WHAT A CARRY-ON
Looking for the best way to carry your camera? Jon Sparks does the heavy lifting
We’ve recently revised the OWPG Advice
Note on Tools of the Trade (i.e. cameras,
lenses and fl ash), but one element that isn’t
addressed there is how best to carry said
Tools. For working professionals in potentially
challenging outdoor environments, this can be
far from trivial. There’s a basic tension between
protecting what your expensive and potentially
vulnerable piece of kit from harm, and ensuring
that it is always instantly to hand and ready to
shot. Exactly how you strike this balance depends
on a number of factors, among them: Type of
camera (this aff ects weight and bulk as well as
how robust it is); Need for additional lenses or
other accessories; Time considerations. Time
is always money, but some schedules are more
pressing than others. Trying to complete a winter
Cuillin traverse within daylight hours is a bit
diff erent from a Shropshire ramble for an AA
guide. But we’ve probably all experienced that
‘darn, missed it!’ feeling, whether it was the sun
slicing through the clouds or Kilian Jornet fl ying
past; Hazards – potentially to you and others
as well as to the camera; Weather conditions.
All, to varying degrees, are activity-specifi c, so
I’ll discuss my own experience covering various
activities, augmented with a few comments from
other OWPG members (solicited through the
Forum).
Walking and trekking
In good weather, on easy ground, I’m perfectly
happy carrying the camera on a neck-strap. I
replace the original maker’s strap with one that
off ers greater comfort and improves weight
distribution. My preferred choice, shared by both
Chris Howes and Chiz Dakin, is Op/Tech; though
The Digital Holster by ThinkTank Photo on its own waist belt. This
size suits a small to medium DSLR but other sizes are available.
8 Outdoor focus | summer 2019
Chiz has found less need with the lighter weight of
a mirrorless camera. Op/Tech straps cost around
£20 and one has served me longer than any
digital camera I’ve had. On rougher terrain, the
camera can swing around or bump against you –
uncomfortable and potentially unsafe. Adjusting
the length of the strap can help, as can slinging
it diagonally round the back. However, this isn’t
easily compatible with rucksacks. My preferred
solution is a pouch, on its own waistbelt or on the
rucksack belt. Having tried various makes, the
one I’ve used for a while now is a ‘Digital Holster’
by ThinkTank Photo. Chris Howes uses an Ortlieb
pouch, with lenses &c in waistbelt pouches. (I’ll
use the term ‘holster’ generically from now on).
I’ve found the holster works well for various
activities, including scrambling. When walking it
rides on the left hip but that doesn’t work when
cross-country skiing (not classic style, anyway)
so it shifts to the small of the back – unless I’m
also carrying a rucksack.
Climbing and mountaineering
On outcrop climbs you may well not carry the
camera at all but shoot from the sidelines. On
slightly longer crag climbs (say, one to four
pitches), if not carrying a rucksack, I’ve found the
holster works well, pushed round the back (except
occasionally in chimneys!). If there’s a chance of
taking a fall, there’s no 100% safe way to carry the
camera. Dare you risk it? Maybe the second should
be doing the carrying? Or get someone else to
do the photography? As you almost certainly are
only taking photos from stances anyway, instant
accessibility becomes less critical and carrying the
camera in a rucksack, if you’re wearing one, isn’t
a problem.