Mountain walkers: What bag do you use?

Sam B

Sam B

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Sam
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Hi all,

I'm new to photography but hope to start taking my yet-to-arrive D5300 with me on my little outings up Snowdon and whatnot. I tend to use my Camelbak Motherlode for most of my day/night climb stuff which is usually 2/3 full to full depending on the walk. I've had a look at a couple of rucksack-type bags so far but I'm beginning to think what I'm after must be quite specialised... The Lowepro 'Hatchback' seems a good little bag for summertime day hikes up the more popular paths, but I doubt I could get all my kit in there for solo or wintertime jaunts. Can anyone suggest any bags maybe a little more suited?

Cheers, Sam
 
What about using a neoprene dslr cover which will protect it when in the rucsac you have?
 
You get them for dslr cameras too, i just noticed that's a small one
 
tom24 said:
This type Sam http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIXES-DS...732?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item54129c3434

If link is against rules, please remove and accept apology
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Ah that doesn't look too bad although I was hoping something like the 'Hatchback' might exist but a little bigger - I do like the way the camera area is separated from the rest of the bag as that reduces the risk of the camera toppling out when trying to get anything else out (or having to move it out the way to get to stuff when your hands are wet/muddy).
 
They are expensive but FStop rucksacks are fantastic with their separate Internal Camera Unit easily accessed by a rear zip panel and there is plenty of room separately for non climbing stuff. Just spent a fortnight in the Cuillin on Skye with a FStop Satori which was large enough for camera gear and camping stuff for a night out. Have a look at their website.
 
I have a Tamrac Adventure 9 (also called Tamrac 5549) which I use for this purpose.

I think it's discontinued now but there is one on eBay at the moment with no bids (staring price £20 + £8 shipping)
 
atrendall said:
They are expensive but FStop rucksacks are fantastic with their separate Internal Camera Unit easily accessed by a rear zip panel and there is plenty of room separately for non climbing stuff. Just spent a fortnight in the Cuillin on Skye with a FStop Satori which was large enough for camera gear and camping stuff for a night out. Have a look at their website.
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Hi,

Just been watching a few Youtube reviews of an F Stop bag - the 'Satori' - looks perfect to be honest, albeit quite pricey. I think I heard in the video that they all come with a 20yr warranty?
It's certainly a contender although I might have to keep an eye on the second-hand market as the bag alone (excluding the 'ICU') is £230! There are a few new ones on eBay but they ship from China... I'm not sure if this suggests a counterfeit or whether they're indeed made there?

Cheers, Sam
 
Wissel said:
I have a Tamrac Adventure 9 (also called Tamrac 5549) which I use for this purpose.

I think it's discontinued now but there is one on eBay at the moment with no bids (staring price £20 + £8 shipping)
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Hi,

I was looking at one of the Tamrac bags on eBay but I'm not sure I could fit all my kit in there for solo/winter stuff. It would be great for the summer, mind.

Cheers, Sam
 
Gary Coyle said:
I dont walk mountains as such but do lots of walking in the Lakes etc, etc, i use the Lowepro Flipside Sport 15L or 20L depending on how long im out for

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=l...XW7gbEnoDQCg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1600&bih=733
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Hi,

I don't think I would be able to everything I needed in there but the 'Hatchback' looks quite good. I do quite like the idea of the access from the back panel (such as the Hatchback) as I can see me being better able to keep the area clean /dry whilst getting stuff out.

Cheers, Sam
 
What about the LOWEPRO photosport 30L. Might be a bit big for your needs, but I have one and it's great for walking/hiking/scrambling.
 
Sam B said:
Hi,

Just been watching a few Youtube reviews of an F Stop bag - the 'Satori' - looks perfect to be honest, albeit quite pricey. I think I heard in the video that they all come with a 20yr warranty?
It's certainly a contender although I might have to keep an eye on the second-hand market as the bag alone (excluding the 'ICU') is £230! There are a few new ones on eBay but they ship from China... I'm not sure if this suggests a counterfeit or whether they're indeed made there?

Cheers, Sam
Click to expand...

Afraid I have no experience of the Satori but I did buy the Loka a while ago - although not actually been outside with it yet! It certainly does feel well made. Are they worth the price? Don't know. Time will tell!

For what it's worth, I found the older version Loka being sold brand new and that helped me save a few pounds. F-Stop told me the differences were mainly in appearance and a couple of extra d-rings.

The Dutch shop I used has the older Satori in blue - http://www.cameranu.nl/en/p402624/f-stop-satori-exp-malibu-blue . Works out at £200 when you include shipping to the UK (€25).

I don't know why CameraNU had the old Loka version (was replaced months ago) but it was brand new although the outer packaging bag was very dirty. Had probably been lying in their warehouse for months. The actual F-Stop bag was fine though.
 
twhite87 said:
What about the LOWEPRO photosport 30L. Might be a bit big for your needs, but I have one and it's great for walking/hiking/scrambling.
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Hi,

That bag looks incredibly like an Osprey bag which I occasionally use for scrambling... are they made by the same company? - the straps, buckles, material and general style all look very similar. I think that would be a good size for me to be honest.

Cheers, Sam
 
Sam B said:
Hi,

That bag looks incredibly like an Osprey bag which I occasionally use for scrambling... are they made by the same company? - the straps, buckles, material and general style all look very similar. I think that would be a good size for me to be honest.

Cheers, Sam
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I've got no idea.

There is a compartment in the bottom that will fit a gripped body with a 70-200mm 2.8 lens, butyou can put in a section to make it fit a smaller lens. It then has seperated compartment in the top for all your walking gear. I have also bought a smaller shoulder bag that fits inside the top compartment should I want to carry more camera gear as well. I'll try post some pictures up later for you to see
 
I've tried loads of photo-backpacks from the cheap to the expensive (Fstop, Clik Elite) - I've never been happy with any of them as they just don't support the weight like a good dedicated hiking backpack. Solution.. I modified one, the Lowe Alpine centro 35+10..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lowe-Alpine-AirZone-Centro-35/dp/B001JYFDHQ

The one above is the old version (come up on Ebay now and again) which is better than the newer one as the webbing on this better supports a tripod... buy a couple of inserts off Ebay, put one inside the other (I've reinforced mine with some 1mm aluminium sheet) and it's pretty much perfect.. great airflow back system, easy side access, loads of room for other gear..

Simon
 
Almost the same as Simon above, I bought a Lowe alpine airzone pro http://www.outside.co.uk/shop/AirZo...ign=shopping&gclid=CIqei7Cy1cQCFSrpwgodvFQA4A, I have an icu in the bottom that can be accessed from the side, all my hiking stuff on top, made for holding a water bladder and very comfortable for walking with good airflow between my back and the rucksack. The web holds my tripod and it also holds 2 walking poles.
 
We do quite a bit of walking in the Lake District, Brecon Beacons etc..... and replaced my 36L rucsack with the Jack Wolfskin ACS Pro pac the middle of last year. It has most features of a good quality rucsack but is specifically designed to hold an SLR camera, lens, accessories with shaped compartments that can be adapted/moved to suit your kit. It has a laptop section if thats useful.
I like it as its a proper hiking rucsack good enough for day walks to stow a waterproof,sarnies and other hiking essentials, poles, as well as my 6D body, 16-35mm lens and a 70-300mm, as well as a few filters, batterries, water bottles on outside, through elasticated strap. Its not cheap, cheap, but a good premium branded rucsack of similar size would be up to £100 ish.

Tested on several fell walks and its very comfortable (as good as the Osprey I had) and has a rain cover included too, and LOADS of compartments.
There is a cheaper version with less storage.

http://www.jack-wolfskin.co.uk/acs-photo-pack-pro/2003131.html
 
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Another vote for F-Stop. I have a Loka, as I only do day trips so don't need anything too big - the quality is excellent, but supply can sometimes be an issue. I had to wait a few months for mine to be delivered as there was a waiting list with the UK distributor.
 
julianhj said:
Another vote for F-Stop. I have a Loka, as I only do day trips so don't need anything too big - the quality is excellent, but supply can sometimes be an issue. I had to wait a few months for mine to be delivered as there was a waiting list with the UK distributor.
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Hi,

I'm sold on the F-Stop brand but I think I'll be opting for the slightly cheaper 28L 'Guru' with a small or medium ICU - The Guru should be just big enough for the majority of the trips I go on but small enough and civvie-looking enough not to look too weird on family day trips elsewhere; if I need bigger then I'll just have to put the ICU in my current bag.

I've had a look on eBay and there are some Gurus shipped from Hong Kong at £90... if I'm lucky enough not to be stung by the tax gestapo then I'd be quite happy with that price. Of course I would still need to source the ICU part.

Cheers, Sam
 
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