Has anyone tried to use one of those backpack harness to carry a regular shoulder bag? I like using my Domke F-4 very much, but I am not sure if it is a good idea to carry a shoulder bag for an upcoming two weeks' travelling in the Orlando and San Francisco areas. A backpack is certainly a more comfortable way to carry the weights, but it is also quite inconvenient if one needed to get to the gears. In addition, it gets very humid and hot in Florida which makes carrying a backpack quite uncomfortable. I will be carrying 2 SLR's with motordrives, 4 lenses with the 80-200mm zoom as the heaviest, a flash, a meter, and other necessary items plus films. Appreciate any suggestion, especially your personal experiences on how you toted all your gears when you took a vacation.

Thanks in advance. Mahalo.

-- Clarence Lau (cl0320@yahoo.com), April 29, 1999

Answers

A packframe (which I think is what you mean by "those backpack harness") can be cooler than a frameless or internal frame pack, because it stands off from your body by about an inch. Much of what actually touches you is a nylon mesh. I have carried a camera bag attached to a packframe, but I was also carrying a backpacking bag on the same frame which carried clothes, camping equipment, a long lens and a tripod. A properly fitting packframe, that rests on a padded hip belt and is held vertical by padded shoulder straps, seems like it would stand out in crowds in Orlando and San Francisco, even though it is a comfortable way to carry lots of weight. The packframe and its bag weighed about 5 lbs. empty. Like you, I have a Domke F-4, and sometimes throw it into a simple, frameless backpack, together with a tripod, if I know I have a long walk to where I'll be shooting. This pack (about 2 lbs.) has padding where it rests on my back, so that it is cushioned, but can be a little sticky in the heat. Hope this helps.

-- Hector Javkin (h.javkin@ieee.org), April 29, 1999.

Personally, I would just stick with the shoulder bag option, particularly in a place like Florida. I have a bad back, and yet I can still get used to carrying a heavy shoulder bag for long periods of time. Just trade shoulders once in a while. I have the LowePro Nature Trekker for when I really need a backpack. I wouldn't compromise. Either stick with the Domke shoulder bag, or invest in a high quality backpack (and be prepared for a REALLY sweaty back).

-- Bruce Rideout (brideout@sandiegozoo.org), April 29, 1999.

this sight might help

http://www.tamrac.com/g_backpacks.htm

-- (hbbairdca@yahoo.ca), January 21, 2002.