Anyone have suggestions for a photo vest to carry my gear around in once I'm at my landscape site? Thanks

-- Don Boyd (dwodon@azstarnet.com), December 03, 2000

Answers

Dear Don,

I have tried a number of things from a fishing vests, back packes and so on. What I use depends on what I am taking(extra lenses, tripod, etc) and where I am going.(around town or 10 mile hike in the mountains) Try these:

1) a butt pack. cheap, carries film, canned air, cable release, cloth, lens cleaner, and other small items.

2) US Army BDU shirt. It is inexpensive, rugged, and has four very large pockets that button close to hold gear. Cut the sleeves off and you have a vest. It is cammo so if you are doing a shoot for an upscale client it may not be the best choice, but when no one is around or you don't care what people think of you it is great. Combine it with the butt pack and you can probably carry all the gear you need except tripods or something large like that. I made a sling from nylon webbing to sling my tripod if i need to.

3) Medium military rucksack. Its not the most comfortable for backpacking, but it is bomb proof. The medium can be used with or without frame. It will last forever, and carry more than you want to pack. It has lots of outer pockets, and is made to attach gear to the outside. It also has a inner compartment to seperate gear. I recommend somethig else for backpacking, but for carrying gear aroud outdoors it is the best I found.

All of this stuff is a relative inexpensive option that works as well or even better than "photo equiptment". I hope this helps and good luck.

John Carney

-- John Carney (carney@northcoast.com), December 03, 2000.

John, thanks for the response. I find that my Lowepro Classic backpack gets everything there in fine shape, but it is awkward to be swapping out lenses, Lee filter holders, filters, etc. from the backpack. Still a novice with the system, I find that I am often trying the different lenses to get the composition I want and I'm usually about two arms short of what is needed.

I think what I really need is a vest that will carry the filters and adaptors in the upper pockets and house whatever two lenses I'm not using at the moment in large pockets below. I'm also still using my Pentax spotmeter for exposures and while it's on a lanyard, an upper pocket would keep it from banging everything as I'm trying to get that shot with the late sun in just the right place.

Lastly, a deep appreciation to all of you who take the time to answer questions like mine. I have learned alot from this forum and it has really made the learning process easier and more fun. Don

-- Don Boyd (dwodon@azstarnet.com), December 03, 2000.

Dear Don,

I just tried putting lenses in a Nikon Vestrap to see what would fit. This vest has, in the front, three pockets on each side, the bottom pocket being the biggest. I put a 55-100 zoom with hood attached in one pocket and a 300/f4 Takumar in the other. The pockets held these lenses well enough that the flaps closed and the velcro closures connected. The 300/f4 Takumar is the longer lens, and it barely fit. The 55-100 fit easily. Inside there are two pockets on each side, again the bottom ones being the biggest and they will hold most 6x7 lenses. None of the pockets are padded. This vest tends to be a little heavy compared to some, and sometimes I take it off because it gets too hot. Most mailorder stores sell it. I got mine from Adorama for $84.95 about 2 years ago. Bob

-- Bobby Mahaffey (mahajen@prodigy.net), December 04, 2000.

Domke makes a line of photo vests. See http://www.domkebags.com. They sell them online, too.

-- Paul Rubin (no@spam.please), December 10, 2000.

Thanks to all for the information. I purchased a safari vest from Cabela.com for $50. The largest pockets are big enough for my 200mm and 45mm lenses and there are plenty of other pockets to stuff things in. Seems like an inexpensive solution.

The Kinesis belt system looks great, and expensive. A much cooler alternative to a vest - a concern shooting much of the year in the southwest.

-- Don Boyd (dwodon@azstarnet.com), January 09, 2001.

Another (combined) possibility is a sort of backpack like the one I bought on a bootsale for $3. Ofcourse it has a sack for your gear, but it's carrying frame is an x-shaped folding contraption, and forms a simple seat when unfolded. I strap my tripod to the frame. It is made of cheap materials, but I was surprised about the usability in the field. You can shoot sitting, with your gear in the eh... sack between your legs (sounds a bit crude, doesn't it?). Better value for money-ratio is hard to find! peter

-- Peter Gooijer (rockrose@freeler.nl), January 10, 2001.

I know of a great photo vests at a great price. see www.pockettools.com This vest is the same as the Banana Republic vests that retails at $99.95 here you can pick it up for $50.00

-- Motti Slod (motti@pacbell.net), May 20, 2001.