Can this bag work for my system?

[TurboPants]

I've not done a multiple day hike yet, but will be soon to prepare and test out my gear. Some may have read my thread earlier, but I'm taking my dSLR camera with me. I'm a photonut first, hiker second, so it's necessary. My concern is fitting all the other gear in a smallish pack. Here's the pack I'm looking at getting (Clik Elite Obscura 30L):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDwwWS9dgTs

My concern is mainly about sleeping systems and pads because I know those take up a lot of room. Here's a rough list of gear:

Marmot 20* down bag
Food Bowl (pocket stove, fuel & snow peak 700 all inside)
Cocoon pillow (very small)
Eureka Spitfire solo tent
Thermarest Prolite
Collapsible pocket rain jacket
Clothes pouch
Food bag
Hydration bladder and 24-32oz water bottle

That covers the basics. I'd free up interior pack space with a fold up Thermarest sleeping pad strapped on the outside BUT I'm a side sleeper and these mats just kill my hips. 135 days is my target time frame, leaving in mid-late March if that's relevant. Anyway, let me know what you guys think of the backpack. Thanks in advance!

[jeffmeh]

I, for one, am quite skeptical that you will get all of your gear including your camera equipment into a 30l pack, unless you are an extremely proficient UL hiker. Put all of your gear together and measure and see if you are close enough to consider that pack.

I would think you would be better off with a larger pack that was not designed specifically for camera equipment, and figuring out how best to make it accommodate the camera equipment.

[treesloth]

Just weighed my Canon 10D - it's about 3# with a 28-105 lens on it.. I give you credit for your willingness to haul around camera equipment that will feel like an anvil in your pack (for quite a while). :-) I'll just continue to use my smartphone for pics.

Oh, and I'm a side sleeper too. Get yourself a Neoair. You won't regret it.

[RodentWhisperer]

+1 amongst the pack skeptics. If you can, stuff all your gear into a duffel (and stuff your food bag full of clothes, a pillow, etc.), head to your nearest outfitter and see just what packs can hold all of it.

[TurboPants]

Thanks for the replies so far. Maybe I'm dreaming with the 30L pack, but after watching Loner's trips on YouTube with his 20L $50 backpack I thought surely I could find a way to survive on a 30L. But he had a hammock and tarp, where I'd have a tent and sleeping pad in the pack too. Clik Elite does make this same bag in a 40L version, but they want $380 for it lol. I could get 2 decent light packs for that.

I just weighed my Sony A57 with a 18-55mm kit lens and 75-300mm zoom lens and it was 36oz even. I'm willing to take on 3 extra pounds, I'm in decent shape for a 32 yr old. The hip holster bag I bought was a good idea until I realized I wouldn't be wearing a belt. :rolleyes: DUH! Maybe I can get a ultra light pack and use some kind of straps to attach my hip holster case to the front of my should straps, or even onto the back of the backpack.

I'm probably 3 hours from any kind of outdoor gear store (Ohio fail!). Based on the normal minimalist approach, is a 40L or 50L big enough assuming no camera gear? I don't have a lot of my smaller gear yet, or the outdoor research sacks I was going to buy due to uncertainty. So right now it's all completely fantasy lol.

[fredmugs]

Concur about the size and didn't want to hit that again. I highly doubt that pack will keep your camera dry - not as shown in that video anyway. You need to have it packed or wrapped in something else.

That looks like a nice day hiking pack.

[RCBear]

I would argue that 3 hours each way is well worth the drive for something that is going to hold all your gear for 5 mos.

[TurboPants]

fredmugs, the Clik Elite bags have a built in rain cover. This one and the bigger 40L both have it. But I'm not giving $380 for a 40L pack unless it wipes my butt for me and comes with an elf that carries the pack.

RCBear, you may be right. BassPro and Cabellas in WV are both about 3 hours from me. I really don't like those kind of stores because their backpacking sections are usually pretty limited for what's on the shelf. Maybe I can do some googling to find a real outdoor fitter. Considering Ohio is basically a big corn field, I'm doubting I'll find any gear shops.

[Sandy of PA]

I wish I had listened, 5 backpacks later, buy the pack last!

[dzierzak]

No recommendations, but a quick look shows the following:

rei - cinci
outdoor source, clintonville outfitters - Columbus
rei - indianapolis
rei - pittsburgh
rei - detroit area
great miami outfitters - dayton

Not included are Dick's and the like...

[TurboPants]

I work about 1.5 hours from Pittsburgh so maybe that will work. I don't know why I never thought about PA. You ever been to the Cabella's near Wheeling? I know it's not that close to Huntington, just curious if it had a good selection of gear.

[dzierzak]

Never been to Cabella's. REI is closer ;) There are actually 2 stores in the Pittsburgh area.

[jeffmeh]

You won't have any options from the cottage industry providers at a big store. That said, go to REI and look at an Osprey Exos 58 and a Granite Gear Crown Vic 60. Those are good quality, reasonably sized packs for a thru-hike, and given that you are bringing your camera equipment I would not expect you to be able to go much smaller. They will also provide you with a good target for fitting your gear.

[Miner]

The camera shouldn't be counted with the pack size, unless you plan on stuffing the camera inside your pack where you will seldom use it and miss most shots because it takes too long to get out. Find a decent camera case that just fits your camera and lens and figure out a way to attach it to your shoulder straps or hipbelt, and test it out on some long day hikes to see if its comfortable. Though I met one guy on the AT carrying a large Canon DSLR who just hung it around his neck when it wasn't raining and would put it in his pack when it rained.

As for pack size, I agree with the others. Get all the gear first and then find a pack that can carry the weight comfortably and all your gear fits in with room left over for upto 6 days of food and water (2L should be more than enough for the AT). Knowing your baseweight can often give a ballpark figure of how big a pack you need since similar baseweights often have similar sized gear (at least when talking about lightweight gear, heavier weights can be all over the place in size).

Not counting my 14oz camera and the case for it, which was mounted to my shoulder straps, I had a baseweight of 9.5 lbs and still carried a 50L pack. Now I could have gone as small as 40L, but no way would 30L have worked for me. Just looking at what little gear you list, I suspect you'll be going heavier then me. A few can use 20 & 30L packs, but they typically are closer to being SUL rather then just UL.

[Feral Bill]

You might consider an external, dedicating a pocket or two to your photo gear. It is easy to hang your camera from the top of the frame, keeping it handy, yet secure and comfortable. Also consider how you might minimize your photo gear, as in lenses, filters, macro attachments etc. Finally, the lighter your other gear is, the more weight in camera gear you can carry happily.

[The Cleaner]

Nice looking Day pack you got there :eek:.....

[The Cleaner]

IMO seems like you need to decide if you want great photos or make it to Maine.After about a week of rain your camera will suffer...

[TurboPants]

I'm not planning on taking much gear, just the camera body with a small lens attached, and one spare lens, an extra flash card, and battery. So 40 ounces max for all camera related gear.

Cleaner, after a week of rain the camera will still be dry in it's water tight case, inside a sylnylon pack, under the rain cover. If what you say is true all cameras would die in a week of rain, when we know most people's phones and small pocket cameras survived the trip. If it's raining I'd have no reason for pictures anyway so it would remain stowed away 3 layers deep. 3 pounds isn't going to stop someone from getting to Katahdin when they plan to go light anyway. For the record, I place my photography equal to the journey and it's one of the major reasons I want to do this in the first place.