Need advice on carrying a monorail (heavy)

[TrespasserWill]

I got an Omega 4X5 monorail for Christmas which has its own box, but the box and camera are heavy. Add the tripod and I have a cumbersome rig unless I carry it in the back of my car, and set up on locale from the back of the car. Are there any lighter dollies available that I could bungee-cord the box and tripod on to move farther away from my vehicle? The only dollies I've seen recently are the kind used to move pianos and freezers about; that's too heavy, although it would certainly do the job. I'm looking for portability. Can someone help?

Thanks to all who reply.

With best regards,

Stephen

[Dan Fromm]

I use a Ruxxac folding cart. Google will find 'em for you.

[Bill_1856]

There is NO easy way with "large format." They are big, and heavy, and clumsy.

[Willie]

Buck buggy or smaller scaled down version.

[LabRat]

There are different size/grade luggage travel dollies... Some with larger wheels that are strong, and fold flat...

Steve K

[freecitizen]

I use an old golf cart ... the sort you pull behind you. They are made for pulling through the " rough "....

I swooped on one that someone was throwing out. Great thing is it has a fold up seat which is very welcome out in the bush.

I attach my LF gear in its backpack .... all the weight is taken by the cart and all I have to do is drag it behind me ... very easy when the tyres are pumped up properly....

[Ken Lee]

When shooting outdoors with a Sinar P, I carry the camera upside-down in a canvas tote bag. See Carry Your Gear on a Budget (http://www.kennethleegallery.com/html/tech/index.php#Gear).

This works fine for moderate distance from the car.

[Trimitsis]

I do a lot of environmental portraiture with an Arca 8x10 and studio lights. If I have to travel some distance from my car, I use a Rock-n-roller multi-cart (http://rocknrollercart.com/). These are mostly sold to musicians, but it's very well made, folds down to a reasonable size (the whole rig fits in the back of my VW Golf, lights, camera, and all), and the big wheels are quite friendly on uneven ground. I wouldn't go for a long hike in rugged terrain with it -- people have suggested jogging strollers for that -- but otherwise it's made my life much easier.

[neil poulsen]

For me, the relevant question isn't so much weight as pack-ability. I'm not sure which Omega rail you were given, but my perspective is that they tend to be of varying weight, but are not very pack-able. While I have a cart that I can use, I want to be able to backpack a rather complete, 4x5 kit.

For the time being, some sort of cart might be a good solution. If you later decide to upgrade your camera, both weight and pack-ability can be substantially influenced by what you decide to purchase. I have a rail camera that I like which I believe to be of reasonable weight and pack-able. The Canham DLC models, for example, are quite pack-able, and they weigh a little less than 5lbs. Etc.

But, that's all potentially in the future. In the meantime, it sounds like you have a versatile camera that will provide a good introduction into large format photography.

[HMG]

Look for a game cart (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Deluxe-Game-Cart/1870761.uts?productVariantId=3885888&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=42-143110135-2&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=03911392&rid=20). They come in various quality and price points. As a rule they fold up and always have large wheels for unpaved trails.

[Jim Noel]

I have a collapsible 4 wheel wagon in which I carry my 7x17 and 8x10. If I don't have it along I follow Morley's advice,"There are no good pictures more than 50 feet from the car."

[tgtaylor]

I day-hiked with a Toyo 45C (same as The Omega) in a Lowepro 600AW. To save on weight I carried a CF series 3 Gitzo instead of the series 5 and used 1 tripod mount instead of the usual 2 I use when closer to the car. The 4x5 monorails are fairly light and the 45C is 3 lbs lighter than my Robos which weighs in a 12 lbs. The only problem they pose is their bulk.

Thomas

[Drew Wiley]

Rethink the case thing. Get an appropriate pack or simplified cart. Forget Morley's advice. The further you are from the car, the more you'll enjoy taking pictures,
even if they aren't any better. At least you won't get run over or get dusted. Heavy and bulky is relative. I've been carrying them my whole life, sometimes for weeks on end in steep terrain. It's called exercise, and you don't even need to pay for a gym membership!

[ic-racer]

I got an Omega 4X5 monorail for Christmas which has its own box, but the box and camera are heavy. Add the tripod and I have a cumbersome rig unless I carry it in the back of my car, and set up on locale from the back of the car. Are there any lighter dollies available that I could bungee-cord the box and tripod on to move farther away from my vehicle? The only dollies I've seen recently are the kind used to move pianos and freezers about; that's too heavy, although it would certainly do the job. I'm looking for portability. Can someone help?

Thanks to all who reply.

With best regards,

Stephen
Frequently one just puts up with the big box and hauls it around for a while until one learns the ins and outs of veiw cameras. At that time you can make a good decision about which of the many field cameras and lenses you could acquire. You only need a single field camera and one to three lenses to do just about everything. The important thing is choosing wisely.

[Maris Rusis]

I've done many wilderness kilometres carrying a Plaubel 8x10 monorail but I never succeeded in finding a cart, box, or backpack to make the task easy. In the end the only "agile" system that worked for me was to mount the monorail on its tripod, cover the camera with a rainproof bag, use the rolled up focussing cloth as a pad, and shoulder the whole rig at the balance point. When one shoulder got tired I'd swap shoulders. To get out from under the weight I'd just spread the tripod legs and place the whole kit down where I could find it again.

[Two23]

I have a very nice, lightweight Chamonix that's easy to pack. However, my monolights, battery packs, and lightstands are bulky and heavy. I wrap them up in a plastic tarp, lash them to a long plastic toboggan, and simply pull it behind me. The tarp keeps the snow out. Easy Peasy.


Kent in SD