I just bought a Technikarden 45S and am searching for the most compact backpack to carry the camera 2-3 lenses, light meter , dark cloth and several film holders. Looking at the big Lowepro packs has me a bit intimidated. I'm looking forward to your suggestions. Thanks in advance. Bill

-- Bill Henick (dhen1922@aol.com), December 18, 2000

Answers

Domke bags are more compact than others due to thinner padding, and still carry as much. This applies to their backpacks (the "Outback", if I remember).

-- Q.-Tuan Luong (qtl@ai.sri.com), December 18, 2000.

i carry mine in either of two packs - a lightware bp1420 for around town and a tenba p264 for travel. the lightware is not compact and it's not particularly good for long hikes but the interior space and protection is hard to beat. the tenba should be more up your alley. it has a good amount of space and protection, a better divider system than the lowe packs, is much lighter than the lowe packs, and fits airplane overhead compartments. the harness is ok at best, not as good as lowe, but good enough for loads under 40-50 lbs. anything smaller and you'll have a hard time fitting everything.

-- adam friedberg (asfberg@hotmail.com), December 18, 2000.

Bill, I use the Saunders (Domke) Outpack for an Arca-Swiss outfit. I prevously had a Lowepro PhotoTrekker AW, but the Outpack fits my gear nicely, is lightweight, and travels very well by plane. Whether it will work for you depends on the size of your lenses and how you like to pack them.

-- Glenn Kroeger (gkroeger@trinity.edu), December 19, 2000.

Another choice is the Tenba PBA.

-- Paul Schilliger (pschilliger@smile.ch), December 19, 2000.

Bill,

I use the Domke OutPack too, with reservations in recommending buying it. using Readyloads would really help the space limitations for holders. it is designed well, and the TK45S fits folded, lens attached, just fine. however, for long hiking, the strap system pales in comparison to some of the others. the pack is lightweight at the expense of padding and a more robust strap design. I do like the luggage style handles and fold-out configuration.

I have heard that Tenba makes an excellent pack that suits the TK45S well. I think you would be quite pleased with the OutPack if your backpacking demands are reasonable.

-- daniel taylor (aviator@agalis.net), December 19, 2000.

Daniel:

How old is your OutPack? Mine is new, and the strap system is pretty comprehensive and well executed. I seem to recall that the belt and straps have been upgraded a year or two ago.

-- Glenn Kroeger (gkroeger@trinity.edu), December 19, 2000.

Bill, I use a Tamrac backpack. Don't know the model for I've had it a number of years so I don't know if it's still made. However it's quite compact but allows me to pack an Ebony SW45, 3xlenses on Linhof panels, a roll back, 5 DD slides, lightmeter, focusing device, lens cleaning kit, an air blower, 2x67mm filters, 2xcable releases, small electronic timer, pen, scissors, screw drivers, note book, small grey card and the kitchen sink. It's very comfortable for day hikes. It has two detachable side pockets which are quite deep. I think it was designed for a comprehensive 35mm kit but I originally bought it for a Pentax 67 kit I once had. Regards,

-- Trevor Crone (trevor.crone@uk.dreamcast.com), December 19, 2000.

I hike fairly long distances (up to 10 miles). I carry mine in the LowePro SuperTrekker. I initially wanted a smaller, lighter pack, and still do, but here why I'm happy with the SuperTrekker: 1. It offers excellent protection for the gear. If you use a lighter weight pack, you may have to add additional padding or wraps for the desired protection, which defeats the purpose of the lighter pack. 2. I can put the 45S into it with the standards still at 90 degrees to the rails. This lets me setup significantly faster. Teardown just means collapsing the bellows. 3. The SuperTrekker is much more comfortable than the smaller PhotoTrekker, even though it's heavier. 4. I almost always want to take an additional camera, filters, lenses, water bottles and some food and maybe clothing. The large pack makes that possible.

Lloyd

-- lloyd chambers (photo@llc4.com), December 19, 2000.