Balancing Ultralight Backpacking With Photography
Captured on my Z8 with a 24-120mm f/4 lens. A Circular Polarizer was equipped and that's what allows you to see through the water.
Ultralight Backpackers and Photographers have perhaps the most opposite ideologies for adventuring in the outdoors. When you backpack long distances, every ounce you carry matters. In order to crush long miles, “ultralighters” obsessively take their pack weight to the extreme and typically carry less than ten pounds for their base weight (more on that in a second). Photographers on the other hand, while they may not typically hike long distances, are not strangers to carrying 10-20 pounds of just photography equipment (lenses, tripods, etc.) to capture the shots they want; pack weight be damned. As someone with experience in both of these activities, I wanted to share my thoughts on how to balance both options.
For those who haven’t spent quite as much time with a pack married to their back, ultralight is a style of backpacking where you try to carry as little weight as possible so that you can move further, faster, on trail. You still carrying the essentials like a tent and sleeping bag, but you avoid carrying unnecessary items. At a high level, this typically results in fewer aches and pains while you’re moving, but it also can result in more discomfort at camp (and in your wallet) compared to traditional backpacking. Traditionally, a backpacker will carry a “comfort item” or two like a camp chair or a heavier and warmer sleeping bag just to make their day more enjoyable. Ultralighters on the other hand stretch their gear to the limit to keep their pack weight as low as possible. When you go ultralight, you sacrifice comfort (and likely many, many dollars) for speed and stamina while moving.
Base weight and Pack weight are frequently on the mind of long distance backpackers when they start their journeys. They are similar concepts that measure how heavy your pack is. They differ in what’s included in the calculation. When you calculate base weight, you weigh only the items that you’re carrying for the duration of your hike like your tent, sleeping bag, and backpack; not consumables like food and water. When you calculate pack weight however, you include the items that fluctuate on top of the base weight calculation and it becomes more a measure of your maximum load for the trip.
While backpackers, namely ultralighters, sweat the weight on the back (pun intended), photographers in my experience do not - opting instead to carry the equipment they feel they need to capture the landscapes, animals and experiences of their journey. Many photographers feel it’s most important for them to get the shot they’re looking for and they don’t mind hiking slower or shorter to do it. I believe I’ve found my balance of distance and photos.
In order to figure out an optimal balance of lightweight vs. getting-the-shot, the surprising and most important question you must ask is: Why am I hiking? If you are wanting to get epic shots and that is your only goal, I would advise you to go solo and take the gear you might need for the shot as well as the essentials for your trip. If you are wanting to crush big miles as your primary goal, leave the camera at home - your phone is likely good enough as you will be speeding along like those foolish photo runners in “Yes Man” (great movie, watch it). Finally, if you want to blend the two like I usually do when I go backpacking with friends, set expectations and make sure your party understands that you’re going to be dropping back to make images - do not expect them to wait every time you see a daisy. One tip that I need to do more of myself is to set the expectation for where you’re meeting/camping - there’s no pressure for anyone to wait or catch up with this approach, you’ll see everyone when you see them.
Finally I will move on to my gear choices. I will lay this next bit out in two sections; backpacking gear and photography gear. Generally speaking, more backpacking gear is present for multi-day expeditions and more photography gear is present for day hikes or car camping trips.
Backpacking Gear
Tent: ZPacks Altaplex (single person) or REI Half Dome 2 (two person, pictured). I highly recommend getting a two person tent when you’re first starting out. It’s easier to fit all your gear inside and it’s nice to have when you’re trekking with a partner. The ZPacks is a great ultralight tent (17oz + trekking poles), but at $670 it is a big purchase and I wouldn’t advise people to look at it as their first option.
Backpack: Granite Gear Blaze 60 (pictured above). Backpacking gear is bulky; So is photography gear. I love this pack because it has enough storage (60 Liters) for whatever you need. It’s lightweight (3.1 lbs for the long size) and can carry heavy loads well, a rare combination and an absolute necessity if you’re going to be photographing your adventures. As an added bonus, the mesh on the shoulder straps is perfect for a Peak Design capture clip - my preferred method of carrying a camera in the backcountry. I can’t say enough good things about this pack!
Sleep System: I use an ultralight 20 degree Enlightened Equipment Enigma quilt year-round to stay warm at night. Quilts tend to be lighter than sleeping bags because they do not have a back or zippers. While this may seem like a fast track for a cold and uncomfortable night, you should know that sleeping bag backs are not all that effective at keeping you warm. When you lay down, you mash down the insulation and it ceases to be an effective insulator. The best thing you can do for yourself to stay warm, regardless of if you have a sleeping bag or a quilt, is invest in a good R-Value (4.0+) sleeping pad like the Nemo Longbow sleeping pad. This will keep you warm on all but the absolute coldest of cold nights when specialty gear becomes necessary. Lastly, treat yourself to a good night’s sleep on trail and get yourself a pillow! You can crush bigger miles when you sleep well and a pillow is the best way to make your outdoor setup feel like home. I am still searching for a pillow that fits me well, but I do like the Sea to Summit Aeros quite a bit.
Water Filtration: The Katadyn BeFree is my current go to water filter. Because I mainly hike in the United States, waterborne viruses are not a common concern and a regular filter is good enough. If I was in Europe, Asia or Africa I would be using a water purifier like the MSR purifier system. I always carry Aquatabs as a backup just in case my filter gets damaged or lost.
Cook Kit: Keep it simple and light - the MSR Pocketrocket stove, a titanium cook pot, and a LONG HANDLE spork are all you need to eat that deliciously delectable, dehydrated cuisine from Mountain House.
Rain Gear: For a less lightweight but breathable option, I like the Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket. For the cray cray ultralighters who don’t care about breathability, I know Frog Toggs reign supreme. Bonus, unlike most ultralight gear, they are cheap as hell!
Food Storage: DON’T BE THAT GUY. Get yourself a proper bear proof food container and keep yourself, your party, and the animals safe. My preferred storage method is an Ursack AllMitey. It’s rated to protect against everything from chipmunks (aka minibears) up to Brown Bears. While it’s not as light as hanging your food in a dry bag, it is effectively guaranteed to work in the easiest way possible. It also is considerably easier to pack when compared to a hard sided canister like the Bear Vault 450.
Photography Gear:
Camera: I shoot with the Nikon Z8. It is a great full frame mirrorless camera, but it is a little heavy for backpacking at just over 2 pounds. It’s worth it for me because I adore taking photos of wildlife and cropping in tight to the subject. If I was only looking for landscape shots, I’d check out the new crop sensor Nikon Z6 III since it’s a half pound lighter and considerably cheaper with similar capabilities to the Z8.
Lenses: My favorite lens is the Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S. This is an incredible general purpose lens and I use it for landscapes as well as wildlife. While it may not be the sharpest for genres like portrait photography, I find it to be a wonderful jack-of-all-trades for landscapes, especially while backpacking. When I’m not backpacking, I often carry a Sigma 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3. While heavy at around 5 pounds, this beast of a lens is a high quality, yet budget option for wildlife photography as it has the reach to avoid disturbing the critters.
Camera Backpack: Tenba Axis V2 32L pictured above. Carry all of the camera equipment with ease in all conditions. This bag is top notch for every trip a day in length or less.
Camera Strap/Clip: The Peak Design Capture is a must for all nature photographers. We are not easy on our gear and this clip holds up to all conditions. I like it so much that I own two; one for my camera bag and one for my backpacking bag.
Filters and Polarizers: I swear by circular polarizers (CP) for landscape photography since they help turn reflections up or down as I want them. I prefer the PolarPro CP. I also enjoy their VND filters for waterfalls or other situations where I want to run a longer shutter in bright conditions.
To conclude and as usual, thank you for reading and please reach out with any questions. Here's a bonus image that has absolutely nothing to do with my post as a reward for making it through that slog of a blog :)