Hey guys so I have the Nikon d500 for wildlife and I love it. I like to hike with it and I photograph any animal really and then I also do landscapes. My issue is that my backpack is so heavy after I add a ton of water, snacks, and other basic stuff. And I am very experienced with hiking so I’m not taking useless stuff with me. Here is a weight breakdown of my gear D500: 2 lbs Nikkor 200-500mm (wildlife): 5 lbs Nikkor 24-70mm (scenery): 2 lbs Nikkor 70-300: 1 lb

So without anything else in my bag I have 10 pounds of camera gear. I like all of those lenses because they basically give the full range of 24-500mm.

So to those who hike or travel a lot and do not use tripods, what do you do with heavy gear? Like do you only go out to shoot one type of thing at once so you don’t carry too much? Or does the bag make a huge difference? I previously had a lowepro but after getting the 200-500, I obviously needed a bigger bag if I even wanted to carry water. Is this just something I will have to deal with?

Sorry if this is not the best question, my back is killing me and I hate to miss the opportunity of a good picture if I don’t have a specific lens on me. I only have one body which is also a pain to switch often.

Oh and does anyone have any ultra lightweight bag recs that are not a bazillion pounds but can hold 3-4L of water?

Thanks

  • Aromatic_Location@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I usually carry all my lenses on a hiking trip. I have a EOS R6 II, 100mm macro, 100-500, 1.5x extender, 24-70, and 15-35, extra batteries, filters, lens cloth, carbon fiber tripod, snacks, a gallon of water, coat, hat, and gloves. All packed it’s between 30 and 40 lbs. The key is the backpack. I use an F-Stop gear mountain series pack. All the weight sits on my hips. I do have a smaller sling pack that just holds a body and an extra lens that I use when I’m just going to a park and will only need a couple lenses. But if I’m going on a real trip, I want everything. It sucks and can cost you lots in future print sales to run across an amazing shot and not have the equipment you need.