Bags that Don't Bother Your Nerves


Status
Not open for further replies.

spilot

New Member
May 4, 2002
98
0
0
58
Jurong West Extension
Visit site
Dear All, & Greetings to Seniors,

I recently had to go buy a backpacer Lowe, because my ol shoulder-style Lowe gave me a numbed right arm, and tingling fingers fr two weeks or so. Doctor's advice - don't carry anything one sided too long. Or is it my age ???

So, comments please on the use of backpacks....



Regards,

CJ
 

I've got a Lowepro Mini Trekker but I only use it when I have to bring almost all my gear or on a trekking/hiking trip. I've got a bad back too and they do help in a way to deal with heavy gear.

However, I don't use them when I can travel in the car or for those walkabouts. That'se because they're too troublesome for me to retrieve my gear when I need them. With a shoulder bag, just reach out and there you go. With the back pack, its much slower.

Ever thought of lighten up your outfit? I'm considering going to primes.
 

...well, now you tell me.

Just got the Nature Trekker.

Anyway, my doc advised that I use a backpack to distribute the weight, coz I have a bad back. So warm back or not - I still must distribute the weight. no point consequently buying a wheelchair and shooting from one - can't imagine going Ubin then....

Regards,

CJ
 

... eh.. you up so early...

going to shoot sunrise ah ?

Anyways, the thought of deploying a trolly, did crossed my mind many times. However, unless I can modify or they come with shock-absorbing wheels, I would gainfully use this method.

On the other hand, a trolly is kinda - unyieldy in say, a steep situation, or say, boarding the MRT or the ever damnable SBS buses ?


Regards,

CJ
 

I will start this post off by saying I use a trolley myself to lug equipment. But to be fair, I tend to carry a lot more than you do. I'm puzzled as to why this need for a trolley, you really don't have that heavy equipment. I routinely carry heavier than what you need to carry on one shoulder, and it's only when I have to bring out the really big guns that the trolley makes an appearance.

(Serious post this time, no smilies.)
 

Hi Jed,

Well, you see, I have made a few indications of a bad back, so, heavy guns or not - I cannot bear any amount of weight for too long. So, I made a mistake of using the soulder Lowe for too long the past two months or more, and gotten a buzzing right hand, and half numbed right arm.

Regards,

CJ
 

Well, a trolley is slow and not the best alternative. Get by with a mini-trekker or micro-trekker if you can then. simply because if you load up a nature trekker you'll be loading yourself with so much weight it comes back to the same thing. I guess the only obvious solution is to cut down your weight, and to trim equipment you don't need to carry.
 

I believe you're right .

I will look into my shooting inventory and re-pack with my back in mind. Man you don't know the pains I have when it acts up.

Hope I don't loose partial use of my right arm....


Regards,

CJ
 

Originally posted by spilot
Man you don't know the pains I have when it acts up.

Sorry to hear, I've got a dodgy knee too.
 

You See Jed,

This back thing is a real "pain" - I gotta take sit down breaks ever so often while out shooting around. And then there are those bloddy awkwardly low tripod height adjustments to conform with framing at night scenes which requires my bending to look thru me viewfinder - now that's a real pain after the shot.

Talk about dodgy knees - I have a burner too - everytime I get up too fast, I get a burning pain shooting up from me right knee.

Damn - ageing is just no damn good.
Now, don't go telling me about exercise and inactivity - it's me back that kept me away from exercise - and I fell from skateboarding some 20 years ago which got me this way in the first place. bleah bleah bleah....



Regards,

CJ
 

Erm, I've just re-read what I wrote and realised on hindsight it could have come across as dismissing your injury as an excuse. Didn't intend it that way at all.

What I meant to say was,

"Sorry to hear. I have a dodgy knee too (so I can sympathise)".

Like I said, I'm sorry to hear, it really can be a pain.
 

Ultimate solution(s):

1. Sell all your gear, get a good P&S like the excellent Ricoh GR-1V. :)

2. Sell all your gear, get a rangefinder with interchangeable lenses (e.g. Contax G2, Leica M series, Voigtlander Bessa series etc).

Of course, before you go on your photo shoot, think, think, think carefully whether you're going to need ALL the gear. Most of the time, you don't need lenses ranging all the way from 14mm to 400mm, zooms or not. E.g. if you are going to shoot macros of flowers and insects in Botanical Gardens, you probably won't need the likes of an 80-200/2.8. Similarly, if you are shooting at the zoo or bird park, you probably won't need a 20mm. I know this is a very hard thing to do - there's always the "what if...." situations which you think you might need that lens you have at home.

Nevertheless, I brought my full gear on my recent trip to China to "cover all situations" - a full 8kg or so of load. Walking a few kilometers with that on a shoulder bag on one shoulder, a lightweight tripod on the other is no joke. But I did use all the lenses I've brought with me, the 20mm being used the most.

Still don't like backpacks, they are simply too troublesome to retrieve/keep equipment.

Regards
CK
 

i got both a lowepro mini trekker and a lowepro off road (a shoulder bag/belt pack combi). i use the mini trekker backpack when i'm lugging a whole load of equipment (SLR body, lenses, accessories plus my laptop), and the off road bag for lighter loads... i like both bags, cos the mini trekker is quite well padded, and the off road bag i can use both the shoulder strap and waist strap at the same time to distribute the weight some and balance the bag when i'm running around. saves me some back pain too...

i'm not sure if they still sell that model anymore though... don't see it on the lowepro website now. CP may still have it though. :D
 

Status
Not open for further replies.