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Carrying Scope and Tripod in the Mountains (1 Viewer)

RobMorane

Well-known member
I have a scope for years now, and carrying it, together with Tripod and Binos in the Mountains always gave me plenty of satisfaction on the Wildlife watching side, but somehow, has always been a problem regarding carrying all this, together with the rest of the hiking gear.

Regarding the Binos, I ended up going for the Bino Harness solution, trying different ones to finally find a couple of them I liked.

But finding a solution to carry Scope and Tripod "safely" and without any balance issue has been a long story.

First and cheapest solution explored:
Tripod attached on the side of the backpack with the compression straps, and scope rolled in a fleece inside the pack.
Verdict: Pack wasn't feeling balanced,
the Tripod under the compression straps was moving while walking, and the scope was moving too much inside the pack to my liking.

Second solution explored for
Better Protection of the scope:
Marsupial Gear scope case.
Offering great scope protection, I'm still using it often, but the scope in not "easily" available somehow (opening the pack then opening the case).

Third solution explored:
Eberlestock Batwing pouches.
Long vertical pouch that can be attached to the side of the pack with the compression straps.
Very good, could receive the scope alone or together with the Marsupial Gear case.
But the pouch were horizontally moving along the compressions straps while walking, so the pack still felt unbalanced, with the tripod and pouch that could move on both sides.

Finally, few months ago, I found by chance an Australian company called Low Vis Gear, who launched a pack called LVG-ISR Pack.
Hopping that it would fix my carrying issues, and a bit sceptical about few things, I did order it.
And this pack fixed all my issues.

I'm not going to hide this is a military pack (so that might not sit well with some here, and I do apologise about this), BUT the benefits are too high not to share it here.

The pack is 35L (2135 cubic Inches),
Has a full length padded (closed foam) scope pouch on the side that you can quickly open with a zip, and a Tripod sleeve on the other side, both with compression straps.

I carried 15 Kg with it, like a charm, the pack was very stable, and the belt and shoulder straps were surprisingly confortable, and I can tell you I was very sceptical about them with the few padding they seem to have.
This pack blew me away in many ways, and I wish they created sooner (in other words, when I was younger😅)

For those interested, there's a presentation of the pack on YouTube.
I'm not sure I'm allowed to post pics of Web links to it because it's military so "g*n related", but if this post can help some who had the same issues I had, that's a good thing.
 
The problem with very large packs is that people tend to fill them and then the weight becomes and unnecessary burden. I moved from 8x to 10x to 12x and now to 16x (image stabilized) binoculars so I seldom have need of a spotting scope.
 
The problem with very large packs is that people tend to fill them and then the weight becomes and unnecessary burden. I moved from 8x to 10x to 12x and now to 16x (image stabilized) binoculars so I seldom have need of a spotting scope.
People are generally making the mistake of filling a pack too much only once 😉
But that's not about the size of the Backpack, but more about carrying a scope and Tripod confortably in rough Terrain, with good gear accessibility.

In the Mountains, at long range, 15x Binos, even on a tripod, do not really compare to a scope with a usable 20-60x zoom eyepiece.
Less confortable for sure, but that does make a whole difference regarding wildlife identification and not disturbing them.

Regarding birds only, Binos are enough, I totally agree with you.
 
I have a drawscope that I carry when in the mountains. No need for a tripod, there are usually plenty of things to brace against.
 
I have a drawscope that I carry when in the mountains. No need for a tripod, there are usually plenty of things to brace against.
Nice! I thought about this solution at some point.
I did choose a scope instead, kinda more confortable with long observation
 
There is another solution, the Novoflex Trio-Walk.

It's a hardly known concept, Novoflex is not reaching the target groups, it seems they don't care about marketing. But it's a brilliant idea.




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Finally, few months ago, I found by chance an Australian company called Low Vis Gear, who launched a pack called LVG-ISR Pack.
Hopping that it would fix my carrying issues, and a bit sceptical about few things, I did order it.
And this pack fixed all my issues.
I can see how this backpack works well for carrying scope and tripod. Price is a bit steep though.

My own solution was rather to find a light tripod or a monopod, which can be attached on the side or front to a regular hiking backpack, and putting the scope inside the pack (not a lot of padding needed in my view, as long the scope lenses are protected by caps).
 

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