As part of my family's summer vacation, we will be hiking up to the lodge at Mt. LeConte in the Smokies and then hiking back down after spending the night. I am debating whether or not to take my XH-A1 on the hike with me.

I have a Gregory backpack (don't recall the model) that I was planning on carrying with water, rain gear, snacks, etc. I am not sure if carrying my A1 in that backpack is a good idea or not.

Has anyone else done any overnight hiking with their A1? If so, what did you use to carry it?

What about raingear for the A1?

Some folks were talking about bags a while back and back packs were mentioned.....here's the post
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/873802-post7.html

There is also a recent post about the "raincoat" for the xh a1. Check the post about "muffling the sound of the xh a1" I think it is referred to in there also.

Hope this helps
Michael

Taking the A1 hiking with you to go hiking....how old are you, what kind of shape are you in?
Seriously, I took my A1 with me to Yosemite once, to film the waterfalls. I wanted to take it up the Mist Trail with me and perhaps up to Nevada Falls. Those trails were too steep to safely carry the A1. although I did get some very nice footage of the valley.

My experience was that it's awfully heavy to take on any truly serious hikes, it would really be better to take a more compact cam.

Seriously, now; I hiked to the summit of Kilimanjaro with XH-A1 in my pack, it is not that heavy. The only problem was the last day, there was bad rain at the end of the day and my pack got soaking wet. I had wrapped a plastic bag around the camera in the pack, but it still refused to function because everything was so damp. Fortunatelly it recovered after it dried out in the hotel room. Lesson learned: have a good raincover for the pack, and a large ziplock for the camera.

Last day: up at 1 am, start climbing at 2 am, 1300m/3900ft climb to almost 5900m/19700ft, then 3200m/11000ft down, hit the camp at 5 pm. And I suffer from osteoarthritis in the hip...

I have also carried the said camera through China and Tibet for 3 weeks (a 34 liter Osprey Stratos pack, a normal large daypack, spare clothing used as padding for the camera) and I am going to take it with me to Nepal for 7 weeks of solid trekking, crossing, hopefully, 4 passes over 5000m/16500ft.

That propably sums up my views about the "hikability" of XH-A1...

Same experience here. Last year I went through the rain forests of the Philippines, going through some serious dense forests, crossing rivers, waterfalls, and climbing steep mud paths. If the humidity is very high the unit controls can go haywire. Luckily it will regain its sanity if you let it dry out. Make sure you never reach this point by stuffing your camera in some sort of zip-loc bag in your camera back-pack. For good measure I also include some silica gel packets. When my camera is out I wrap it in a portabrace cover so it can handle the constant drizzle, mud, and heavy foliage I drag it through.
And yes, if you drag a lot of equipment (camera, monopod/tripod, supplies, etc) it pays to be fit.

For really wet conditions and if fording rivers etc you might something like this more reliable than a ziplock:
SealLine Dry Bags (http://www.seallinegear.com/dry_bags.asp?Category=DryBags)

For really wet conditions and if fording rivers etc you might something like this more reliable than a ziplock:
SealLine Dry Bags (http://www.seallinegear.com/dry_bags.asp?Category=DryBags)

Which one would you recommend for the A1?

Taking the A1 hiking with you to go hiking....how old are you, what kind of shape are you in?
Seriously, I took my A1 with me to Yosemite once, to film the waterfalls. I wanted to take it up the Mist Trail with me and perhaps up to Nevada Falls. Those trails were too steep to safely carry the A1. although I did get some very nice footage of the valley.

My experience was that it's awfully heavy to take on any truly serious hikes, it would really be better to take a more compact cam.

Older than I used to be, and not in as good as shape either! But still in good enough shape to carry the A1. I'm thinking I should take my monopd rather than my tripod, however.

Side note: Yosemite is one of our favorite places to visit, and the Mist Trail is definitely one of our favorite hikes!

For those of you who took your camera backpacking, if you took a tripod - what did you take?

I have a lightweight one that will handle the camera, but the head is not great so smooth pans are probably out of the question. Steady shots wold be more likely.

Also, some hiking poles have camera mounts on the top which makes them monopods, but I haven't really cared much for my monopod before. While useful and convenient at times, I greatly prefer a tripod.

Any ideas?

I have had Manfrotto/Bogen carbon tripod & lightweight (Magnesium?) video head once with me. While it works ok for steady shots, forget pans at long focal lengths and smooth starts with the same. Actually I just bought a 2000€ Sachtler kit as even 701 and 703 Manfrotto heads are not fluid enough for smooth starts. But I am not going to take that with me on a trek!

Solution: light monopod with light video head (the manfrotto thing mentioned above). With just a monopod or a trekking stick with screw on top you can do fairly fluid pans, but not tilts. With monopod/cheap video head you can do both and aim down and up much easier.

Hi Stephen
I'm sorry. I don't know which bag would be most appropriate for use with the A1. I have used one of these bags with my Sony A1 which is why I recommended it. The one that I have is heavy duty and a lighterweight version may be more appropriate for use with a backpack.
If you are in a situation where total immersion or extremely wet conditions are possible I would recommend one of these bags for peace of mind.
For use in a pack when hiking they may be overkill ie because there is some bulk and weight to them. However even then I think that I would use one in preference to a ziplock for multiday trips as they are more durable and are easier to handle ie when rolled up the top forms a secure handle and they have D rings on them in the event that you need to do anything fancy like lower them down a cliff or hang them on hooks etc.

Hi Stephen,

Last time I hiked with my XH A1 at some point taking the camera in and out of the bag I inadvertently switched the sound to manual and moved the one channel to max and the other to nearly minimum; disaster for my live sound.

Since then I've stuck a small piece of insulation tape over the switch to stop this happening again. For active shooting I leave the camera in auto mode except for exposure, I find constant attention is needed here, particularly the ND filter to maintain around f4 to f6 aperture.

Have a good holiday. Alan in the UK.

I actually use a "space saver bag" for my camera. It is one of those plastic bags to stuff your clothes in and save space in your suitcase. They are airtight, just as light and thin as a zip-loc bag, but a lot more sturdy. Since they are relatively light and thin they fit easily in your backpack.

Naturally, if you expect to potentially submerge your backpack (camera included), I would definitely go with one of those bags Richard proposes.

I use a 'Tamrac' backpack and haven't looked back - highly recommended...although I haven't actually used it in the rain! :o)

What distance are you covering and how much other gear are you carrying?

"An ounce in the AM is a pound in the PM."

What distance are you covering and how much other gear are you carrying?

"An ounce in the AM is a pound in the PM."

It's a little over 6 miles up, and a little less down. The longer trail up is a little less steep. I'll be carrying a couple of water bottles, some snacks for the trail, extra layers for the evening and next day early morning, tape and accessories for the camcorder, and most likely my monopod.

As part of my family's summer vacation, we will be hiking up to the lodge at Mt. LeConte in the Smokies and then hiking back down after spending the night. I am debating whether or not to take my XH-A1 on the hike with me.

I have a Gregory backpack (don't recall the model) that I was planning on carrying with water, rain gear, snacks, etc. I am not sure if carrying my A1 in that backpack is a good idea or not.

Has anyone else done any overnight hiking with their A1? If so, what did you use to carry it?

What about raingear for the A1?

Hey Stephen,

I recently bought a hiking style backpack for my A1 and I love it! It's the perfect bag because it fits all of my gear I carry (tripod, camera, all cables and accessories) and also has room to spare. There is plenty of room for extra clothes and snacks, all typical things carried on a hike. Here is the bag:
http://www.cinebags.com/revolutionbackpackdetails.html
And, if you can purchase from BHPhoto here:
CineBags cb-25 | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&shs=CineBags+cb-25&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=submit)
I personally find this bag to be perfect for all my needs, but it all comes down to personal taste.

That's my pocket change worth,

~Pete

Hey Stephen,

I recently bought a hiking style backpack for my A1 and I love it! It's the perfect bag because it fits all of my gear I carry (tripod, camera, all cables and accessories) and also has room to spare. There is plenty of room for extra clothes and snacks, all typical things carried on a hike. Here is the bag:
CineBags - Life on Location (http://www.cinebags.com/revolutionbackpackdetails.html)
And, if you can purchase from BHPhoto here:
CineBags cb-25 | B&H Photo Video (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&shs=CineBags+cb-25&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=submit)
I personally find this bag to be perfect for all my needs, but it all comes down to personal taste.

That's my pocket change worth,

~Pete

Do you carry the A1 with the lens cover facing down, eye piece facing up?

Do you carry the A1 with the lens cover facing down, eye piece facing up?

Hey Stephen,

Yes I do. The bag comes with several small dividers and I use them as extra padding on the lens hood and also as 'straps' that I use to velcro over the camera to keep it from flopping around in my bag while carrying it. The bag also fits a laptop in it (which is convenient for me because I like to take mine with me wherever I go). If you would like, I can post some pictures of my setup later on.

Good luck,

~Pete

Hey Stephen,

Yes I do. The bag comes with several small dividers and I use them as extra padding on the lens hood and also as 'straps' that I use to velcro over the camera to keep it from flopping around in my bag while carrying it. The bag also fits a laptop in it (which is convenient for me because I like to take mine with me wherever I go). If you would like, I can post some pictures of my setup later on.

Good luck,

~Pete

If you get a chance to post pictures, that would be helpful!

Hey Stephen,

Sorry for the horrible quality, I couldnt find my digital camera/cord so I just did a little photobooth with the good old macbook pro. Hope these help you out!

~Pete

Good climbing packs are build to travel, comfortable and give good support. If you travel you need room for clothes, rain gear, water, food etc. After seeing a filmmaker doing a doc on the North pole carrying a normal backpack to hold his film cam, I think its the best.

There are two ways of thinking: a pack designed for film/photo or a pack designed for travel/climb. The packs designed for film/photo give you fast and direct access to the cam, the packs designed for travel/climb are better for transporting things during a long walk. Important is also how to attach your light tripod. The audio, the transmitter, small light, tapes, you need to carry a lot. I did it with the A1.

In the end, I bought a HV30 + widelens, and a light manfrotto tripod. Combined that with the Sennheiser transmitter,and I carry it in a normal mountain backpack with good hip support. It's a choice, the A1 is way better camera but all together good cam support (tripod) counts too. It just takes more time to put the camera away. Big zipper bag, and a 'foam coat' to protect the cam.

Good climbing packs are build to travel, comfortable and give good support. If you travel you need room for clothes, rain gear, water, food etc. After seeing a filmmaker doing a doc on the North pole carrying a normal backpack to hold his film cam, I think its the best.

There are two ways of thinking: a pack designed for film/photo or a pack designed for travel/climb. The packs designed for film/photo give you fast and direct access to the cam, the packs designed for travel/climb are better for transporting things during a long walk. Important is also how to attach your light tripod. The audio, the transmitter, small light, tapes, you need to carry a lot. I did it with the A1.

In the end, I bought a HV30 + widelens, and a light manfrotto tripod. Combined that with the Sennheiser transmitter,and I carry it in a normal mountain backpack with good hip support. It's a choice, the A1 is way better camera but all together good cam support (tripod) counts too. It just takes more time to put the camera away. Big zipper bag, and a 'foam coat' to protect the cam.

What do you use for the 'foam coat'?