My Latest Hiking with pro-DSLR Setup
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:
- Camera should not be packed away — it should be attached to the shoulder straps ready to take the shoot. That’s why I hike with a pro-DSLR — it can take the beating and the dust that the trail throws at you.
- I don’t bring multiple lenses — I just bring one. After all, I am hiking in the remote wilderness, up to 15 miles away from water sources and rescue. You have to compromise somewhere. This compromise for me is shooting with one pro-grade wide-angle lens and my choice is Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G.
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:
- Move the D-rings just below the sternum strap — the way it is now it’s too high and it puts too much strain on the shoulders. I’ve had camera attached to the straps just below the sternum strap and from my experience it’s the best placement — it actually balances the pack on your shoulders instead of squeezing them — it has something to do with leverage.
- The D-ring attachment should be sewn right through the shoulder strap to increase durability. Now, it’s simply sewn to the outer layer of the strap’s wrapper material — it’s too weak and prone to failure.
- Reduce the padding on the pack’s back panel and shoulder straps — it’s completely unnecessary, adding to the bulk and weight of an otherwise great pack.
Think Tank Pro Belt Proposed Improvements:
- Create a modular attachment that will allow a user to hook a backpack to your belt. I had to resort to threading CamelBak’s hip belt strap through the LC 75′s plastic retainer strip — it works but it’s not ideal because to remove the pack I have to fiddle with LC 75 Velcro attachment.
- Increase the length of the belt’s adjustment straps. They are too short right now and practically impossible to adjust while you are on a real wilderness trail. As you move through your day on the trail your body diameter around the hip area constantly changes (food water, sweat, clothing) etc.. you have to be able to make these minute adjustments on the fly. Review the Lowepro Street and Field Light Belt — it has a perfect strap length and perfect, easy to use buckle that makes adjusting the belt very easy.
For additional pictures check my flickr set — CamelBak / Think Tank for pro-DSLR Hiker.
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