In all fairness, the pack I referenced is normally $99. I just happened to get lucky when they were clearing out for a new season...Originally Posted by Greg Miller
Of course, it would be nicer if they had a large format camera in there on occasion. All the pictures I saw were for digital things with big lenses... For me, the backpacker system worked better as I could customize the boxes.... but they look good, too.
Lenny
EigerStudios
Museum Quality Drum Scanning and Printing
I travel with my Wista & three lenses, film, meter, etc all in a little Lowepro minitrekker, as seen here: http://www.apug.org/forums/attachmen..._12_26.jpg.att
Snug, but small and never a problem on planes as carry-on luggage!
Marc!
The ICU (the part of the F-Stop Gear pack that holds the camera equipment) comes in 10 different sizes. And each one come with multiple dividers so you can configure the compartment any way you want. So these can hold LF things just as easily as digital things (you can watch Ben Horne review of how he uses an F-Stop Gear Satori to carry his 8x10 gear). So you get a climbing pack that is also designed specifically for photographers and adapts perfectly to LF gear. I'm just pointing put that such a thing exists. The only down so is they are so popular they have some difficulty meeting demand.
I too carry an F-Stop Gear Tilopa BC. I changed to it from a Photo Backpacker setup in large part because the Photo Backpacker is too big for airline carry-on and does not provide a laptop sleeve (something I need when travelling to avoid putting my Macbook in checked baggage!). I also found the backboard in the PB would slip down about 2 inches under the weight attached to it and this reduced the bag's comfort.
I think the two bags are mostly much equal in terms of hike-ability and comfort. The F-Stop fits marginally less gear and can require a bit more effort to fit stuff. I can fit my Chamonix 45N-2, 3 or 4 lenses on boards, 2x Lee Holders (one for 58mm), 10x Filter pouch, Black Jacket, Pentax Spot, Loupe and 3 Grafmatics (or 7 Holders), Small First Aid kit, 2L Bladder and a couple of sandwiches.
F-Stop has no easy way to carry a water bottle but handles a bladder very well. Photo Backpacker is the opposite...
F-Stop is much better for carrying a tripod. And I like the ICU approach. The F-Stop ICU is lighter than the equivalent volume of Photo Backpacker inserts. My PB boxes and inserts weighed 1.5Kg all together. Nearly as much as my 45N-2!
I did a 20km hike over the weekend with my F-Stop on. I knew i'd done it but my back was mostly happy afterwards.
While F-Stop claim the Tilopa is carry-on legal I could not get it in the overhead on a recent flight from Vegas to LA no matter how I tried.
Having said all that - I only use the bag for serious hikes. For stuff close to the car I prefer a Think-Tank speed belt with a bunch of things hanging off it and the camera and tripod over my shoulder. This setup means I don't ever have to put any thing down and can work with both hands free. Not unlike Doremus's setup.
Here is a photo of my rig. The pack is 33 liters, and inside is a Toyo 45AII, 2 lenses mounted on boards + cable releases, light meter, loupe, dark cloth, 3 filters, and 1 film holder. The tripod as you can see is strapped to the pack. I only carried one film holder today because that’s all I wanted; several will fit. This is a comfortable and easy way to pack a set of gear for a few hours of hiking/biking/shooting.
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