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Is your rig a bit heavy ? (1 Viewer)

Musoman

Musoman

PETE - Nikon/Sony Shooter
United Kingdom
For those of us with poor bones and youth that has passed us by, why not use a small trolley to haul your gear ?

This used to be a shopping trolley for REALLY old people, so i dumped the bag that was on it and tied my Airjet rucksack to it. I also gave the the trolley a makeover using camo tape and matt black paint job to hide the nasty pink plastic handles and wheel trims
 

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I prefer to keep it on my back so I can walk anywhere and even ride my bike. This is with my old tripod etc:
14678708961_1273080094_b.jpg
With my new scope and tripod (both carbon fiber), the whole business weighs just under 10kg, and I can add any amount of walking stools, ground covers, water bottles, sandwiches...;)
as long as I am willing to carry it. The back pack was not expensive, about $100 or so, is very comfortable and snug, plus I have my hands free. Don't like pulling things.
 
janvangastel said:
Looks heavier then my rig. Mine weights 7.5 kilo's (16.5 Lbs) and I have no trouble at all carrying it around for hours with a tripod carrier, which can be seen here http://janvangastel.nl/
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Mine's a bit heavier at 10.5kg and i could just stuff it all in the rucksack for sure, but if there's a lot of walking, then i'd get fatigued real quick, and this is the answer.
Short distances wouldnt be a problem, but i've rarely been birding where its a short walk to all the action.
 
DanC.Licks said:
I prefer to keep it on my back so I can walk anywhere and even ride my bike. This is with my old tripod etc:
View attachment 505909
With my new scope and tripod (both carbon fiber), the whole business weighs just under 10kg, and I can add any amount of walking stools, ground covers, water bottles, sandwiches...;)
as long as I am willing to carry it. The back pack was not expensive, about $100 or so, is very comfortable and snug, plus I have my hands free. Don't like pulling things.
Click to expand...


Well to be honest, this thread wasn't for the likes of fit and healthy people who can walk all day with their gear, so pulling something along instead of carrying it makes sense if anyone has trouble carrying their gear long distance and all day

My arthritis is getting the better of me as the months go by, so this little trolley will really help.
 
I nearly got my wife a scooter this year as she has chronic fatigue syndrome along with fibromyalgia. She likes to come with me when I go out with the scope and we looked at some of the buggies that golfers use, see image. They are a bit more suited to off road use and don't look so much like a disabled scooter. We didn't get one in the end as she can still manage up to a mile at slow walking speed. I might think about it in the future though.

Paul.
 

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Well, I guess I must count myself lucky to still be mobile at just under 70, but then I work at it a bit too. Got over 1000 miles of hilly terain in my legs this year so far. My bike weighs less than my scope/tripod/backpack. ;)
 
That scooter looks the business ;)

The only problem i can see with a mob scoot, is that sometimes you come across stiles, and weird kissing gates, and you wouldnt get that through

Hey Dan, sounds like you are fitter at nearly 70 than i am in my 50's. B :)
 
B :) B :) B :)

Went for a 100km ride with my son a week or so ago. He used to race:
07%2520OW5_resize.jpg
He hasn't ridden much at all the last couple of years but he still knows how to put on the hurt. Made me feel like a 70 year old!
;)
:-C
B :)
 
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My photo sessions are quite often involving some walking to/from/between sites through terrain where a trolley is out of question (ask Dan!). My big scope with CF tripod, two way gimbal head and camera body weighs maybe 10kg. The small scope with same support maybe 5.5-6kg.

With tripod legs extended I have no issues carrying the small scope for quite long distances, and having it deployed and readily available means a fair chance to seize opportunities since it takes a few seconds only to bring the setup to operational mode.

The heavy scope though is less balanced meaning more stress on the shoulder. It's not the weight as such, it's rather the torque. Thus I will leave it in the car if the walking distance to the site is in the order of a km. Maybe the use of a rucksack with customized cavities to accomodate the scope, tripod and extras would be a good solution.
 
Tord,
I can't remember, did you see my backpack? I just put a high density foam bottom in, and made two tubes out of the same stuff. Some kind of beach mat. Easy enough to do. I can unpack it, flip over my gimbal, and mount the scope in not much over one minute.
I have carried nearly 20 kg of water in it at times, like when I am trying to get in shape for our yearly ski vacation.;)
I agree about the torque thing. Mine balances quite nicely, and with the extended legs spread, it is easy enough to manage. Don't think I would want to carry your 107/700 though...

What about a golf trolly for those who want to pull their rig. Wider wheelbase, (maybe too wide?) more rugged, lower center of gravity...

We say a number of Dutch people on Helgoland this summer all decked out in brand new camo suits with matching camo trollies, mostly toting big white monsters, like 400/2.8s and 600/4s, plus other lenses and multiple bodies. Well healed bunch! That is talking heavy. No way I would want to have that all on my back!

I did get a few stares with my funny looking telescope with the tiny E-M1 on it.
 
DanC.Licks said:
Tord,
I can't remember, did you see my backpack? I just put a high density foam bottom in, and made two tubes out of the same stuff. Some kind of beach mat. Easy enough to do. I can unpack it, flip over my gimbal, and mount the scope in not much over one minute.
I have carried nearly 20 kg of water in it at times, like when I am trying to get in shape for our yearly ski vacation.;)
I agree about the torque thing. Mine balances quite nicely, and with the extended legs spread, it is easy enough to manage. Don't think I would want to carry your 107/700 though...

...
Click to expand...
No, I did not see your backpack however I got a fairly good idea from a post you wrote in the past, I think it was more than a year ago. I was thinking of custom made cylinders/compartments cut out from sleeping mats (made of polyurethane) to store the scopes, tripod and extras. Ideally the rucksack should be tall enough to allow transporting the scopes with tubes, adapter and camera fitted, but it could be a challenge to find a solution that works with the 700mm scope (close to 80cm in length when operational).
 
Quite agree on the scope length. Mine sticks out the top of my rucksack even witout the camera fitted.

Golf trolley sounds like a good alternative to my shopping trolley
 
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