Shoulder Harness/Belt sytem: help!

[Matthew_Kartch]

As noted previously, I have and like stuff from Think Tank. No personal experience, but the second-hand word is that the Newswear velcro is about as quiet as a jet engine. May not be good for some situations.

[Al Schietzsch]

Ditto on the ThinkTank - I use it when sitting on the back of a motorcycle while shooting bicycle racing, and it's totally secure and comfortable. Can't be beat.

ThinkTank's customer service is first class, too.

[Walter_Kimmel]

Well, thanks to the input from you all, I went down to B&H the other day and played with all of the options with the Lowepro belt and shoulder harness system. I came home with lens cases and the wide belt and shoulder harness. However, after putting 3 lenses in the lens cases hung from the belt, I found that for me, the D rings on the belt where the front straps of the harness attach were too far toward my sides, and the front of the belt kept slipping south.

I went back and got the Vest Harness, which has wider straps tht hook onto the belt closer to where suspenders would clip, and the little bit of mesh that merits calling this a vest-harness zips together. All of a sudden, everything felt secure and right. I got the Toploader 75, which comes with its own chest/backpack harness as well as a great nonslip shoulder strap. The harness is thin and light weight, and holds the toploader just below my chest without interfering with the vest harness.

The toploader opens outwards and holds the 100-400 and 1D MkII with ease, and as Don noted, it's a great place to change CF cards, battery, or even a lens, without exposing the camera to extra grime and dust.

From the top vest harness sliploops I have 2 pouches, each with an outside mesh pocket big enough to slip a 77mm lens cap or polarizer with its protective cap. Inside the pouch go a battery, a wallet with 4 CF cards, my remote cable or whatever.

Below these is the toploader. From the belt, nicely balanced, are lens cases for the 100-400, 16-35 and 28-135. A water bottle mesh pocket also hangs from the belt. There is room for more cases if I need the strobe, teleconverters, macro lens, etc.

Today I went out in 90 degree heat and walked around shooting a lighthouse in the East River. Changing lenses was faster and simpler than it had ever been with a shoulder bag. The outfit was warm, but because the weight was so well distributed, I sweated a lot less than I would have with the shoulder bag and the same equipment. After a couple of hours, I put the works in the car and sat in a McDonalds with some iced coffee. Much to my surprise I didn't get stiff and my shoulder felt fine.

Walking around with what turns out to be extremely well designed components and all of my equipment was easy, comfortable, and I wondered how I put up with the shoulder bags all these years!

My only problem is that I really can't use this on public transportatin here in NYC without fear of being stopped each time.

A question for those of you that use a similar system: How do you use this in the winter? Over a coat, under the coat, or back to the shoulder bag?

[DonLashier]

Hi Walter,

I'm glad to hear that you found a solution.

> How do you use this in the winter? Over a coat, under the coat, or back to the shoulder bag?

All year (with the exception of a few days) is coat weather here [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I've just got the basic toploader with two lens pockets but sometimes put in on before the coat and sometimes after. I usually put it on before as this makes it easier to remove the coat if things warm up but on a nasty day when I want the jacket zipped up I'll put it on after. But this is just a waist level fleece lined jacket (Patagonia).

[Phil_Burton]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, thanks to the input from you all, I went down to B&H the other day and played with all of the options with the Lowepro belt and shoulder harness system.

My only problem is that I really can't use this on public transportatin here in NYC without fear of being stopped each time.


[/ QUOTE ]

According to Transit Authority regulations, in general you are allowed to take photogaphs on TA property, as long as you are not impeding passenger flow and are following all their rules and regulations. Other parts of the MTA have similar rules. NJ Transit recently (not sure exactly when) rescinded their draconian rules against photography of their facilities and trains. Prior to that, they would hassle people standing on _public property_ taking pictures of their stations or trains. So you should be OK taking public transportation.

But of course, the price for all this convenience may be a few minutes extra travel time every time you use public transportation.

Somewhat related is the issue of safety, which has been my concern, since I'm planning to get a similar system. I recently had a chance to talk with a police officer from Berkeley, CA, and her comment was that I should be OK, because most thefts are grab-and-run jobs. It would simply take too long for a thief to either try to grab a well-fastened lens pouch, or to rob you of a belt system that takes time to take off. No thief wants to be oberved too long in the commission of a crime. Of course, if you are in a dark alley and the thief has a gun, you will end up calling your insurance company the next morning.

My question: Did you also consider other belt systems? Think Tank Pro, specifically?

[BWBrock]

Yes. I have carried far more than that with the belt system and walked around all day at air shows doing it. I rarely used the harness and for those times I didn't, it was harder on my hips and back with all the weight bouncing about. If I can find a pic of myself with my air show load, I'll post it. Outstanding system, IMHO.

[Walter_Kimmel]

[ QUOTE ]
My question: Did you also consider other belt systems? Think Tank Pro, specifically?


[/ QUOTE ]

I looked closely at the websites for Kinesis and Think Tank, as well as some other systems. They may, in fact, have features that I would like better than the Lowepro, but I needed to see how my gear fit into them, and how I felt after an hour of walking around wearing the gear.

Since B&H is only 20 minutes away, I was able to try the equipment. I bought a whole setup and tried it out the next day. I was able to take the item that gave me problems back (the shoulder harness) and exchange it for the "Vest Harness." That item corrected the discomfort I had had with the shoulder harness, and the system was so comfortable that it is "good enough" for me...That is not to say that some features of the other systems might even do as well or better; only that the stuff I got is just right for me.

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