.
Generally they're pushed rather than pulled and are more stable.
Dig 'em up at your local charity shop.
They'll have used golf carts too.

[Kirk Gittings]

Ralph Barker uses a golf cart. I use a converted baby jogger ($100) to carry my 4x5 backpack (Photobackpacker Kelty Redwing). I find the golf carts a bit too high centered and steep for my use. At that relatively flat angle of my jogger, I can just work out of it while on the cart. If I reach an area where the cart won't go I just bicycle lock it to a tree throw on the backpack and off I go.

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...2&d=1336089256

[Oren Grad]

Take a look also at Roleez/Wheeleez beach carts. They're two-wheeled, so they're a bit more compact and less conspicuous than a baby stroller, but they also have big, fat pneumatic tires, so they roll smoothly over all sorts of terrain. City streets and sidewalks and well-worn dirt paths are a breeze. I've been using one this summer to roll a heavy pack around the neighborhood on days when I haven't felt up to carrying it on my back, and so far it's worked very well.

[Kirk Gittings]

I used a two wheeled cart, a bit like the one you mention Oren for many years shooting commercial architecture. Maybe I am just getting to be an old lazy fart but I much prefer the three wheeled baby jogger-less strain on my shoulders and easier to work out of. It quickly becomes a two wheeled cart by tipping it back a bit but with three wheels it pushes effortlessly and balances itself.

[joselsgil]

I have been considering purchasing one of these to carry my 8X10 and gear. They are rated up to 300lbs, and are designed for uneven terrain.

Has anybody had any experience using these game carts?



http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/...x?a=450180&e=Y

[William Whitaker]

Sometimes it's easier to just move the truck.

[Oren Grad]

I used a two wheeled cart, a bit like the one you mention Oren for many years shooting commercial architecture. Maybe I am just getting to be an old lazy fart but I much prefer the three wheeled baby jogger-less strain on my shoulders and easier to work out of. It quickly becomes a two wheeled cart by tipping it back a bit but with three wheels it pushes effortlessly and balances itself.

Horses for courses (or is it carts for horses? ). I also have a three-wheeled baby jogger that I acquired recently for use with my ULF gear, though I haven't had a chance to put it into service yet. Apart from being more conspicuous, it's bigger, heavier and slower to set up for use than the Roleez. I've been using the Roleez so far for what I consider medium loads - say, about 25-30 pounds for loaded pack plus tripod. But I plan to haul out the jogger for any extra-heavy loads that turn out to be unwieldy or excessively fatiguing on the Roleez.

As I seem to be getting older and creakier by the moment, I do reserve the right to wimp out and put everything on the jogger, at any time and without prior notice.