The Blog

The current weather conditions really don’t make me feel like taking some photos, so this is a good time for a blog post about my equipment, or rather about how I carry my equipment. The comfortable carrying (if you can use the word “comfortable” at all when talking about aorund 11 kilos of photographic gear…) is very important to me, because as a landscape photographer, you often have to hike for a while to reach a good location. And since my second passion are hiking, mountaineering and other forms of outdoor activities, I spent some time to find the right bags that suit my needs, be it for short walks with solely body and lens or for multi-day tours in the mountains with more stuff like tripod etc.

In this first post of this little series I would like to start with the smallest bag: the holster! I use the thinkTANK Digital Holster 20 V2.0* together with an AirCell Neoprene Shoulder Strap* when I only want to take my body and one single lens with me, for example when visiting a city during the day or when I walk my dog.

The thinkTANK Digital Holster 20 V2.0* easily takes my Canon EOS 5D Mark III which each of my lenses attached. For longer lenses (like a 70-200mm) or if you want to keep the lens hood mounted in shooting position on shorter lenses, you can also extend the length of the holster with a zipper. The holster is also wide enough to accommodate my body with my RRS L-Plate attached, but (un-)packing is a little bit more fiddly in this case. I like the sturdy design of the holster that offers enough protection for my camera without being to bulky to carry it. Furthermore, it offers a rain cover and different small pockets for batteries, memory cards etc. Another very useful feature is the stretch pocket at the front, where you can easily and quickly store things like your lenscap, smartphone, tissues, entrances ticket or whatever you need at your direct access. And lastly, on its back, it has a really large belt loop, by which it can be attached to nearly every belt. This is especially interesting when you are wearing a backpack, because it allows you to shift some weight to your hips.

The only drawback for me is the included shoulder strap which is (for me) not very comfortable, especially when carrying the holster for longer times. However, this is not only a problem of this special holster, but in fact of many other holsters or bags, too. Furthermore, my neck is a little bit sensitive and hurts relatively fast… ;-) Hence, I looked for better shoulder straps and found the AirCell Neoprene Shoulder Strap*, which is made by an korean manufacturer and promised to be a much more comfortable alternative to the orginal should strap. The wide contact area has several bumbs (the “aircells”), which are very soft and cushioning and which adapt very good to the shoulder. Furthermore, the pad is elastic and therefore able to absorb shocks during walking, which makes the strap less noticable than inflexible ones. Alltogether, this is the perfect combination for me!

ThinkTank Digital Holster with Aircell Strap

ThinkTank Digital Holster

My Canon EOS 5D Mark III fits perfectly!

Ok so far, that’s all about the light way of carrying camera equipment. If you are also interested in my solutions for a daypack and a big trekking backpack, stay tuned to my upcoming articles… :-)

* This is an Amazon Affiliate Link. If you use this link to buy something, I’ll get a small commission from Amazon without any additional costs for you.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Gerhard

I'm a passionate hobby photographer who loves travelling and being outdoors, crazy enough to get up much too early during holidays and to carry tons of photography equipment all day long even in the mountains... :-)

Latest posts by Gerhard (see all)

• Etosha Nationalpark - 16/04/2023
• Spitzkoppe, Erongo - 11/04/2023
• Sossusvlei - 06/04/2023