Looking for advice on carrying and managing the weight of gear

[Deidra White]

Hello fellow photography lovers! I’m looking for some guidance regarding carrying gear and dealing with the weight of it.

Here’s some background information for you. I had surgery on my right ankle in January of this year to repair my torn Peroneus Brevis tendon and 3 lateral ligaments after I took a fall in September of 2022. I continued to have sciatic and low back pain and it turns out I also have a broken L5 vertebrae (Spondylolisthesis), herniated L5-S1 disc, and mild scoliosis. That being said, I’ve pretty much been in physical therapy for a year non-stop. The good news is that I’ve made a LOT of progress and am regaining my strength, hooray!

Landscape and nightscape photography is what I love. Usually in the spring, summer, and fall I get to pack up my bag of gear, unplug, and escape to the trails here in the Pacific Northwest. That’s my favorite way to decompress. I haven’t been able to do this and it’s driving me crazy. My physical therapist knows my goal is to get back to doing this and we’ve tailored my training to aid in that goal. However going forward I think it’s important that I consider the weight of the gear I have with me and how I’m carrying it.

I have 3 different camera backpacks and a couple of different messenger style bags. I’m always carrying a tripod but I’m yet to find a bag that holds a tripod in a way that’s easy to remove and put back in. Oftentimes the tripod holder is on one side or the other of the bag, which makes the weight uneven which isn’t great for the back. Otherwise the tripod holder is on the bottom of the bag which means when I take off my bag to set it down the tripod is going to take the wear and tear of hitting the ground first. It’s also a bit challenging to find a bag that fits my camera properly. I use a battery grip on my Sony A7ii because they eat batteries. The grip is super lightweight but makes the camera body itself bigger.

I’m also thinking about the weight of my camera and lenses themselves. I don’t have the funds to upgrade my camera currently but I will eventually. I’d love to hear some suggestions from you all about how you manage carrying your photography equipment and if you’ve had experience having to reduce the weight of what you’re carrying. If you made it to the end of the rather long and wordy post, thank you! I’m looking forward to your feedback 😊

[Rob Wood (Admin)]

Wow, that is quite a cache of injuries! Good luck with your recovery.

To be honest, my favourite kit is VERY heavy – D810 with a 70-200 and a 14-24 with tripod, and all the bells and whistles. But WOW, it’s heavy!

Last time I went on an overseas trip, I took a simple gx8 with 1 lens. No regrets artistically (though I am not a huge fan of the camera, but another small mirrorless will probably become my go-to camera).

So I don’t know if I have a great answer for you other than to try to fall in love the minimalism in gear. 😐

[Deidra White]

Thank you, Rob. Unfortunately, I’m not sure exactly how much I can get the weight of my gear down. I haven’t weighed everything which I really should do in order to help figure out what direction to go. I suspect that my tripod and my TTArtisan 11mm lens are the two items that weigh the most, but I can’t really leave them behind 🙂

I’m definitely more frustrated with this long recovery period than I had expected to be. I wasn’t expecting to lose so much muscle so quickly. During this time I’ve been reflecting a lot on my past work and edits, which has been very insightful. I’m playing with the idea of going back to the basics for a bit by just carrying a film viewfinder camera or SLR on me.

[Rob Eyers]

Hi Deidra. You certainly are coping with numerous physical challenges. Best wishes on a great recovery.

Regarding a tripod, have you considered a Platypod? I use their smallest one along with a very small and light ballhead. They’re small, easy to pack, and they add very little weight.

I’m not familiar with Sony’s cameras however they must have some light prime lenses in the 6 to 7 ounce range. Maybe look at your existing photos and determine which focal lengths you use the most. To get weight down I think you’ll really have to prioritize what you take with you.

Today’s post processing makes it possible to change the way we pack our bags. IBIS, noise reduction, and Ai make it easier to minimize what we carry. If you start by taking a bare minimum with you, then the next time you’ll know what you can absolutely leave behind and what you really should have taken.

[Deidra White]

Thank you for your well wishes, Rob. I will get there, I’m just not someone who does well with having physical limitations put on me haha!

I’ve never heard of a Platypod, I’ll look into it though. I suspect that my tripod is one of the biggest culprits regarding weight.

You’re right, post-processing technology today does make it easier to minimize what we carry. I think part of my problem is that I don’t think I carry that much… which probably isn’t true 🙂

Great idea to look at the focal length I seem to be using the most in my photos. I think that will be really insightful when evaluating what I should carry.

[beth]

skip the camera bags and buy a military bag with molle straps.  protect the gear inside with electronics or lens wraps like this these:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lens+wrap&i=electronics&crid=QPCXIUWDUDK0&sprefix=lens+wrap%2Celectronics%2C75&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

you can also put a camera bag insert into a regular backpack, but it takes up a lot of room.  you fit in more gear with the lens wraps.

i use the 5.11 rush 24 bag and can use molle straps to attach a tripod to either the back (tripod is upright) or bottom (tripod is horizontal) of the bag.  i’ve also done hikes with a platypod or a decade mini tripod plate instead of the heavier full tripod.

i’ve used this bag system for over a decade now without any issues.  it’s also a lot more comfortable and load bearing than a traditional camera backpack with hip and chest straps to use.  the best thing is it doesn’t look like a camera bag.

my rush 24 holds the fuji 50r, 20-35, 32-64, 45-100 and 100-200mm with plenty of extra room inside the main pouch, plus extra pouches for other stuff.  it also fits the sony with the 200-600mm and a few extra lenses, though it’s a squeeze if the 200-600mm is attached to the camera.  i also had to make a homemade lens wrap to cover that beast.  but if you run out of room, just add on another pouch with the molle straps.

[Deidra White]

Thank you for the advice Beth! I haven’t seen these lens wraps before, I really like the idea of them and will have to try them out. I have an Opteka 650-1300 that is a beast and I really dislike the case it came with, a wrap would be a way better option for it I think.

When carrying your tripod on the back of your bag are these the straps you’re securing it with?

[beth]

no, that strap holds the hated stuff-it pouch closed.  i have a mk ii bag, the mk ii bags added the stuff it pouch.  you need a few extra straps with clips, you can pick them up cheap on amazon.  weave them into the molle webbing on the front of the pack and snap them around the tripod or on the 4 straps tighter on the bottom of the bag.

[beth]

here’s a video on the molle strap system.  you can see the 4 loops on the bottom of the bag at the beginning of the video.  i loop the straps through there to create a hammock for the tripod.  or i attach them to the part where they’re adding the green bag and slip 2 of the tripod legs through there so it hangs down.

 

and another video showing a bedroll attached to where my tripod would be on the bottom.

[Deidra White]

That makes more sense, thank you!

[VALERY]

Why do not  switch to indoor photography ? You wouldn’t need to carry any gear …

[Author]

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