HUNGER makes perfect sauce
After almost 3 years of hard use I am ready to give a long term (video) review for this outstanding every day carry (EDC) shoulder bag:
####### TTLJournal rating – 10/10 #######
(minus the “fixed-pad” shoulder strap)
### PLUG ###
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Think Tank Photo Urban Disguise 60
Thank you!
It’s been a while since I’ve made it up to the Summit of Mt Baldy so when an opportunity came along to take a day off from work I jumped right on it. I checked the weather forecast and it looked promising — sunny with nice, puffy cloud cover — just what I enjoy the most. I also started to wonder … what if I make it a Photo Trek/Climb and bring the big guns — full frame camera (D3) with the 14-24mm ultra wide angle lens? Problem is, it weighs a lot — camera = 43.7 oz, lens = 35.3 oz; 79 oz total … Not something you’d want hanging off your neck climbing 4000 vertical, ice and snow covered feet to the top of Mt Baldy topping out at 10068 ft, but that’s where it has to be for me if I want to take the shoots instead of thinking of how to take the camera out of the pack.
I mounted the lens on the camera, picked it up and almost gave up on the idea, almost … Then I remembered that I recently bought a whole new, redesigned Lowepro Toploader Pro 75 AW camera case for it and if I could rig it up to my pack where the weight is split 50/50 between the shoulders and hip it might be doable. Of course it still doesn’t relieve my knees from the added weight of it all but a little suffering goes a long way …
Here’s the finished rig:
I used a self equalizing system for the hip-belt connection and a static length loops for the attachemnt to the D-rings on the pack’s shoulder straps. All was done using a double runner and 4 carabiners. It comes on and off very easily and is the most comfortable rig I’ve used so far. It also proved to be very easy to work with in the field:
I got to Manker Flats “parking” area at 6:35, put my plastic double boots on, strapped the ice ax and crampons to the pack, broke out the trekking poles and was sliding all over the deadly stretch of icy fire-road at 7:00am. I climbed up the snow bank to avoid all the ice and in few minutes got my first photo opportunity at the fire-road bend (notice the nice cloud cover moving in …):
I mounted ‘pons soon after (near the San Antonio Falls) and headed up the Register Ridge towards the Ski Hut keeping an eye on the weather … With no one around, on a weekday, I felt blessed to be here, enjoying the views, fresh air and solitude. I was at the Ski Hut area by 9am (photo treks are slow):
The day was turning out to be just perfect — blue sky with nice clouds:
To save on time I went directly for the Bowl without stopping at the Ski Hut. The Bowl was still looking a little cold and the sky above it not very vibrant:
When doing ultra wide angle photography I like to be right smack in the face of the subject — just jam the lens into it. As you can imagine it’s a bit of a challenge to do that when you are climbing Baldy Bowl — no matter how high I climbed it was not close enough:
I was getting two thirds of the way up in relation to where the chutes start to form when I realized that this is not going to work:
I’d have to climb into the chute and shoot from there, but I promised my family I wouldn’t attempt it solo so I decided to traverse across the Bowl onto the adjacent ridge where the regular (summer trail) is and then go for the Summit from there to see what I can shoot up there …
I was quickly traversing the Bowl:
… I could see the exit route real close In fact I though I’d be out of it in 5-10 minutes max when I found myself on this slope:
The next thing I knew it was as if someone pulled the rug from under my feet, the snow pack moved, I slid, self belay and froze …. immediately the scene of swimming in avalanche debris and ending at the bottom of the bowl started playing in my mind — it send a cold chill down my spine. I was afraid to move, I looked down, up, back and realized that the closest exit is to return the same way I came, I slowly turned around and tried to put my feet into my own tracks — they wouldn’t hold, the whole slope felt so loose it felt as if my steps would send it tumbling down. I dropped few feet down and carefully made new track — it was only 50 feet to safety but it felt as an eternity — all I could think of was how foolish it was to be soloing the Bowl on a weekday when no one is around … Once my crampons bit into the solid snow pack I breathed a sign of relieve 
Looking around where I was it became apparent that the safest and fastest way up would be to traverse towards Devils Backbone and find a moderate slope up the summit from there. This time I paid especially close attention to the snow pack — thankfully it was in great shape. I found a nice direct route up and took it. Surprisingly it got pretty steep towards the end — the Bowl is very deceiving:
I am at Devils Backbone level now:
The route:
I topped out at 11:15, found a nice snow cave someone had already made and dropped my pack there:
Views from the Summit were out of this world:
It was very cold and windy — the snow cave came in very handy:
I ate a quick lunch:
… packed up and headed down using the regular trail. Taking in the scenery as I went:
As I reached the bottom of the ridge I found myself in a pretty cool cloud/whiteout:
The fog rolled in at ~ 1:00pm and got really thick by 1:20 … here’s a short video I took in the mids of it:
I imagine it would be impossible to navigate in a real/complete whiteout …
The regular trail that goes up the ridge doesn’t get much use in winter — most of the climbers take the Bowl up so I was up to my knee most of the time:
It was a bit a of a challenge finding the Ski Hut in the cloud, but after that it was pretty easy. When I reached the end of the trail the clouds passed:
When I got the to fire-road the snowplow was back at work:
He cut a really deep track probably 9ft high in one place:
It was an awesome day with a bit of a heart pumping action!
I just came across the best gear list for an 8000m peak expedition, it’s pretty extensive: http://www.project-himalaya.com/8000m-everest-gear.html
In regards to “Glacier Glasses”, it looks like “Cecchinel Cb 4000 Glacier Glasses By Cebe Of France” is a winner — http://climber.org/gear/glasses.html
I despised trekking poles until I could no longer hike downhill after straining my knee on the Ski Hut trail (Mt Baldy). It was either hike with poles or stay home. I figured it’s worth a shoot and boy oh boy what a big difference they made on the trail. The trekking poles tend to distribute the load between both the upper and lower body and they definitely let you go father, not necessary faster, but for longer distances.
If I could, I would rather not use trekking poles at all because I like to keep my hands free and clear when my camera is dangling off of my pack’s shoulder straps. But for now, with trekking poles, I had to come up with another solution, solution that would somehow secure my camera in front of me, in the ready position, but at the same time free up my hands to use the poles. It had to be a chest holster of some sort, so I picked up a whole new, redesigned Lowepro Toploader Pro 75 AW:
What’s so special about this holster? The #1 thing is that is has sculpted opening which allows you to easily place your hand on the camera’s grip while it’s in the holster even while the holster is securely attached to your chest:
The #2 thing is that it has both zippered and buckle type closure mechanisms — this allows you to quickly drop the camera in and snap the buckle securing the camera instead of fiddling with the zippers every single time:
And the #3 is that it perfectly fits Nikon D3 with 70-200 attached, no fiddling, no compromises — just a perfect fit. Much, much better than what I get with the Think Tank holster I already have:
Finally, the new and improved straps are positioned at an angle pointing toward your chest, this makes a huge difference in stability and it allows unobstructed access to the holster while it’s on your chest:
Of course the first thing I did after getting the new Top Loader is figure out which Op/Tech connectors to rig up to it so I could attach it to my Camelbak Rim Runner. It didn’t take too long to find a perfect fit — Op/Tech System Connector #10 Reporter/Backpack 8.5:
I tested this setup on the Sand Stone Peak trail this past weekend and it worked out perfectly with Nikon D3 and the 70-200mm lens in the Top Loader:
For additional photos check my flickr set — TopLoader Pro 75 AW.
We Summited Mt. Baldy via the brutal Ski Hut Trail. This was our second attempt to summit — we failed the first time around largely because we came unprepared for how steep the trail was and the effect high elevation was going to have on our speed.
This time around we started much earlier and got equipped with Trekking Poles — they made a huge difference and I honestly think we wouldn’t have made it without them. When you see most of the guides on the trail using them that says a lot! After all, you gain close to 4000 ft of elevation in under 4 miles. This is no walk in a park by any means, especially once you get above the 8000 ft mark where the effect of high elevation makes you leg muscles get this strange cotton feeling and the heavy pounding in your head tells you to stop. Under those conditions you operate in bursts — 20-30 steps at a time …
The weather was simply beautiful. Morning started nice and clear with the temperature in the 50’s. By the time we crossed Baldy Bowl and started to make our way up the left bank to the summit of Mt Baldy, white puffy cloud cover moved in over the area and blanketed everything below us. The views were out of this world:
The summit push was relentless only easing at the final half mile where it opened up into a surprisingly wide area suitable for camping, and after being to the summit I would much rather camp here due to the piece and quite and the views it offers.
There were a lot of people at the summit many of whom came via the “Devils Backbone” trail which we took on the way down. The views from the Summit of Mt Baldy were blocked by the heavy cloud cover but we still enjoyed every minute of it, sharing and taking in the moment of our first time here:
There are still some patches of very thick snow around the Summit area:
We didn’t want to put ourselves through the brutal descent on the Ski Hut trail so we took the “Devils Backbone” trail on the way down from the summit. And while it’s not nearly as steep as the Ski “Nut” trail it sure stands up to it’s name — “Devils Backbone” and “Devils Slide” where the gut wrenching drop offs on both sides of the ridge make you think really hard before you put your foot down.
Thankfully we made it though but I would recommend taking the Ski Hut trail down as long your knees are not giving you any trouble — my right knee was very painful during the descent and I know I wouldn’t have been able to make it down via the Ski Hut trail this time around — we did it last time without the Trekking poles and I think that’s when I strained my knee.
It was getting late by the time we reached the Ski Lift area and my son had finals the next day so we decided to take the easy way down by riding the Ski Lift. Heavy fog made it for an interesting ride down:
Things Learned:
Track Log:
Elevation Profile:
It was an awesome day in one of the most accessible alpine areas in the Southern California near Los Angeles and I hope we can do this more often. For more pictures visit my flickr set – Mt. Baldy Summit.
Clark Little lives in the tube with the Nikon D3 and NIKKOR 16mm Fisheye lens in an underwater housing.
It’s mind boggling the type of images he’s been able to capture in just two years — he started in 2007 after his wife asked him to take a picture of a tube so she could decorate their house. Today, Clark Little’s work is featured in leading publications around the world and apparently one of his pictures will be hanging in the White House.
In an interview with a local news agency in Hawaii Clark was asked how he manages to take such amazing images and here’s what he had to say:
I use my surfing experience to where to be, to where to position myself in the tube … where the back wash is going to be, so I just try to use my knowledge from surfing all those years and take it into the photography part of it and it’s back to having a passion and wanting to be there you know for 5-6 hour sessions and it’s just been awesome — I love it.
His Full Interview:
Clark’s choice of gear:
Nikon D3
NIKKOR 16mm Fisheye Lens
SPL Waterhousing for Nikon D3 with a vertical grip.
If you haven’t yet seen his work you are missing out — Clark Little Photography.
As you spend more and more time in the wilderness you quickly realize that the heaviest thing you carry is water. Water weighs ~ 2.2 lbs. per liter (or quart). During a moderate hike I typically consume 1 liter per 4 miles, during high altitude (> 8000ft) or high elevation gain hikes my water consumption goes up to 1.5 liter per 4 miles. What this means is this — If day hiking and trying to summit San Gorgonio, San Jacinto or Mount Baldy I’d be looking at close to 15 miles of strenuous hike where 5 liters of water would be barely enough. That’s 5*2.2=11 lbs of water to start with not counting emergency gear. Add to this my desire to carry a pro-DSLR and you’ve got a fairly difficult problem to solve …
For few years now I’ve been relying on Nalgene bottles. I’d typically carry 2 – 32oz (1 liter) bottles in two Think Tank LC 75 Pop Downs attached to Think Tank Pro Speed Belt with a small day pack that doesn’t require a hip belt on my back:
It worked out great for moderate, low altitude hikes up to 8 miles long. I even pushed this setup once to 10 miles at high altitude but I don’t want to do that again — it was close, very close. And even though I prefer Nalgene bottles to water bladders, when it came to 5 liters of water I simply had no other choice — I got myself CamelBak Rim Runner which comes with 100 oz Hydration bladder. This gave me 3 liters of water in a very comfortable setup where in addition to water I could carry emergency gear and a set of high altitude clothing in case the weather got really bad.
It still didn’t solve the problem of how to carry 5 liters total plus a pro-DSLR camera so I decided to combine the CamelBak with my proven Think Tank setup that can comfortably carry 2 liters of water. But first, I had to figure out how to deal with CamelBak Rim Runner’s hip belt. I could simply detach it and carry the weight of the pack on my shoulders but that idea was discarded very quickly after I filled the 100oz bladder with water and packed the Rim Runner with my gear — it’s just too heavy not to use the hip belt. And since the Think Tank belt is designed with modular components in mind I knew there was a way to attach CamelBak to it I just had to think … Here’s what I came up with and it worked awesome for a 6 mile test run we did this past weekend:
CamelBak Rim Runner attached to Think Tank Modular Belt
CamelBak Rim Runner attached to Think Tank Modular Belt (rear)
CamelBak Rim Runner attached to Think Tank Modular Belt (attachment detail)
The shoot above is looking from the bottom of the pack … notice how the Rim Runner’s hip belt strap is passed through the plastic sustainer of the Lens Changer 75.
Here’s a different view of the same attachment:
One nice thing about the Rim Runner is that it comes with built in D-rings on the shoulder straps and it made a very sturdy, easy attachment point for my favorite Op/Tech Connector #8 Uni-Loop that I use to attach my camera to the pack:
And here’s the finished setup on the trail — it worked out very well:
The setup consists of (click on the image above to be taken to flickr where you can mouse over the image to see the notes, but the full inventory is listed below):
Op/Tech Connector #8 Uni-Loop
Garmin GPS 60CSx
Larabar – Cherry Pie
CamelBak Rim Runner 100 oz
Think Tank Pro Speed Belt
Think Tank LC 75 Pop Down
Nikon D3
Nikon 14-24mm
Op/Tech Pro Camera Strap 3/8
The reason this setup works for me is because I came to two realizations:
Is this setup perfect? No, not at all. Here are some of the improvements that I would like to see:
CamelBak Rim Runner Proposed Improvements:
Think Tank Pro Belt Proposed Improvements:
For additional pictures check my flickr set — CamelBak / Think Tank for pro-DSLR Hiker.
during filming of Dos Equis ‘Most Interesting Man’ Academy 
Bear says on his blog that:
The commercial involved masses of urban survival: like escaping from burning buildings, catching rats, unarmed combat: escaping from being mugged, back somersaults off roof tops and handstands along high walls!
By the way, did you know that Will Ferrell joined Bear Grylls on “Man vs Wild”? That’s right! And it’s airing this coming Tuesday – Jun-02-2009 @ 10pm. Don’t miss it!
Michael Clark says about his first experience covering the 2008 Patagonia expedition race in his spring 2008 newsletter.
In old school Vietnam vernacular, we had just been dropped “into the shit.” … We were bogged down pretty fast as soon as we entered the Valley of Death. The ground was covered with this “turva” stuff which I have never seen anywhere else on planet earth. … No one would know where we were – heck, we didn’t even know exactly where we were.
His choice of gear for the 2008 expedition was Nikon D300 with two lenses and a flash (70-200mm + 17-35mm). During his latest, 2009 expedition, which he also covered, he opted for Nikon D700. In his 2009 news letter he says [that] “The D700 is by far the best Nikon I have owned just as the D3 is one of the best Nikons ever made.”.
But lets get back to the 2008 expedition, since that’s what I wanted to talk about in this post because a lot of what he said resonated with me, such as when he talks about the challenges of shooting in such hostile conditions:
The challenge when covering a race like this or doing photography in the backcountry is to keep the camera handy.
I couldn’t agree more, in fact, while I haven’t been to such harsh conditions as one would be presented with in Patagonia, I can say that the only way to ensure that the camera is always handy is to keep it strapped to your pack’s harness, ready to shoot. This way you don’t have to think twice if it’s worth a shoot to take it out of the bag.
He goes on to say that:
Nikon D300 got a pretty severe testing in rain, sleet and snow. And well, it did just fine thankfully. Most of the time I’d end up putting the camera back into the chest pouch wet – there wasn’t really a choice.
I think when you are dealing with a pro-camera body the expectations are that it will keep on clicking even in the rain. His experience just confirmed it and this is exactly why I prefer a pro-DSLR over a point-and-shoot type cameras for hiking.
Michael also talks about the fact that when you are in such a remote location chances are, you are the only photographer capturing the scene unfolding in front of you, getting that exclusive shoot that we all seek:
I’m not one who loves being in a pack of photographers – I always seek out the location where everyone isn’t. And it seems I found it in Patagonia as well.
For me being in such a remote place would also mean getting inspiration just by knowing you are the first one to capture it on camera. One of the hardest things for me as a photographer is to stay motivated to take pictures in the environment where everything is so familiar that you can’t even “see” the shoot any more. I find it a lot easier to get inspiration when I am in an unfamiliar place where it’s desire to explore that drives me.
He goes on to say that the hardest thing for him was:
I could control nothing. During the race, you were either in position or your weren’t. … it makes those images you did hustle for that much more exciting.
That’s the reality of being outdoors when you are not just there on photography excursion but you are also trying to stay alive in the wilderness. I’ve always wanted to go on the photo-only expeditions but I know that it will be somewhat disappointing to me since I always crave that self-sufficiency and awareness that I typically get while I am on my own in the wild. And I think this is exactly what Michael experienced in this expedition — he felt what it’s like to be on the edge, where you are not sure you are going to make it.
He finally closes with the following “as a photographer we are never fully in control“. Not only that I fully agree with this I’ll also add that we are never in control period!
For more information about Michael Clark visit his blog – Michael Clark Photography.
That’s what Karl Grobl says on his website after showing off a pair of well worn out Canon Mark II’s.
Don’t worry too much about gear… concentrate on what’s in front of the lens and how you’re going to compose and expose the shot……When they hand out Pulitzer prizes, the judges never ask what kind of camera the image was shot with, or whether it was shot on film or digital!
Thanks to Ken Rockwell for pointing me to Karl Grobl’s site, it’s full of great information and it’s very inspirational.
