The F.64 BPX Back Pack does not seem to have a place for a tripod. What do people do?

[neil poulsen]

I've always carried my tripod, while my backpack was strapped on my back.

In earlier days, my tripod and tripod head weighed upwards of 14 lbs. Now, my CF tripod and head together weighs about half of that. A lot easier. On a rough trail, sometimes the tripod can come in handy to steady one's self.

[John Layton]

If I'm backpacking my otherwise "lightweight" MF/LF gear, I usually strap my lightweight Feisol "Tall Traveller" tripod to my pack and hardly notice its weight...nor its "moving mass" as I strap it securely and well centered.

But Strapping my larger, heavier, bulkier Gitzo CF tripod to my equipment pack is another matter entirely, so I usually will carry this over a shoulder...unless the terrain demands that I have two free hands (with or without hiking poles) for safety reasons.

Hmmm...someone should design a "combo tripod/hiking pole system," with two sturdy hiking poles which are basically two CF tripod legs, while the third leg, with tripod head attached, is strapped to the backpack. This would allow for a very sturdy LF tripod, while mitigating "overbalancing" of a backpack, and take care of the issue of "pod redundancy" and excess (useless) weight. Sounds like a plan - ya think?

[reddesert]

There are tripods with a leg that's a detachable monopod. One could use that as a hiking pole while strapping the rest of the tripod on one's back. I think that detachable-leg tripods are mostly lighter duty than typically used for LF cameras (let alone 8x10).

I sometimes hike with skis strapped to my backpack (when the intention is to get to skiable snow). It's not trivial, people have different preferences for ski-carry systems - skis strapped together or A-frame? etc - but skis are at least as awkward as a large tripod, and yet many people manage to backpack them. Part of the problem, IMO, is that most photo backpacks are not very good as backpacks, and so they may be unstable or uncomfortable with a tripod strapped to the side or back. A backpack with a proper backpacking suspension should be able to carry a tripod on the side or back without tipping over the wearer.