I stripped my Mekko bag down to 9lbs--no need for all those extra straps and internal dividers. But, yeah, it has padding built in (and a waterproof cover) so it weighs more than an unpadded nylon bag.
I stripped my Mekko bag down to 9lbs--no need for all those extra straps and internal dividers. But, yeah, it has padding built in (and a waterproof cover) so it weighs more than an unpadded nylon bag.
Have a look at the insulated packs the food delivery bike riders use.
Lachlan.
You miss 100% of the shots you never take. -- Wayne Gretzky
William Henry Jackson, an ULF photographer, lived until 99 years old, in part this was due the "backpack" brand he used for 18x22" ULF (and also for whole plate), reaching remote locations with it for many of his 80,000 LF/ULF shots..
Glacier point:
The backpack:
That self-propelled backpack used the green fuel that was found in the path. Today many ULF photographers have to shot near a paved way.
Duluth Packs / Portage Packs like that Granite Gear are great for large, bulky loads over short distances. That Granite Gear one has a hip belt; an improvement over the tradition Duluth pack. It would probably work well for the distances you described perhaps with a bit of padding inside (against your back). But I think you might be better off with a packframe with shelf. You can lash your current case to it. They used to be pretty common at garage sales - no longer. I keep an old Boy Scout one in the attic for eventual use.
Thanks for all the feedback. Gave up looking for a rigid packframe (for another purpose) at garage and tag sales a while back. Several people told me they just threw them away cause "no one wanted them". Bought one online, and it was way too flimsy to trust it to securely carry camera equipment on/with it.
Had considered a Granite Gear Superior One Portage Canoe Pack, but when I saw one in person, it was just too large for my 11x14" outfit. But did go back to the Granite Gear website and discovered that they carry a Granite Gear Traditional #3.5 backpack which is a little smaller than the Superior One. Will have to add on a waist belt to the pack, which is a simple "alteration" that our local cleaners will do.
https://www.granitegear.com/outdoor/...tage-pack.html
Turns out it should comfortably fit the following inside it:
Bottom: cut to fit piece of Garage Floor Padding, and possibly the dark cloth on top of it.
Middle: Sheet 1/8" birch plywood (to provide some rigidity to the back of the pack), then the 11x14" camera (with GG protector) sandwiched between 2 11x14" film holders in Chamonix padded cases.
Top: 2 lenses in padded cases, meter in padded case, and 4th padded case for other stuff.
Will post when I get it all together and use a few times this fall.
This pack might work as it is just a couple inches off in one interior dimension: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._aw.html/specs. If there is a store in your area which stocks it, I'd bring the camera and see if it will work. I use the older version the 600 AWII for day-hikes with the Toyo 810MII with up to 3 lenses, 5 holders, and tripod. It's heavy, of course, but carries the load well and, importantly, protects what's inside!
Thomas
No problem. Look at a large old-school external frame pack or a game carrier frame, which is similar but without fabric components. These can easily be customized. Forget the case, and forget dedicated camera packs.
Read about Vittorio Sella. He hauled ULF cameras up to 23,000 ft near K2 in the Karakoram, to summits of the headwaters of the Nile, up Mt St Elias in Alaska, all over the Alps and Caucasus. I've got a picture of his pack frame in a book; I think it still exists in a museum in Italy dedicated to his career.
Drew, My favourite mountain photographer was Ansel Adams; then I saw Bradford Washburns aerial work..... then I saw Vittorio Sella's photographs. He was in my opinion the pinnacle of mountain photographers. I had the pleasure of seeing his prints, which don't travel out of Italy very often, in 1999, or 2000 at the Whyte Museum in Banff. They are stunning. He also did the first winter ascent of the Matterhorn in 1882 and was (among other adventures) with the Duke of Abruzzi on the first ascent of Mount Saint Elias (after sailing across the Atlantic, sailing up the West Coast and walking in from the ocean.
Bookmarks