Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/09/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Tina opined: "I don't wear my backpack walking around cities, but I can't imagine climbing mountains in Honduras and Guatemala without it!! I also can't imagine hiking down the Grand Canyon or up the Sierra Nevada with a shoulder bag! A backpack is the only way to carry equipment while hiking or mountain climbing. I need both hands to use my hiking sticks. With a backpack on my back and a camera around my neck, everything is balanced and I'm not likely to fall off the side of the mountain! Tina" I share Tina's preference and rationale for how to carry stuff in the mountains. Until about 10 years ago I carried a complete Hasselblad outfit with three magazines, Polaroid holder, spot meter and what not in the three top compartments of a big Kelty B-5 external frame pack, with my Tiltall strapped on top, and the other paraphernalia needed for a week tucked in here and there. It didn't matter that it took at least 5 minutes before I could even put the camera on the tripod. I tried a good sized LowePro "camera backpack" for a few months and could not get used to its layout and empty weight. I also distrust zippers. For about 10 years I have carried one M body and rarely more than two lenses in a Gregory daypack that I outfitted with Domke inserts so that everything photographic, as well as a 1-liter water bottle, has its place and doesn't shift. The tripod stays in the automobile. For anything more than one M and lens while roaming about town, I carry a long ago discontinued Leica shoulder bag. Oliver