Cley Spy MulePack (1 Viewer)

[tigglestiger]

I am thinking of getting a Mulepack from Cley Spy for Christmas and wanted so see if anyone has first-hand experience of them... good points / bad points?

I usually carry a standard backpack with my note pad and bird guide so would be nice to be 'hands free'.

Any comments welcome...

 

[PYRTLE]

Just type in mulepack or scopac into advanced search and you'll get all the info you need..the fact that there are 1000s in use should also hint that they are a useful bit of kit.

 

[field of sheep]

Hi Graham,

Yep they are superb. Had mine for a month or so now, very very comfy and not at all in the way when you want to carry your tripod extended, really useful bit of kit.
If you are down Ipswich way you are welcome to try mine out before going ahead and ordering but to be honest you can't go wrong with them.
Matt

 

[tigglestiger]

Cheers Matt, thanks for the honest review, glad you like it!

I will get on and get mine ordered in time for some birding over the christmas holidays

 

[field of sheep]

Cheers Matt, thanks for the honest review, glad you like it!

I will get on and get mine ordered in time for some birding over the christmas holidays

Goodo, you won't regret it.

 

[Sancho]

What Matt said. Pros - more comfortable, easier to carry scope on a long day out, distributes weight of a big scope across shoulders and back (more important as my spine gets older), scope is balanced more horizontally involving less risk of falling, you can put your lens-pen, cloth, guide, extra ep´s, etc. in the pockets. Only two cons - one is that you have to retract/extend the legs of the ´pod each time you stop/start walking. The other is that the mulepack will catch the wind on windy days and make the whole set-up that little bit more unstable. But you can always take it off the ´pod legs for extended static viewing (e.g. seawatching). Enjoy.

 

[dogfish]

I have the Mulepack and the original Scopac (new version available now, I believe).
The stitching on the Mulepack has had to be repaired whereas the Scopac, which I've had longer, is still fine.


Sean

 

[tigglestiger]

Thanks for all the comments and advice.

Mine arrived a couple of days ago (the delivery was very fast) I am looking forward to giving it a field test.

 

[miketaylor]

Mulepack vs Scopac Plus?

Hi all,

Any thoughts on the pros & cons of the Mulepack vs the Scopac Plus? How does the storage capacity compare? (I've found comparisons with Scopac Lite, but not the Plus. )

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[nigel mockridge]

Mike, why not try one of the lowepro scope porters from ace optics/cameras, I have had mine for a good while now, and the new swaro atx 85, fits in there like a glove , and I have lugged it many a mile on my back , and you don't even notice it , great bit of kit , Nigel.

 

[miketaylor]

Mike, why not try one of the lowepro scope porters from ace optics/cameras, I have had mine for a good while now, and the new swaro atx 85, fits in there like a glove , and I have lugged it many a mile on my back , and you don't even notice it , great bit of kit , Nigel.

Interesting idea. I'd want to keep the scope + tripod handy so I can stop and set the tripod down quickly to look at something, rather than get the scope out of a rucksack. Is that possible? Otherwise I'd be just as well off carrying the tripod and scope round my shoulders separately using the tripod strap and the strap on the stay-on scope case. (BTW I have a Kowa TSN-3.)

Thanks,
Mike

 

[nigel mockridge]

Mike, if you go on you tube, and type in, lowepro scope porter 200 aw, there is a short video on there , that shows the guy doing what you are after , hope this helps , Nigel .

 

[Sc0tty]

Mike, if you go on you tube, and type in, lowepro scope porter 200 aw, there is a short video on there , that shows the guy doing what you are after , hope this helps , Nigel .

It looks pretty good. Once you've got your atx85 in there, how much spare space is there for other bits and pieces like a flask, lunch, camera, waterproof etc?

 

[miketaylor]

Mike, if you go on you tube, and type in, lowepro scope porter 200 aw, there is a short video on there , that shows the guy doing what you are after , hope this helps , Nigel .

Thanks - it looks really good. Costs more than the MulePack or Scopac Plus, but looks like it will carry more stuff. One more option to put into the equation!

Back to my original question, any thoughts about relative merits of Scopac Plus vs MulePack?

Thanks
Mike

 

[nigel mockridge]

Richard, there are two small pockets either side of the porter , you would be able to get some gear in there, ie , a small flask , maybe a bird guide , waterproofs, but not a awful lot of room !! .

 

[Graham S]

It looks pretty good. Once you've got your atx85 in there, how much spare space is there for other bits and pieces like a flask, lunch, camera, waterproof etc?

The LowePro scope porter is a superb piece of kit. In mine I carry my Swaro ATX95, Canon 7D, 400mm f.5.6, APO adapter, phone adapter, water, snacks, camera peripherals etc in total comfort.

 

[miketaylor]

Still hoping that someone out there has first hand experience of Scopac Plus vs CleySpy Mulepack?

Regards,
Mike