David R. Busse wrote: > > How do you carry your gear when you're out shooting trains? > > --Dave Busse > I am not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV
Well, I'd like to say what model of Tamrac photo gear bag I have, but after 7 years I've forgotten, and Tamrac doesn't indicate their model number on the merchandise itself. Anyway, the bag always sits on the front seat next to me, and carries two bodies (my new Nikon N90s and my one of my old Olympus OM-1s.), two 50mm lenses (one for each body), a 28mm f1.8, a 200mm f3.3, the flash unit for my Olympus body, the scanner and battery pack, and a telescoping scanner antenna for the hike back in, all in the main compartment. Filters and lenscaps in the two front pockets; power cables and shutter release cables in the intermediate pocket. Cleaning supplies and batteries in the side pockets. Note book and manuals in the back pocket. Back in my architecture school days, I could also get a sketch book and drawing supplies squeezed into this thing, as well as up to 10 rolls of film in the inside film pouch. I don't sketch much these days... Living out here in the more or less flatlands, I find that before I hike into a site, I already have a pretty good idea of what body and lens I'm going to use. The hike is usually not strenuous, and so it ends up that I swing the camera over my shoulder, carry the tripod in and usually have the lens already attached to the camera and hanging vertically. The 200mm I have is not large, nor is it heavy. However, on a five-month trip to Europe while I was in school, it was assumed that I would be on my feet for most of a given day. I was not about to carry around a 20 pound bag on my shoulder all day long. So, I got the Tamrac photo vest, which was a lifesaver. I was able to carry both (at the time) Olympus bodies, a 50mm f1.8, my 28, and a 70-210mm zoom, as well as my filters, sketch books, and film. Scanner did no damn good to me there, of course. I've not really used the vest since, since it is a bit bulky in the car, and the weather here usually makes the vest uncomfortable. It was ideal in Europe which was fairly temperate most of the time I was there. It fit over my leather jacket in colder cases. I've been drooling over the backpacks for a couple of years, but it is not the highest item on my priority list at the moment. As the accessories are upgraded to the N90s standard and my Olympus components are retired, I will have less of a need for two bodies. (Without the data back for the Nikon, I cannot yet rewind a partial roll to save for completion later, so if I want to go to a higher speed film, I'd better have it loaded into the other body). I figure that as those components are acquired, I'll start looking at the backpack. My one complaint on the Tamrac bag has partially to do with my own laziness. In order to carry the load most efficiently when picking the loaded bag up by the top handle, it is best to have all four clips fastened and the lid of the bag completely zipped. The laziness factor results in only the two front clips ever being fastened. The consequence is that, six years into owning the bag, the metal stiffener to which the handle is attached inside the bag lid failed when I picked it up one evening. The bag is still usable, but it does not retain its shape under load, which means that equipment is probably gently knocking against each other inside. Fortunately, there is that bunch of padding... Otherwise, I've been extremely satisfied with the thoughtfulness of design that goes into the Tamrac bags. Patrick Lenahan Dallas, Texas. -> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs
