UKH

Can anyone suggest or know of packs that have a bottom compartment/opening along with a top opening that is not 80L+.

I'm trying to find something I can use as a day bag for winter mountaineering and has enough space for all the extra kit you need for winter, but that allows me easy access to my camera gear which is normally at the bottom.

I have a Metanoia 65:80 but its a bit big for single day use.

In reply to LouiseMcMahon:

Quite a few packs seem to have a bottom opening like my lowe alpine mountain attack 35/45 (i would probably assume the rest of the range would too), check out go outdoors or one of the other giant places.

In reply to LouiseMcMahon:

I'm using a Millet Peuterey Integrale 45+10 at the moment for my winter mountaineering. Plenty of space for winter layers and there's a 'U' zip that allows access to the whole of the bag. The crampon pouch on the outside is also a massive plus.

Unfortunately not the easiest bag to find in the UK...

https://www.millet-mountain.com/peuterey-integrale-45et10-mountaineering-me...

In reply to LouiseMcMahon:

Not quite what you asked, but you might consider getting something like the Peak Design Capture plate and keeping your camera out of your bag all day. Then you just need to think about where to stash other lenses.

In reply to mattdennies:
That bag would be perfect with the giant zip ill have to see if I can find one somewhere thanks.

In reply to RedTar:
I have thought about those in the past but with some of the conditions I've been out in even a sealed camera would not survive all day, plus I like to keep it protected in a padded bag when I'm not shooting in case I fall over etc.

In reply to LouiseMcMahon:

I had mine out all day in Scotland this year with very strong winds and snow all over. But I have a weather sealed camera so I'm generally not worried about it getting wet.

Something you could try is the Peak Designs shell - it covers the majority of the body and lens in a neoprene cover - which I think would allow you to keep out more often.

In terms of falling over - I guess that's a risk, but I rarely fall on my front, and rarely with that much force as my arms will likely break my fall.

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Thanks that f stoppers looks like it would be great for short days and summer but I’m one of those people that allways takes too much kit and I can see me running out of space especially if I stick a group shelter or confidence rope in aswell.

How water prof do you find the camera compartment to be on bags like that? I’ve always tended to keep my gear in a padded dry bag.

In reply to LouiseMcMahon:

How about the Deuter Guide 45+

Quite a traditional styled top loading pack with a side access zip and also a separate bottom compartment?
A bit heavy by modern pack standards but would seem to tick your boxes.

http://www.deutergb.co.uk/products/alpine/guide-45/

In reply to random_watcher:

+1 for the Deuter Guide 45+

Solid hard-wearing pack and great aftersales response from Deuter/Go Outdoors when my first pack developed a stitching fault after the first twelve months, they replaced it with a newer model which has performed faultless for the last 2 and half years.

In reply to LouiseMcMahon:

Why do you kep it in the base of your sack where it has the full weight of the sack on it when you put the sack down then? Surely a side or lid pocket would be a better place?

In reply to LouiseMcMahon:

It held up to some very wet mountain biking, you can put a rucksack cover on it, the anja at 40litres might suit, I guess it depends on the nature of your approach to photography, if you are quite considered and are heading to a fixed point to take pictures and aren't to bothered about taking opportunities along the way then protecting your camera can take priority 

personly I prefer to have access to my camera and gear relatively quickly

i would also seriously look at the fast and light approach as something to help facilitate your photography, if you take "all" the mountain gear and "all" the photography gear you will compromise both activities, I usually manage to get pretty much a full ML kit with the camera into a 30L f stop bag even in wintertime 

if I wanted to go even lighter for ice climbing I would use an Arcteryx fl30l bag with the Olympus omd 5 in a lightweight pouch on my harness and a gorilla pod I could use on an ice axe inside the bag.

as I say I'm giving it some more thought with an upcoming trip to Scotland so watch this space.

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Interesting. What do you include in a 'full ML kit'?

When I've camped up on the Ben for a few days of ice climbing I take an LX-7 for the harder routes and an A7 plus a couple of primes for sunsets and easier days. Sunny day shots really benefit from the dynamic range.

In reply to Adam Long:

ML kit would include 

bivy shelter

spare headtorch

first aid kit

crampons ice axe

confidence rope possibly (depending on whom I'm out with)

belay jacket 

waterproof jacket

spare gloves and mitts 

snacks and water

ski goggles

compass maps and phone 

I'm sure I've missed something

camera gear would be 

Nikon D810

Nikon 16-35 f4

Nikon 24-120 f4

possibly one prime

lee filter kit, spare batteries, lens wipes etc

lightweight(ish) tripod

 

That's for day walks in winter in Wales 

In reply to LouiseMcMahon:not sure if they’ve been mentioned already but there are lots of offerings from Osprey which would fit your spec, and in women specific versions too. 

 

In reply to jethro kiernan:

Wow, amazed you can fit all that in! Which ICU? Mine fills the bag, can just about squeeze a jacket down the back.

In reply to Adam Long:

I've got the medium slope ICU, that allows me to get most of the clothes down the front, if I were to take the confidence  rope it's a squeeze, for winter the 40l would be better especially big Scottish days out

a Scottish bivvy is on the cards shortly so I'll see how I'm going to pack for that, I'd like to take the full frame so might fall back onto the lowpro pouch and a sperate lens holder in the top of the sack, a gorilla pod and ice axe can be fairly useful but haven't tried it for 30sec star pictures :-/

In reply to LouiseMcMahon:

Just to add to the topic: I carry (at the top of my rucksack) an SLR and zoom in one of the large 'eagle creek specter ecubes', which is a lightweight padded box with a zip lid and a few pockets inside. As the latest cameras and lenses are fairly sealed against moisture, it doesn't worry me that the case is not waterproof as long as the rucksack is fairly waterproof; plus, I am actually more worried about trapping in moisture if I put a 'damp' camera inside a waterproof bag and forget about it for a few weeks ...