Posted by Vandit Kalia on March 13, 2006 at 6:23 AM
I want to get a balt+harness system for hiking trips.
I'd like to be able to carry the following:
- 1 DSLR body
- 1 WA zoom (17-40/4 or 28-75/2.8)
- 1 short tele (70-200/4)
- 1 big tele (100-400 or 300/4)
- TCs
Option to be able to lug a 500/4 + tripod on the back a big plus.
Was looking at the following 3 choices:
- Thinktank Photo - built in raincovers, cannot handle 500/4, geared more towards working out of the system than hiking with it
- Lowepro - built in rain covers, reasonably priced, can carry 500/4
- Kinesis - gets great reviews but very pricey and no rain cover
Anyone used these for hiking and can comment on comfort, load stability and general field usability?
Thanks,
Vandit
Edit: changed review request from Think Tank to any/all of the above three.
Vandit, I have a similar setup to yours except 300 2.8. I chose Kinesis. I felt Thinktank was good but the variety of products too small. Also Thinktank is very PJ oriented. I am planning to buy the ThinkTank Airport Addict, however. ( I will be in India at the end of November)
I can't say which is best for you. The belt/harness has to be comfortable under load. There needs to be enough variety of cases and accessories so that as your needs and equipment change you have options.
Having used the lowepro and kinesis system extensively, i'd strongly recommend the lowepro for comfort and top class design and padding. Lowepro uses more traditional methods of attachment like straps and the sliplock system that feels more secure as you are bouncing around or running. The kinesis one is more wobbly and makes u wonder if it will give way one day (i have cable ties and bungee cords wrapped around all my connecting points. If i were u, i'd go for the lowepro deluxe waistbelt, with a LC3 for the wides and a LC4 for the tele. Can buy a lens trekker for the 500. If u do go the lens trekker route, i think it comes with the belt and harness so it saves u a bit of dough. As with all their stuff, its hot swappable, a bit like your kid's lego building blocks.
We use belt systems extensively for outdoor shooting in our professional and recreational lives, almost completely replacing photo vests except for indoor shooting and venues with lots of people. Here's the results of 5 years of extended practical experience:
I'd never consider carrying big lenses on a belt unless I also had suspenders on the belt. Way too much weight for comfort, and I don't have enough butt to keep the belt off my ankles. My 500 f/4 hangs from the factory shoulder strap. Similarly, I don't like hangingheavy cameras like my D2X from the belt. Instead I bought a 50" shoulder strap so I can stick my head and one shoulder through the strap, allowing the camera to hang under my arm at approximately waist level. Way to much leg slap while walking if you hang anything long and heavy from the belt.
Another consideration for belt systems: How easy is it to add/remove individual pouches. We end up using only one or two pouches a lot of the time, simply hanging them from our regular belts rather than the photo belt. We also hang one or two from the waist belt on either our conventional backpacks or photo packs. They provide easy access to gear without removing the pack.
Some folks like the drawstring closures on the pouches, but we find they let in too much grit in dusty environs. Both my wife and I prefer zippers if we can get them on pouches that meet other needs.
Haven't mentioned brands yet, have I? That's because we're not brand loyal, rather we mix and match brands to get the specific features we want. We started out with Tamrac so they dominate, but we have other brands too. I'm not impressed with the Tamrac belt itself, so will probably switch that out. Their zippers and velcroed flaps work very well. Frankly none of the brands have it all figured out yet, so for best service be prepared to mix and match to get the system which meets your needs best.
Discussion
3 repliesI'd like to be able to carry the following:
- 1 DSLR body
- 1 WA zoom (17-40/4 or 28-75/2.8)
- 1 short tele (70-200/4)
- 1 big tele (100-400 or 300/4)
- TCs
Option to be able to lug a 500/4 + tripod on the back a big plus.
Was looking at the following 3 choices:
- Thinktank Photo - built in raincovers, cannot handle 500/4, geared more towards working out of the system than hiking with it
- Lowepro - built in rain covers, reasonably priced, can carry 500/4
- Kinesis - gets great reviews but very pricey and no rain cover
Anyone used these for hiking and can comment on comfort, load stability and general field usability?
Thanks,
Vandit
Edit: changed review request from Think Tank to any/all of the above three.
I can't say which is best for you. The belt/harness has to be comfortable under load. There needs to be enough variety of cases and accessories so that as your needs and equipment change you have options.
I'd never consider carrying big lenses on a belt unless I also had suspenders on the belt. Way too much weight for comfort, and I don't have enough butt to keep the belt off my ankles. My 500 f/4 hangs from the factory shoulder strap. Similarly, I don't like hangingheavy cameras like my D2X from the belt. Instead I bought a 50" shoulder strap so I can stick my head and one shoulder through the strap, allowing the camera to hang under my arm at approximately waist level. Way to much leg slap while walking if you hang anything long and heavy from the belt.
Another consideration for belt systems: How easy is it to add/remove individual pouches. We end up using only one or two pouches a lot of the time, simply hanging them from our regular belts rather than the photo belt. We also hang one or two from the waist belt on either our conventional backpacks or photo packs. They provide easy access to gear without removing the pack.
Some folks like the drawstring closures on the pouches, but we find they let in too much grit in dusty environs. Both my wife and I prefer zippers if we can get them on pouches that meet other needs.
Haven't mentioned brands yet, have I? That's because we're not brand loyal, rather we mix and match brands to get the specific features we want. We started out with Tamrac so they dominate, but we have other brands too. I'm not impressed with the Tamrac belt itself, so will probably switch that out. Their zippers and velcroed flaps work very well. Frankly none of the brands have it all figured out yet, so for best service be prepared to mix and match to get the system which meets your needs best.