So much stuff! (1 Viewer)

[Mono]

Had a great spring day at Leighton Moss. Highlights included; first Reed Warbler of the year, great views of multiple Cetti's Warbler, a Bittern flight and a roast dinner in the café. But I was stuck by how much kit some folk carry.

One chap had a huge LowePro rucksack containing unknown delights, on his chest he had a multipocketed military style assault vest. Every pocket was stuffed with goodies. Mounted on the front of the chest-rig on some sort of quick release system were two pairs of Swarovski 42mm NLs, presumably different magnifications. Hung off one side of the rucksack was a 115mm BTX on a gimbal headed tripod, hung off the other side was a LowePro lens pouch. I hate to think how much weight he was carrying or Sterling value of it all, but it didn't seem to slow him down. The woman he was with had a single pair of 32mm NLs hung round her neck!

Maybe he should have gone down the route of the other bloke that caught my eye. Only a pair of binoculars round his neck but pulling a four-wheeled camping/festival trolley along filled to the brim with goodness only knows!

I only hope they had as nice a day as I did.

 

[3Italianbirders]

This made me laugh out loud, as we are a bit like that: G usually has a mid-sized photo-rucksack (they have got smaller with the advent of mirrorless cameras, thank goodness for that), 10x42 binoculars on a harness and another camera with 500mm lens on a sling... I also have 10x42 binoculars on a harness, plus a mid-sized hiking rucksack, stuffed with most of my earthly possessions, plus water and food for a week (almost) and my mirrorless camera with 35-70 zoom mounted on one of the straps with one of those quick-release plates... 🙄
Edit: also one of us usually carries our scope with heavy-duty tripod...

 

[wllmspd]

I saw a chap once with a 4 wheeled trolley carrying “the lens” (must have been a 600+mm prime lens)… he’d just given the “old” one to his wife!… I always play a “who’s got the biggest lens” game with myself when at big birding sites.
I have had it noted that a wheeled suitcase helps with the quandary of “scope or camera”, but I much prefer a light bino and a light scope on a folding tripod for instant use. I seem to have been the only one with an umbrella when I was out at the weekend… keeps you much drier than gortex, especially at keeping optics dry!
Never seen a BTX in the flesh, would be fun to see what it can offer.

Peter