Waist Packs

[USCGamecocks]

Do any of y'all use a waist pack while at Disney, and if so, how do you feel it works while you are there? I am not much of one for backpacks, but need something to carry a couple of lenses and my camera if I feel like putting it away.

I am also interested in your waist pack experiences on the rides etc. Do they get in the way or do you just take them off and put them on the floor or in a holder (for the rides with the holders for bags)?

Finally, has anyone ever used the Kata bags? I am looking at the Kata w-92 as a possible solution for me because it can be used as either a waist pack or a shoulder bag.

Thanks in advance!

 

[thomas998]

I always use a waist pack simply because I don't want a big back pack, and because a waist pack is easier to get to without having to take it off and fumble with it.

The trick is to get a large one, especially if you plan on using it to carry lenses or such... It depends on what size lense or items you are going to carry but in general you can get 1 prime and a flash in one... or a small kit lens and flash... also you'll have room for batteries... and of course the extra camcorder tape... and a couple of filters... they aren't that good for holding the big zoom lenses... that's when it is important to wearyour jungle shorts with zippered pockets.

The downside of this is you can get caught going through the turnstiles and on some rides you are constantly having to adjust the waist pack to your side so the safetly bar doesn't squash it.

 

[MICKEY88]

I prefer a vest, better weight distribution, easy access, works well on rides..etc...

downside although can be entertaining, is the number of guests that mistake you for a photo pass photographer..

 

[thomas998]

I prefer a vest, better weight distribution, easy access, works well on rides..etc...

downside although can be entertaining, is the number of guests that mistake you for a photo pass photographer..

I wonder what the guest would say if you said... " okay.. now give me a sexy look.."

 

[USCGamecocks]

I prefer a vest, better weight distribution, easy access, works well on rides..etc...

downside although can be entertaining, is the number of guests that mistake you for a photo pass photographer..

I thought using my vest, but do not like the idea of wearing anything else during the summer. The heat is one of the main reasons I did not like the idea of a backpack and thought the waist pack would have less impact. Also, I will be carrying one of the Minolta beercans with me and that thing is heavy to put in a vest with nothing of relatively equal weight on the other side.

Thanks again for the suggestion. I was really hoping people might have experience using a waist pack to see if it is doable around WDW.

 

[MICKEY88]

I thought using my vest, but do not like the idea of wearing anything else during the summer. The heat is one of the main reasons I did not like the idea of a backpack and thought the waist pack would have less impact. Also, I will be carrying one of the Minolta beercans with me and that thing is heavy to put in a vest with nothing of relatively equal weight on the other side.

Thanks again for the suggestion. I was really hoping people might have experience using a waist pack to see if it is doable around WDW.

you obviousy need another lens or dslr body to counterbalance the vest,

I've done the vest at numerous all day events in thge summer sun, it isn't to bad with the open mesh back for airflow...another option would be the setup that Mark uses, hopefully he will stop by to better explain it than I can..

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Warning: last time I posted for waist/fannypack opinions I was informed they are highly out of fashion (not here, but on the CB; here I suppose you'll get different responses).

At any rate, going against popular opinion, my DH bought a nice fanny pack which he loves. (There's no way he could wear a vest or a backpack as he sweats too much, LOL). I'm not sure it will be of use to you because it's not padded and he doesn't carry lenses, just an S2 IS and all of his other essentials (phone, wallet and water bottle). It's from REI and is the larger version.

Another pack you should look into is one put out by Eddie Bauer, but I'm not sure it's made anymore. We use it in the hospital for when we're transporting critical patients and need to carry essential emergency equipment and drugs. It's fairly large. Try their website and places like EBay. (I don't think it's padded, either.)

I have seen some "pistol style" (I think that's what you call it, could be wrong) hard cases you wear on your belt loop made just for dSLRs. Google camera cases and you'll find them among the other bags.

Good luck.

 

[USCGamecocks]

you obviousy need another lens or dslr body to counterbalance the vest,

I would gladly take your 28-75 2.8 or the 80-200 off your hands.

 

[bob100]

I have seen some "pistol style" (I think that's what you call it, could be wrong) hard cases you wear on your belt loop made just for dSLRs. Google camera cases and you'll find them among the other bags.
Good luck.

walmart has samsonite cases with belt loop, fits my canon S5 (after removing internal flaps)

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Seriously, can you picture this guy wearing a vest or back pack at WDW?

 

[oogieboogieman]

Seriously, can you picture this guy wearing a vest or back pack at WDW?

Hey ! Don't make fun of one of my ALL TIME GREATEST WRESTLERS, George "The Animal" Steele. He was fun to watch!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Hey ! Don't make fun of one of my ALL TIME GREATEST WRESTLERS, George "The Animal" Steele. He was fun to watch!

I know! He was my DH's favorite, too, and there's even a bit of a resemblance.

I showed this picture to my kids and said "Who's this guy remind you of?" and they were like, "Daddy!"

 

[drcandon]

I have a bit of a different twist on the fanny pack idea. DW and I travel also in the Caribbean islands and some of them are - no offense to the locals, less then secure to carry expensive cameras and lenses around. Paranoid as I am, I carried only what I held close to my chest and nothing else, so I missed some nice shots. One fine day I noticed around home a biker securing a backpack with wire and lock to his Harley..After some questioning I found out that a line of products available in the US called Pacsafe has some really good airport/airplane security acceptable packs. They all have wire mess interiors of one form or another and have a twisted wire attachment with chrome hardened lock to attach to a secure bolted down item ( like a lamppost etc). Of course I could not find them in Canada ( figures) but I found a really dependable camping outfit that ships up North . Here are links to the two items I purchased...

xxxx://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___67917

xxxx://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___67787

The fannypack is wire secured as well and is very durable and can hold my Nikon 70-300 zoom and a wallet, so it is medium size. The backpack is really spacious - not meant for cameras as such, but its inner wire mesh container and twist wire wrap attachment, means I can secure it to my seat while dining or to a post while watching the fireworks and the pack will be there when I turn my attention back to it.

Yea, maybe I am paranoid, but I have heard from CM's a lot of horror stories about folks turning there back for a second and a backpack disappearing.

Unless you have really good size bolt cutters you are not getting through the wire mesh on these units.

And no it does not add that much to the weight..Pacsafe has done a remarkable job of using lightweight tough nylons to compensate..plus the suspensions system on the backpack is not bad either..no waste strap but it does have a sternum strap.

The waist pack has breathable nylon mesh backing to stop the disney sweats.

Now, while I was talking at the campmor folks they told me about a camera fanny pack that is meant for hikers - has full lumbar suspension etc etc..

made by moutainsmith...have not tried it yet, but going to get one on my next order from these guys..there is also a medium size one as well

xxxx://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___48379

 

[MICKEY88]

I would gladly take your 28-75 2.8 or the 80-200 off your hands.

so do you shoot sony..

 

[MICKEY88]

Yea, maybe I am paranoid, but I have heard from CM's a lot of horror stories about folks turning there back for a second and a backpack disappearing.


xxxx://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___48379

I would think security could close the exits very quickly to stop the backpack from walking out of the park..
but that's one more reason I love my vests,, it's all close at hand

 

[SueInBoston]

We went to WDW in April and I used DH's mountainsmith lumbar pack and was very happy. However it is not padded so I had to be extra careful when I put the pack down. My camera was around my neck most of the time so the pack was mostly empty which took up no space. A few occasions when the camera was in the pack, it felt comforatlbe and secured on the back of my waist.

When I returned home, I looked into padded SLR lumbar waist packs but decided I don't want the bulk. I will continue to use the unpadded lumbar pack with an op-tech pouch when I tour.

I do travel with either my Crumpler 7MDH or Tamrac backpack, but once I get to my destination, I don't carry all my stuff around.

 

[USCGamecocks]

so do you shoot sony..

Minolta actually. I have a 5d that is still going strong and turning out better pictures than I could have ever imagined. My next dslr will of course be a Sony, but hopefully (knock on wood) that is a few years off. I was a Minolta film shooter, so it was a natural transition and I have never regretted it.

 

[USCGamecocks]

xxxx://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___67917

xxxx://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___67787

xxxx://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___48379

Thanks for the links. Will definitely take a look at these.

 

[My2Girls66]

I use a fannypack at Disney. I have a few different sizes from LLBean, not padded but I have padded lens cases for each of my lenses. On rides I just pull it around to my front or side depending on the ride seat.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I used to use a fanny pack and rather liked it. My gear got to be a bit too large for it, but when my old stuff (D60, 75-300mm, 28-135mm, 17-40mm, 420EX flash) fit in one, I liked it.

What I liked most was that I could rotate it around to my front and work easily with all of my gear. With a backpack, I have to take everything off or request assistance from my wife/caddy whenever I want to change lenses. The thing that I hated the most about it was that it bumped things a lot.

Currently, I use 4 main means for hauling gear. When I've got to carry a lot of stuff a long way, I use a backpack because you just can't beat it for ease of carrying, even though it is lousy for ease of use. I have a regular backpack that holds 70% of my stuff and a larger one that holds more and is waterproof. The waterproofing makes it a little less convenient to work with, but it's nice for when I'm canoeing. This is my typical approach when going on a nature shoot.

When I'm not going far and want good access to a lot of gear, I use a shoulder bag. It hurts my shoulder to carry it too much, but if I'm just walking a few hundred yards to a shoot location and then working from basically one spot, it's nice to work out of. This is my typical approach when going to shoot a birthday party, soccer game, etc.

When I'm going to be moving around a lot at the shooting location and still want relatively good access to my gear, I use a combination belt/vest. It has "pods" that attach to the belt and the vest for holding lenses, flashes, and other gear. I can scale this approach down to just a belt with a spare lens or two. This is the approach I use when traveling light.

When I'm going through really rough conditions, I pack my stuff in a Pelican case for impact and water protection. I can also use the Pelican case with a lock and cable for a makeshift "safe." I use the Pelican case when I go places like the beach, through whitewater, or when I'm traveling in places that don't have a sufficiently large safe for my gear.