Large Format Backpack?

[David Karp]

Matthew,

I have the same Cambo that you have. Since I don't have a smaller, lighter camera, I take it with me where I want to take photos, and just deal with the weight. A good backback with a proper suspension system makes a lot of difference.

My backpack is a Kelty Redwing 2900. I purchased it on sale at REI, but I have seen it for a good price ($79) at Sierra Trading Post (www.sierraonline.com). This is an internal frame, front loading pack with a very good waist/hip and shoulder suspension system. I think that any pack with a good suspension system will do wonders for your shoulder! Most of the weight in my pack is carried on my hips. The shoulder straps are wide, and when everything is adjusted properly, it feels great. It is heavy, but once it is on, it does not feel as heavy as it does picking it up.

I purchased some heavy duty foam, and cut the pieces with an electric carving knife. There are cutouts for the camera, my lenses, and some of the accessories. Other accessories reside in the varous pouches on the exterior of the camera. One 1/2 inch piece of foam covers the whole bag. A thicker piece sits on top of it. That is the one with the cutouts. I put the camera in the bag, mounted on the short wide- angle rail. I keep a lens mounted on the camera. One thing I have found: Now that I have been using the camera this way for a while, I find that I want to get a new piece of foam to rearrange things.

Another alternative I am considering is to protect the camera somehow (perhaps just with the dark cloth, and protecting lenses and other valuable items in tupperware or similar containers. I have read that others use foam cutouts to hold and protect lenses inside the tupperware. It might be worth a try, because you will get more useable space in the bag. You do, however, lose some protection, and the organization that the foam liner provides.

One tripod leg fits through the cross country ski holder on the side of the bag. What a luxury! No need to carry the thing over my shoulder any more. The other ski holder holds my long monorail.

Another strategy that might make things more portable is to purchase an adapter board for the 45NX that allows it to accept Technika style lensboards. (Who knows, Calumet might even offer a Graphic to Cambo adapter. I never checked.) At least for lenses mounted on a flat board, this will save lots of room in your pack. My Technika to Cambo adapter was cheap (bought on E-Bay with 3 other boards for $99!) but the new ones cost almost $250! I have seen them go on E-Bay for $80- $100. You can get inexpensive, but nice, Technika style boards from Midwest Photo Exchange. They are made by Nikon.

I carry my film holders in an Eagle Creek day pack with the waist belt folded in. I just clip it to D-rings the outside of the pack. It holds 10 or so 2-sided holders.

This combination is less expensive than the photo backpacks. I think that the suspension system is better than that in most photo backpacks. The drawback is that you have to be creative in figuring out how to carry the camera and the other pieces, because it is not pre-divided.

I have used this system for day long hikes, and it works great.

Hope this helps.

[Michael Chmilar]

The main thing is to get a backpack that allows you to carry most of the weight on your hips. The shoulder straps are only used to stabilize the load. If you are hiking on level ground, you should be able to loosen the shoulder straps completely.

If you go to a good outdoor/backpacking store, the staff should be able to help choose a pack that fits you.

I am using a Gregory Reality pack for hauling my gear. It has a front-load panel. I put my lenses, meter, quickload holder, and other accessories in a Pelican 1450, which just fits through the opening. The camera is either folded in the darkcloth, or stored in a Pelican 1400. This setup has been very good for dayhike outings.

[Noshir Patel]

I like the dedicated camera backpacks for 35mm (I have a large tenba and a small tamrac). For LF, however, I have found a simple Kelty Redwing to be much more to my liking. It's much lighter and more comfortable than my tenba backpack. I use the small lens case (which holds my 90 and 210 mm lenses plus loupe) and quickload film and holder carrier from Justin Gnass (www.gnassgear.com). I load as follows: QL carrier + 2 boxes of film at bottom. Camera wrapped in btsz darkcloth in middle (with meter of to the side of it). Tamrac filter pouch (from their modular system) at the top. Compression straps keep things from moving around. I could easily squeeze in some extra stuff, plus there are three external pockets (which I use for snacks, a water bottle, a reflector set, and odds and ends).

[Robert Parsons]

I have used a number of backpacks which, without exception, I overfilled to the point of becoming a beast of burden. At age 55 I sold my Lowe-Pro Super Trekker and went back to the pack (no pun intended) that I was introduced to by my Uncle Sam back in the sixties. While the camping experiences were quite forgetable, the military backpacks had some distinct advantages as they do today. 1. Cost. An army surplus "Alice" pack can be purchased in any one of three sizes. The cost at an army surplus store is usually less than $60 including the metal external frame. I keep on pack with large format gear and outdoor stuff for my nature photography and another with 35mm equipment for my Formula 1 shooting. I can switch the one frame to whichever pack I need.

2. They don't say CAMERA EQUIPMENT PLEASE STEAL ME by their appearance. I would rather look like an old geezer with a ratty looking army backpack than a photographer with lots of stuff with me.

3 You can customize the interiors to suit your needs with foam panels, dividers etc. and they have a ton of generous pockets.

4. They are virtually indestructible.

In short, you can find a lot of handy photo carrying gear at you local army surplus store or on the web.

Hope this helps, Good Shooting

Bob Parsons

[neil poulsen]

Like others, I purchased a pack that has not special compartments, etc. It has one, large area that in which I've placed foam rubber. I cut out squares so that I have compartments for lenses, camera, some filters, etc. My pack has an additional smaller pack that attaches to the flap of the larger pack with velcro.

This pack is lightweight, and all items are fully protected. While it has more room than my Domke for my medium format, it weighs less. Although my tripod is a dead give-away, it also doesn't have, CAMERA(S) written all over it.

[Paul Schilliger]

As Michael said above, you should find a back pack with a wide padded waist belt that allows most of the weight on your hips instead of the shoulders and back bone. We can name some, but it would be better to test some and find the one that suits your morphology best. I personally use a Tenba PBA, perhaps n ot the most refined, but works well for me.