Backpacking trip.....how to carry the camera?

[fordpop]

Im looking to go on a three week backpacking trip, and got thinking about how to carry my camera and gear. Obviosuly I'll have a large backpack, but room will be taken up with my gear for living for three weeks.

I plan to travel light, so it will be the D300 with 17-50 lens and hopefully I can squeeze the 80-200 f2.8 in. I'll probably take a few filters, batteries, memory, cleaning kit etc, but thats about it...

I thought I could keep the 80-200 and the little accessories in my main backpack, but where to keep the camera? Is there something on the market that would hold and protect the D300/17-50 lens on a waist/belt type strap arrangement - a bit like you get for compacts, but for an SLR (if that makes sense....)

Cheers

 

[rogan200]

Think-tank do a great modular system - you buy a belt to hang your gear off, and then whichever pouches you need to hold it - they do do pouches that will hold a DSLR and a lens - take a look here: http://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_products.html. (the camera holsters are at the bottom of this page).

Not cheap but i wouldn't want it to be if it was to carry a D300 around for 3 weeks solid!

 

[grahamc]

I would suggest a good thick waterproof bag to carry it all in your backpack! The 80-200 might be a little big and heavy...

How much walking, hiking, scrambling are you going to be doing? What about some sort of "bullet-proof" case for the camera and then hang from neck or carry in hand. Not that heavy, I did it when I hiked Brecon Beacons and Snowdon. D40X is nice and light and returns decent pictures!

 

[Denisw]

I use a ThinkTank Holster 50 and it's great for traveling light. I can have a 70-200mm lens on the camera with hood ready to use and the holster can go on my belt or on a harness if that's your choice. It has a waterproof cover and plenty of room to carry CF cards etc. You can use two on a belt and have a second camera with your other lens on and ready to use. Hope this helps

 

[akr]

Personally I would not leave it in your (big) backpack. I'd have my clothes etc and anything else like chargers in the backpack, but then I'd also travel with a smaller day back-pack as well.

I would get a waterproof small backapck that allows you put your camera in the bottom section and other stuff such as food \ book \ map \ drinks in the top section. I'd get one if possible where the zip is hidden so that's it's harder for someone to open it.

I'm not sure where you are going however when I backpacked you often had to leave your main bag on the roof of buses and other not so secure places, with people periodically sitting on them etc. I would keep the small pack with me for when you need the camera, possibly during the journey, and also you would then have the bag for day trips etc.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

 

[fordpop]

A little more info needed i think

I'll be travelling from Northern Sweden back to England via the Norwegian coast, Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg and Paris.

It will involve a lot of train and bus travel, but we will be kipping in hotels/youth hostels. I can't imagen we will be scrambling/hiking as such, more like a lot of mini city breaks. So I will be wanting to keep the camera with my, in easy access all the time.

I was not looking at leaving the camera in my main backpack, as that will be full of clothes etc, but to carry it seperatley, attached to my person.

That Think Tank system looks good at first glance - I'll check it out better later tonight, but on the face of it thats the sort of gear i was thinking of.

Not so sure about carrying the camera and the 80-200 handing off my waist - sounds heavy just thinking about it

Cheers