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08-20-2011, 01:35 PM   #1
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Weight of your largest bag fully loaded

I went out this morning to shoot some shots and decided to load up. I am planning a week in the Mountains with some friends in mid September so I wanted to get a feel for carrying what I think I will be bringing. I may lighen the load but in all likleyhood not. At a minimun I will bring it all with me I may not carry it all depending on what the day's activities are then again it's the mountains so you have to be prepared for stunning landscapes and wildlife at any given moment

This a Lowepro Computreker AW Plus




Inside are:

DA 10-17
DA 12-24
DA 35 LTD
SMC 50
DA* 16-50
DA* 50-135
Sigma 105 Macro
Sigma 50-500
Tamrom 70-200
Pentax 1.7x Teleconverter
K20D BG4 Battery Grip
Culman 42000 Ball Head
540FGZ Flash
Extra Batteries , Timer, Pen Light, Fliters

Strapped on the outside is (still don't like those straps - going to get something else)

ManFrotto 055XPROB with a Manfrotto 322RC2 pistol grip

I always joked around that I was slugging 50lbs on my back so today I actually weighed it. A reasonable 36lbs.

With the Lowepro CompuTreker aw plus, it has the waist straps which takes a surprising amount of weight off the shoulders.

I carried this around today for about 1.5 - 2 hours and I felt fine.

There are a couple of lenses left out (Sigma 17-70 and DA 55-300) trivial extra weight the bag has room for them. (I think )

And here I am today carrying the load - ahh the things we go through to get a shot






Last edited by daacon; 08-20-2011 at 01:43 PM.
08-20-2011, 04:12 PM   #2
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My heaviest would either be the one that carries my long glass, or else my 4x5 bag, both are pretty heavy.
08-20-2011, 05:29 PM   #3
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I don't walk around with a heavy bag, period. If I am on the go I take one or two lenses that cover the range I want to have for that shooting day. Extra batteries, a small blower, whatever filters and lens hoods I need, memory cards, that's it. I can pack just about everything I need in my Tamrac 515 bag and a couple of side lens cases I've put on the side.

I may have a light bag or backpack with room for my jacket, an umbrella, snacks if I need them, but I don't add more photo gear to that usually. I seldom take a tripod with me. I prefer to use whatever is at hand to steady my camera, the side of a building, a tree, whatever than carry a tripod and reflectors and so forth all over, all day long. I don't believe in carting half a studio's worth of gear with me when I go out shooting. I'm a total minimalist that way.
08-20-2011, 05:46 PM   #4
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I take the whole kit and kabootle with me a lot of the times , however I usually go where I can park the car and then head out and come back to the car if need be. If I am in some situations where I am treking into the bush I may take it all. Also I may take it all if I am going somewhere exotic I have not been before.

I don't find it that bad actually (I am sure at some point I will ). But there ae way more times I just go out wth the body and maybe a couple of lenses.

I was just curious how many Kilos / pounds you largest bag fully loaded would weigh. I was guessing mine was 50 and it tunred out to be 36 - surpised me.

08-20-2011, 05:48 PM   #5
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Wow, carrying that load sounds too much like work to me.
Be sure to bring a smaller bag, too - in case you come to your senses!

Chris
08-20-2011, 05:58 PM   #6
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I have a Tamrac Expedition 8 and it's 30lbs without the tripod and several heads. It's closer to 40lbs fully loaded. When I get to a location, I usually off-load what I am positive I won't use and either leave it in the hotel or locked in the car. Walking around I can get the weight down as I put what I need in an Expedition 5.

The reason I use the Expedition packs, is because of the way the tripod straps work.
The Tamrac keeps the legs of the Tripod even with the bottom of the pack, so when I set the pack down, it's not an awkward extension, and the pack can sit on it's bottom. With the Tamrac Expedition series there are straps along the length of the tripod and it makes for a perfect combination.
08-20-2011, 06:31 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by LaurenOE Quote
I have a Tamrac Expedition 8 and it's 30lbs without the tripod and several heads. It's closer to 40lbs fully loaded. When I get to a location, I usually off-load what I am positive I won't use and either leave it in the hotel or locked in the car. Walking around I can get the weight down as I put what I need in an Expedition 5.

The reason I use the Expedition packs, is because of the way the tripod straps work.
The Tamrac keeps the legs of the Tripod even with the bottom of the pack, so when I set the pack down, it's not an awkward extension, and the pack can sit on it's bottom. With the Tamrac Expedition series there are straps along the length of the tripod and it makes for a perfect combination.
Sweet ! An answer - Yes I bring other bags as well. I have a crumpler 7 million I think and a smaller Lowepro backback. Looking a Lowepro sling 200aw maybe - but will sepnd some time at the 'store' and try out a few see what I like

08-20-2011, 06:39 PM   #8
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When I first started shooting 4x5, I had an old B&J monorail that, by itself, weighed in at 16 pounds. Add in a few lenses, a couple of dozen film holders, spot meter, accessories and a backpack that had been extensively modified to carry it, and I was carrying close to 40 pounds + tripod.
As soon as I could afford to, I bought a Tachihara field camera and was able to drop the bag weight to just under 30 pounds, but my Zone VI tripod took the total carry back up to close to 60 pounds.
I was in pretty good shape back then.
08-20-2011, 06:44 PM   #9
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I have tried on many ocassions to get the weight down, but I am then wishing for something I left back home - 3000 miles away!
Now with the extras I take for video of the K5, I am hopeless.

I think one of these is in my future.

MONOWALKER

http://www.monowalker.com/ENG-close-up.html

There is also the Dixon Rollerpack, but it appears to hold the load higher.

http://dixonrollerpack.com/3327.html

Last edited by LaurenOE; 08-20-2011 at 06:57 PM.
08-21-2011, 02:10 AM   #10
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I don't think I could get to 10lbs unless I started taking multiples of the same focal length. But I have a lightweight CF tripod (2.2lbs) and slow, old primes. And my kit was specifically made for backpacking, camping and travel.
08-21-2011, 05:25 AM   #11
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The weight does come from the long glass for sure (Sigma 50-500, Tamaron 7-200) and the Tripod. I may get a CF tripod at some point - right now unfortunatley my day job gets in the way to take as many photographic trips as I would like. Some day though that is how I plan to spend my days and by then I will defintley lighten the load.
08-22-2011, 07:40 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by daacon Quote


I always joked around that I was slugging 50lbs on my back so today I actually weighed it. A reasonable 36lbs.

I'm sorry but thats just nuts. I you want to lift weights you should have bought Canon

My biggest bag is Domke F-5XC.
In that i can fit.
K-7 +FA43 mounted
DA15 + DFA100WR "double capped"
DA35 + DA70 "double capped"
DA55-300 (for good light) or an AF540 (for poor light) - not both though
4 filters - ND's & CPL all 49mm in a Tiffen soft pouch
Manfrotto mini tripod (709B)
2 spare batteries & SD cards (inside a Pentax Ltd leather"ette" pouch
Vangaurd lens blower/brush/polish (not a huge one but enough)
Lenspen cloth
Rain cover (pinched from a Kata bag)
new Peak Design "Capture camera clip"
Filter removal tool - (a cable tie)
Smartphone

Thats under 8 lbs..... & I'd probably never take ALL of those lenses or the flash at the same time.
Usually under 5 lbs w/ 3 lenses & maybe the flash & accessories.

Your K20D + Bigma would weigh more than my entire kit here.
08-22-2011, 03:10 PM   #13
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Back when photography was my job, I sometimes (too often!) carried a big heavy overstuffed over-the-shoulder bag to event shoots. Luckily I didn't do that long enough to need an on-call chiropractor. It used to be an occupational disorder of pro toggers: bad backs. That's before padded backpacks, y'know. Ah, these newfangled gadgets -- y'all kids have gone soft!

Now I've a small backpack... that I don't wear. I've a few large shoulder bags... that I don't carry. These go into the car, in their reserved spot behind the driver's seat. The defensible big Ameribag fits over my shoulder with my immediate kit and rarely weighs as much as 9lb / 4kg (unless I've stuffed a tripod or mini-laptop in there too). More likely it's half that weight.

Note on big heavy bags: These are fine for motorized transport, except when traveling and changing rooms nightly. Less is more when schlepping bags upstairs in odd hostels, posadas, treehouses etc. Yes, I pare-down my kit a bit when driving from Sacramento to Guatemala. I stuff a big duffel with camera+computer bags, clothes, pillow, electric fan, etc. -- heavy enough!
08-22-2011, 06:09 PM   #14
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I just got back from a 2 week Alaska vacation. My ThinkTank Streetwalker HD held my K5, DA*60-250,DA 18-135, DA*16-50, DA 10-17, AFA 1.7x,back up hard drive, memory cards, phone chargers and chargers for everything else,11.6" laptop and misc magazines and travel documents...... 25 lbs. I did not think it was too bad.
08-22-2011, 08:16 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by daacon Quote
I

Inside are:

DA 10-17
DA 12-24
DA 35 LTD
SMC 50
DA* 16-50
DA* 50-135
Sigma 105 Macro
Sigma 50-500
Tamrom 70-200
Pentax 1.7x Teleconverter
K20D BG4 Battery Grip
Culman 42000 Ball Head
540FGZ Flash
Extra Batteries , Timer, Pen Light, Fliters

...
I carried this around today for about 1.5 - 2 hours and I felt fine.

And here I am today carrying the load - ahh the things we go through to get a shot
Dave, a few months ago I went for a few hours walk in some mountains whilst on holiday with a very similar amount of gear in a large backpack.
It didn't take me long to realise an unfortunate truth - even the slightest increase in gradient makes a load like that much harder to bear. I had previously walked around on flat land for a few hours all loaded up without much of an issue. But as soon as I got onto the forest trail I struggled.

So the advice from this flat lander is to consider what sort of walking your going to be doing. I wouldn't be trying to take half that stuff up to a ridge line again!

There's also a lot of overlap in your lenses. Personally I would find myself only using my favourites anyway.

OK now to actually answer your question

I have a large crumpler bag and loaded it up with the following:
- K5 & grip with spare battery
- DA15, M20/4, DA35, A50/1.2, DA*60-250
- Pentax 67 with 55/4 and waist level finder + film
- CF tripod and small ball head
- small accessories

All that minus the tripod was about 12kg. Add the tripod and some water and snacks and it would be about 16kg - pretty close to your 36lbs.
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