8x10 carry options

[htodman]

I have an Ansco 8x10 and l am looking for a way of transporting it. The dimensions are:
8”Dx12”Wx15”H. It doesn’t have to be a backpack, I just want transport it safely.

215350

[John Kasaian]

Awhile back, Army-Navy surplus stores had an abundance of canvas insulated cooler bags for transporting Jerry can sized water containers for troops on desert maneuvers. These were built like proverbial tanks and the insulation provided thick protective cushioning. They opened and closed via heavy double brass zippers and had shoulder straps---available in any color as long as it was coyote tan. I'd check out Army-Navy Surplus stores in your neighborhood and see if any are still around and if it'll fit your Ansco. I have one for my V8 'dorff and another for film holders
They've replaced my Ice Chest for car carrying ever since Yosemite Bears have learned to read "Igloo" and "Coleman." Apparently "US" still has them stumped :rolleyes:
These are them:
https://www.loadup.com/us-gi-military-insulated-shoulder-bag-5-gal.html

[ericantonio]

What do you mean by transport? Walking around with it? You wan to put it in a car or something and then take it out and put on tripod and carry it?

Transport to me sounds like putting it into something, going somewhere without using it, and then removing it to use. For that I've done different things like a large plastic from Target type thing, and egg foam all around. Now it is in a pelican case and I can throw it in the back of my car.

[htodman]

What do you mean by transport? Walking around with it? You wan to put it in a car or something and then take it out and put on tripod and carry it?

Transport to me sounds like putting it into something, going somewhere without using it, and then removing it to use. For that I've done different things like a large plastic from Target type thing, and egg foam all around. Now it is in a pelican case and I can throw it in the back of my car.

The thought of hiking with this behemoth is out of the question. I want to put it in the car, walk a half mile or so and shoot.

[Michael Roberts]

How about this? We've been kicking around these Gator cases on the ULF forum:

https://www.amazon.com/Gator-Foam-Cut-Lightweight-LiveTrak-GL-ZOOML8-2/dp/B08JX9YWTC

[Drew Wiley]

Half a mile is quite a ways to lug a case, or to carry a heavy 8x10 rifle-style, over the shoulder, attached to a tripod. Do you plan on consistently walking on just paved surfaces with it, using a wheeled cart?

[ericantonio]

The thought of hiking with this behemoth is out of the question. I want to put it in the car, walk a half mile or so and shoot.

I have it in a pelican case and I use this darn thing to pull it around.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/GORILLA-CARTS-4-cu-ft-Poly-Garden-Dump-Cart-GCG-4/309521793

[htodman]

How about this? We've been kicking around these Gator cases on the ULF forum:

https://www.amazon.com/Gator-Foam-Cut-Lightweight-LiveTrak-GL-ZOOML8-2/dp/B08JX9YWTC

This will work.

[dodphotography]

Awhile back, Army-Navy surplus stores had an abundance of canvas insulated cooler bags for transporting Jerry can sized water containers for troops on desert maneuvers. These were built like proverbial tanks and the insulation provided thick protective cushioning. They opened and closed via heavy double brass zippers and had shoulder straps---available in any color as long as it was coyote tan. I'd check out Army-Navy Surplus stores in your neighborhood and see if any are still around and if it'll fit your Ansco. I have one for my V8 'dorff and another for film holders
They've replaced my Ice Chest for car carrying ever since Yosemite Bears have learned to read "Igloo" and "Coleman." Apparently "US" still has them stumped :rolleyes:
These are them:
https://www.loadup.com/us-gi-military-insulated-shoulder-bag-5-gal.html

Man... this is AWESOME, found one on eBay for a decent price. I think this will really fit my needs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Peter De Smidt]

I bungee whatever case to an old-style wheeled golf dolly. Light, compact, breaks down, cheap, good wheels for non-technical or super steep terrain....

[j.e.simmons]

Jogging baby stroller.

[Drew Bedo]

I have used a jogging stroler in the past. Worked Ok in shooting around our home neighborhood BUT . . . .

It was difficult to store at home and let no room in the trunk for luggage.

Later on I adapted a golf bag pull cart by stripping off some golf related fixtures and clamping on a 1970s era external back pack frame. The shoulder straps of a LowePro backpack hooked over the frame and a bungee cord stabilized the load.


This also worked pretty well; better than the stroller and was more compact when folded and stowed. Pulled more easily over unpaved ground (like a golf course) and was under $20 at a thrift store. It too is gone now.

This subject comes up on this board several times a year. I think there is a niche market for an engineered and manufactured product (expensive) or at least a conversion kit.

[Drew Bedo]

Re; Golf Bag Pull Cart.

If you take the wheels off and put on some kind of skids it would be compliant with Wilderness Area regulations as a sled I think!

[htodman]

Wow

[John Kasaian]

Re; Golf Bag Pull Cart.

If you take the wheels off and put on some kind of skids it would be compliant with Wilderness Area regulations as a sled I think!
A pack mule would be more fun---at least it'll give you someone to discuss Post modernism with whilst out on the trail :rolleyes:

[Drew Wiley]

Mules fun?? Not when they decide to lay down in the middle of a creek with all your gear still atop them. As you well know, that's not so much a problem when they're all tethered together in a string as when being led one at a time, which was generally the case if some kid like me was expected to just resupply a camp. Such memories! The last time I saw the owner of that pack station at Badger Flat, he was hopping around cussing like hell in the corral; a mule he was shoeing had just stomped on the end of his pointy cowboy boot, flattened it, and broken three toes. But as a child, we never used our own donkey for any kind of work. It was distinctly a pet, having been given to us by Wilbur Plaugher once it got too big for his rodeo stunt pulling it out of his baggy clown pants.

Funny, but I could easily outpace a mule or horse train up those mountain trails when I was younger. Now it's more like a race against a centipede. Actually, I go a lot slower downhill than uphill, to make it easier on the knees. But I intend to carry my gear in an actual backpack as long as I can.

[Drew Bedo]

OK . . ok . . .I take it back about the skids.

Just because something can be done does not make it a good idea.

No skids or sleds in the wilderness areas.

Anyway, I am a few days away from getting my second total hip replacement so I can barely walk now. Several months of rehab lie ahead. Last time, it took about that long before zi could walk around the block.

[mikkelangaju]

I use an old fashioned external frame backpack with camera gear inside a separate padded bag. Easily carry big and heavy stuff with little discomfort. Only problem is mine is only top loaded so getting the things in and out is cumbersome.

[Drew Wiley]

All my own external frame packs have a large top section accessed from the top, and a separate zippered bottom section, plus a number of side pouches suitable for lenses and accessories. This arrangement in quite convenient, with ample room for jackets and lunch and so forth. But things do get rather crowded inside the pack when a week or two of food, clothing, cooking gear, tent, sleeping bag, etc, are also necessary to carry. But I've been doing that for many years. I'm trying to gradually build up to being comfortable with that kind of weight again, impending summer backpacking trips. The past year was very difficult with respect to physical conditioning due to our seemingly endless massive forest fires and their unhealthy smoke. But on those long backpacking trips I downsize to 4X5 gear instead of 8x10.

[dodphotography]

If you have a clamshell camera, never complain... ever. There are 10,000 options that exist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Drew Wiley]

But are there still 10,000 clamshell cameras still in use to prove that postulate?

[dodphotography]

But are there still 10,000 clamshell cameras still in use to prove that postulate?

Lol touché, as a backpack expert (nothing I’m proud of) the options are almost limitless for anything folding.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[William Whitaker]

Everybody has their favorite method. I do, too. :)
What works for me is a Lightware Speedpack Case. Mine is the model S1010. (https://lightwareinc.com/product/s1010-speedpack-case/) It's not cheap by any means. But it's one of the nicest and best made cases I've seen. Besides, I bought it used from another forum member. My camera is an older Ansco 8x10 (very similar to yours) and the Lightware case fits the camera almost perfectly with space for the 5x7 reducing back. And there is room on top for a folded dark cloth. Film holders and lenses have to ride separately, although a couple of my lenses are small enough that one or the other of them could ride mounted to the camera.
I prefer a top-loading case because it's easier for me to operate out of. Backpacks have always been awkward for one reason or another. Laying them down on the ground invites dirt into places I don't want it. There's a temptation to overload the pack and make it heavier/more complicated than it needs to be. And I'm not fond of doing deep knee bends. The Speedpack Case, while it doesn't hold everything, is easy to pick up and about as easy as anything (for me) to carry. Film holders go in a Gnass case (yes, I know those aren't made anymore. Sorry!) Lenses and maybe a couple of holders can go in a satchel case and ride on my shoulder. Minimizing the glass I carry makes life a lot easier. My favorite one lens for 8x10 remains the 250mm Kodak Wide-Field Ektar. So much can be done with just that one lens.
As with life, keep everything in balance and life will be sweeter.
Now, if I could only apply that to my own life!

[dodphotography]

Everybody has their favorite method. I do, too. :)
What works for me is a Lightware Speedpack Case. Mine is the model S1010. (https://lightwareinc.com/product/s1010-speedpack-case/) It's not cheap by any means. But it's one of the nicest and best made cases I've seen. Besides, I bought it used from another forum member. My camera is an older Ansco 8x10 (very similar to yours) and the Lightware case fits the camera almost perfectly with space for the 5x7 reducing back. And there is room on top for a folded dark cloth. Film holders and lenses have to ride separately, although a couple of my lenses are small enough that one or the other of them could ride mounted to the camera.
I prefer a top-loading case because it's easier for me to operate out of. Backpacks have always been awkward for one reason or another. Laying them down on the ground invites dirt into places I don't want it. There's a temptation to overload the pack and make it heavier/more complicated than it needs to be. And I'm not fond of doing deep knee bends. The Speedpack Case, while it doesn't hold everything, is easy to pick up and about as easy as anything (for me) to carry. Film holders go in a Gnass case (yes, I know those aren't made anymore. Sorry!) Lenses and maybe a couple of holders can go in a satchel case and ride on my shoulder. Minimizing the glass I carry makes life a lot easier. My favorite one lens for 8x10 remains the 250mm Kodak Wide-Field Ektar. So much can be done with just that one lens.
As with life, keep everything in balance and life will be sweeter.
Now, if I could only apply that to my own life!

That’s a cool option... my Arca is just at 16.25 inches high which would be a tight squeeze in that case. I also prefer a top loading case. I have a series of packs I can strap top loading cases too. My most recent favorite is a Mystery Ranch Crew Cab. Really nice bag.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Peter De Smidt]

I had a lightware case once. It was extremely high quality.

[Drew Wiley]

I don't lay down packs on the dirt. If there's not a tree or rock nearby to rest it on, I simply use one of my trekking poles at an angle behind it as a support. But that works well because it is indeed a classic pack with a rigid eternal frame.

[joelio]

I had a lightware case once. It was extremely high quality.

I have a Lightware that has completely failed me - the canvas exterior has totally separated from the interior body foam and the adhesive is now disintegrating. Anything that goes in comes out covered in stick black stuff.

[John Kasaian]

I use an Uncle Mike's shotgun sling to carry my (headless) tripod.
A shotgun sling differs from rifle sling as it loops around the barrels and the wrist of the gunstock, so it works well with a tripod.
Works good enough for me anyway.

[Drew Wiley]

Same thing with the Headless Horseman, John. Of course, his head got shot off by a blunderbuss instead of a shotgun, and he was toting a Horseman camera instead of a Dorff.

[Mark Sawyer]

I'd say just hunt for an f/64 backpack, made for the job by people who know about these things...

[John Kasaian]

same thing with the headless horseman, john. Of course, his head got shot off by a blunderbuss instead of a shotgun, and he was toting a horseman camera instead of a dorff.

lol!

[dodphotography]

I'd say just hunt for an f/64 backpack, made for the job by people who know about these things...

Good bag for just walking from the car to a shot real close by. That bag will demolish your back if you walk anywhere. Practical for storage, but otherwise a useless bag.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[htodman]

That’s a cool option... my Arca is just at 16.25 inches high which would be a tight squeeze in that case. I also prefer a top loading case. I have a series of packs I can strap top loading cases too. My most recent favorite is a Mystery Ranch Crew Cab. Really nice bag.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Top loading case is what I think will work best for me.

[Mark Sawyer]

Good bag for just walking from the car to a shot real close by. That bag will demolish your back if you walk anywhere. Practical for storage, but otherwise a useless bag.

Must be a "your mileage may vary" thing. In my younger days, I hiked a mile plus a number of times, and found it a Godsend.

[Drew Wiley]

People who know about these things are those that have carried serious gear themselves for decades. REAL backpacks were once made that way. Now they're made in China. Even the way smaller shoulder bags I use for MF and 35mm gear deserve to be there only because they say, Made in USA. There are quality exceptions both directions, or course, so I don't want to demean any one specific product line; but statistically, it's a pretty good rule of thumb. Of course, most camera bags once made in China are now made in Vietnam, with workers themselves making the equivalent of just a few cents per bag. I knew someone who worked for a major importer and knew the obscene markups involved by the time these kinds of flimsy things reach retail camera stores and so forth, and quit in disgust. End of pontification.

Sometimes I myself just walk a short distance from the car; but it's mainly to take a pee. More than once I have done that, looked around, saw something amazing, and ran back for the camera. So maybe there is something to it. For everything else, I want a serious backpack, not a toy one.

[Mark Sawyer]

Sometimes I myself just walk a short distance from the car; but it's mainly to take a pee...

I believe it was Edward Weston who observed, "There is nothing worth peeing on more than 200 yards from the car." Or something like that...

[dodphotography]

People who know about these things are those that have carried serious gear themselves for decades. REAL backpacks were once made that way. Now they're made in China. Even the way smaller shoulder bags I use for MF and 35mm gear deserve to be there only because they say, Made in USA. There are quality exceptions both directions, or course, so I don't want to demean any one specific product line; but statistically, it's a pretty good rule of thumb. Of course, most camera bags once made in China are now made in Vietnam, with workers themselves making the equivalent of just a few cents per bag. I knew someone who worked for a major importer and knew the obscene markups involved by the time these kinds of flimsy things reach retail camera stores and so forth, and quit in disgust. End of pontification.

Sometimes I myself just walk a short distance from the car; but it's mainly to take a pee. More than once I have done that, looked around, saw something amazing, and ran back for the camera. So maybe there is something to it. For everything else, I want a serious backpack, not a toy one.

Hence no reason to pay the photo tax... half the bag, twice the cost.

Better off with brands like Mystery Ranch, Kifaru, Stone Glacier. All American made, insanely overbuilt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tin Can]

My option is 5X7

Perhaps a Cycle camera

and lunch

[William Whitaker]

Awhile back, Army-Navy surplus stores had an abundance of canvas insulated cooler bags for transporting Jerry can sized water containers for troops on desert maneuvers. These were built like proverbial tanks and the insulation provided thick protective cushioning. They opened and closed via heavy double brass zippers and had shoulder straps---available in any color as long as it was coyote tan. I'd check out Army-Navy Surplus stores in your neighborhood and see if any are still around and if it'll fit your Ansco. I have one for my V8 'dorff and another for film holders
They've replaced my Ice Chest for car carrying ever since Yosemite Bears have learned to read "Igloo" and "Coleman." Apparently "US" still has them stumped :rolleyes:
These are them:
https://www.loadup.com/us-gi-military-insulated-shoulder-bag-5-gal.html

I found a Jerry Can cooler I've had for a number of years, yet never used. And just to illustrate John's post, I grabbed my 8x10 Ansco to see how it fit. It's just about perfect. Now, I'm not about to give up my Lightware case I mentioned earlier. But this is a really good solution. Far less expensive than Lightware...and probably more weather resistant if that matters.

216054
216055

[Tin Can]

I just ordered these

If they work for camera, fine

if not, then shopping

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YK8BJWZ/ref=pd_luc_rh_sspa_dk_huc_pt_thematic_3?psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFBV1VEM1haWDZSNkcmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzOTAwMjgzVDNaT0JLTkVHTzA0JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxMTExOTNZUldOQUVDNlNFMlAmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9odWNfdGhlbWF0aWMmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

[Greg]

Good bag for just walking from the car to a shot real close by. That bag will demolish your back if you walk anywhere. Practical for storage, but otherwise a useless bag.

I do agree to some extent. I have and use a f/64 backpack with either my 8x10 or whole plate camera. Longest distance that I have hiked with the loaded f/64 was about a half mile. Doesn't ride like a loaded Dana but is doable. I did have a large Dana that I no longer used. Went to a local seamstress who has customized several items for me over the years. She actually had a good amount of experience with modifying hiking and camping equipment. Brought the f/64 and the Dana and asked her if she could mount the f/64 pack on the Dana's "frame". She said it was possible but she was very busy and not taking in work like that but to come back in a few months when things were slower. Went back a year later only to find out that she sold and retired from her Cleaning store.