Hasselblad Travel Kit Recommendation

[sharpnikkor]

I am going to be traveling to the Southwest this Spring and will be taking my Hasselblad 500c/m with extra back and with three lenses, probably the 50, 80 and 180.

I'll be using my Gitzo 1228 tripod and I'll be shooting from the car or for short hikes of 2 to 3 miles.

I like the Lowepro series of photo packs, any recommendations on what pack model would be good, keeping the pack size in mind?

Thanks,

 

[cjbecker]

I carried the same kit, down to the tripod, up to alaska plus more random bits in a Domke f2.

I fit the 500cm wlf, 2x a12 50, 80, 150, 2x, polaroid back, 10 rolls of film, 5 boxes of fuji instant, sports finder, L358 meter. and on top lashed down was the 1228 tripod.

 

[sharpnikkor]

That is a good assortment of Hasselblad gear for travel.

Is the Domke F2 a photo bag with a shoulder strap or a photo pack?

 

[cjbecker]

It's a shoulder bag but you can get a backpack style strap system for it. Not sure how good it is but they do make it. I was planing on getting it before my trip but didn't have time. It handled everything perfect.

 

[bdial]

My Hasselblad kit lives in a Domke F2, it works very well with it. Backs are a very nice fit in the end pockets.
Like cjbecker, I use mine only with the shoulder strap. A friend who is also a member here uses an F2 for his MF kit with the backpack straps, he seems to like it. Not sure if I'd want to do 10 or 20 miles, but for shorter stuff it's fine. If you will do any minor climbing then the back strap kit would be a good idea.

Beyond that, my recommendation would be to avoid a black one.

 

[sharpnikkor]

Sounds like the the Domke F2 is a popular choice. That is a good recommendation on avoiding the black one.

Would anyone please post a photo of their gear arranged in the Domke F2 bag.

Thanks,

 

[mgb74]

Consider how you'll be hiking. A shoulder bag might work well on short hikes on flat ground, but as the hikes get longer and/or the terrain gets more varied, a backpack might work better. But a backpack must be set down, where you can shoot from a shoulder bag. You have to decide what's most important for you.

You can acquire an inexpensive external or internal frame pack and slip your shoulder bag inside. But the Domke f2 might be too big for that unless carried on it's end.

A pack frame with shelf(example) can be used with virtually any bag; just lash it down well.

 

[sharpnikkor]

Good point on the hiking. Anyone use a Lowepro Mini-Trekker AW for a Hasselblad kit?

 

[Len Robertson]

If you do a search on Flickr or Google Images for Hasselblad Domke, there are a few pictures that may be of interest.

If you haven't changed the light seals in your film magazines in awhile, it would be a good precaution to do so before the trip.

Len

 

[gone]

Might be a good time to use Edward Weston's maxim here: "Anything more than 500 yards from the cat just isn't photogenic".

I meant "500 yards from the car", but the cat is a good measure too. More reliable.

 

[cjbecker]

I should also say that i ended up taking 3 pictures with the hasselblad kit i took to alaska. Big waste of space and weight. I will not be doing it again this year.

 

[PKM-25]

I should also say that i ended up taking 3 pictures with the hasselblad kit i took to alaska. Big waste of space and weight. I will not be doing it again this year.

Random non-advice?
I'm sure that along with me, Bill Schwab or Michael Kenna would be blasting through fantastic frames with their Blads in Alaska, it is still my most productive camera system.

I use Lowe Pro's new Flipside Sport AW series for all my pro landscape, hiking and ski work, the 10L for a really light Blad kit, the 15L for most everything else, have two 15L's, one for the Hasselblads and one for my 4x5 kit. I highly recommend the 15L for the OP's described needs, not even 2.5 pounds.

I only use Domke bags for street or location shoots that I will not be carrying it very far, not a good way to transport gear if it weighs more than 8 pounds, surprised it got so highly recommended for a travel trip.

 

[canuhead]

Not big on Domke shoulder bags and Hasselblads for hiking any distance, just not made for that. Street shooting, perfect. If I need to haul my Hasselblad gear a reasonable distance for the day, I'll use the Lowe Pro Flipside 400 that was an Olympic freebie from Nikon Very useful feature is flipping it around while wearing the waist belt and opening it up and using it like a shelf. Hard to describe.

 

[Paul Goutiere]

I have a Domke F6 bag. I bought it because of numerous recommendations.

It is a little bit better than a canvas shopping bag with a shoulder strap, to protect your gear, because the inner insert is sort of padded.

The clips that hold the top flap down require a great deal of attention to open and close, so I tend to leave the top
unfastened.

Then on top of all this it was rather expensive and I haven't figured out why yet. It won't happen again.

 

[PKM-25]

As an aside because I still think the OP will be much better off with what I suggested, Domke is redoing their line to a whole new design:

http://www.domkephoto.com

 

[Vilk]

Beyond that, my recommendation would be to avoid a black one.

oh-kee, you got me here... having lugged black ones half-way around the globe, what exactly is the problem?

 

[Paul Goutiere]

Check out LowePro http://www.lowepro.com/urban-reporter

 

[Vilk]

As an aside because I still think the OP will be much better off with what I suggested, Domke is redoing their line to a whole new design:

http://www.domkephoto.com

sweet jesus, time to buy old stock, one of each colour! their recent "improvements" of the vest turned it to garbage...

 

[sharpnikkor]

I want to thank everyone for the great responses. I like the look of the Domke F2 bag but I am leaning towards one of those Lowe Pro packs.
However before I make a decision, I need to go look at some of the actual bags. In San Diego we only have a couple of shops and I don't know how good the selection is. Anyone check out Samy's Camera in L.A.?

 

[PKM-25]

Samy's will have all you need to check out in person. The thing I like about the Lowepro 15L even over the new 20L is that it is deeper so *far* more flexible than other packs normally designed around an SLR system. It also has a pouch and routing for a small camelbak. At 2.45 pounds I find I can pack a lot of stuff in there and not tip the scales too bad. For example, the one I use for my 4x5 holds the field camera, 6 holders, up to 5 lenses on boards and other goodies. I use the space in between the removable insert to stuff things like step up rings, a cable release and other small thin things.

The 15L for the Blad would easily hold your 500CM with the 80 on it, your 180 and 50 upright and leave you tons of room for backs, film, hoods, munchies and other stuff. The tripod holder on the side is great, I have even strapped a 7 pound metal one on it for short hikes but prefer to use a 3 pound carbon fiber model. Just be smart about packing your gear, stack two A-12 backs on top of each other tall side up with a non-lens cleaning cloth in between them. Try to not bring one trick ponies if you have say, a hood that will work for all three lenses.

These new packs are light empty, that is key to keeping the overall weight down. I did not like the earlier models because they over padded and overbuilt them and weighed 6-7 pounds empty. Hasselblads are *fantastic* to travel and pack with because they are so modular and can be broken down to fit a lot more configurations.

 

[cjbecker]

Random non-advice?
I'm sure that along with me, Bill Schwab or Michael Kenna would be blasting through fantastic frames with their Blads in Alaska, it is still my most productive camera system.

Yea it was random non-advice. I'm still a little bitter about the lack of use the blad got on the trip, there was just not time nor energy.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

My Hasselblad kit lives in a Domke F2, it works very well with it. Backs are a very nice fit in the end pockets.
Like cjbecker, I use mine only with the shoulder strap. A friend who is also a member here uses an F2 for his MF kit with the backpack straps, he seems to like it. Not sure if I'd want to do 10 or 20 miles, but for shorter stuff it's fine. If you will do any minor climbing then the back strap kit would be a good idea.

Beyond that, my recommendation would be to avoid a black one.

excellent choice!used it in Utha and Arizona without problemsjust wish there were more room for refreshments.

 

[bdial]

oh-kee, you got me here... having lugged black ones half-way around the globe, what exactly is the problem?

Reason 1 is that if it spends any time in the sun it will cook the film and gear.
2) They shout CAMERA BAG, though it's not as if a tan F2 doesn't, but colors other than black are somewhat lower profile.
3) They look like everyone else's black camera bag.


YMMV

 

[Vilk]

Reason 1 is that if it spends any time in the sun it will cook the film and gear.
2) They shout CAMERA BAG, though it's not as if a tan F2 doesn't, but colors other than black are somewhat lower profile.
3) They look like everyone else's black camera bag.


YMMV

sighhhhh... (of relief )

fortunately, none an issue on this end

thanks!

 

[Mark_S]

I shoot mostly LF, and keep that kit in a big, heavy backpack (Panda 402 from Kata). I also use a 'blad kit which is very similar to what you describe, usually when I want to travel light.
My blad kit lives in a Tamrac Velocity 8x sling pack. I usually keep the 80mm on the body, and have a 50mm and 150mm in separate bags (the Tamrac M.A.S.) which can be either attached to the outside or inside of the pack, depending on how much I want to carry on that particular day - that was I can easily swap out the 50mm lens and carry a strobe instead.
I am not sure that the sling bag would be good for long distance hiking, especially if hauling a tripod along, but I really like to versatility of using the Tamrac M.A.S. .